Dreaded cold start lifter tick

[2019RamInSC]

Idle is not bad for the hemi, low rpm idle is bad for the hemi. Burla

Not sure I understand above?? What is low rpm idle?? Except after start when idle runs hi for 30 seconds or so. I am missing something.

My 2019 hemi has a tick in startup on occasion. Only 6000 miles due to covid-19 and being retired.
No pattern as to when it occurs. So I'm very interested in this subject.

Thanks

 

[1sttimedodgeowner]

I have a 2017 and mine doesn't sit much but once in a while I will get cold start tick as well using 05/30 mobile 1 and k&n synthetic oil filter! Only last a couple seconds but definitely makes me cringe!

 

[Burla]

Not sure I understand above?? What is low rpm idle?? Except after start when idle runs hi for 30 seconds or so. I am missing something.

My 2019 hemi has a tick in startup on occasion. Only 6000 miles due to covid-19 and being retired.
No pattern as to when it occurs. So I'm very interested in this subject.

Thanks

The oil flow doesn't know if the truck is in gear or not, so you can give it gas and bring rpm idle up or should I say when you are in park rev it a tad. I think the consensus is the cam is well lubricated at high rpm's, 2500 plus. What oil are you running? Even redline will tick if the truck sits for a month, so a couple guys suggest trying flood prevention mode or whatever they call that. If the truck sits long, you can try this, before you start the truck, put the hammer down to the floor and then start it, the truck engine should turn w/o starting, in theory might help against dry start.

 

[Burla]

I have a 2017 and mine doesn't sit much but once in a while I will get cold start tick as well using 05/30 mobile 1 and k&n synthetic oil filter! Only last a couple seconds but definitely makes me cringe!

welcome to the forum, you can try a lubrication strategy right now, only 6 bucks. See the forum results on lubegard biotech and redline oil and oil additive, same science. We have a decade of testing at ram forum, these two have risen to the top based on many forum members experience, again see the polls. And feel free to participate in the poll if you try either strategy, or make a strategy yourself based on your own research. Clearly, lubrication matters, and it might be the only solution to this as some guys replace lifters only to still have tick. You can dump lubegard into current m1 5w30, see if the moly plates. Sometimes moly takes a while to plate, so give it 500 miles and report if it helped or not if you try lubegard. Redline has better results by a little, again see the polls, but that is expensive and you have to change oil, whereas lubegard is a simple 6 dollar additive and the results are the results.

additive

redline poll



.

 

[Karl Mull]

better check with the dealer. I have a 2012 ram Hemi (80000) miles)that has a check engine light, took to the dealer (2) now thry want to replace ther cam and lifters $5000 worth. both service depts say they have seen this before so it must be semi common. Doesnt seem right to me. Not sure what to do about it tho.

My 2011 with 160K started knocking and needed lifters and cam. $4500. I had the tick for 6 yrs. Dealer said it was normal. I say poor design. Traded the truck as is. Driving a 2020 Laramie 5.7 hemi. Absolutely nobtick even with cold start at 40 degrees. I belive they have fixed the issue on the 5th gen trucks.

 

[Justin33]

My 2016 has 14k miles and dont think i could make it sit a month not started! (Demanding kids, gym and hd runs) How the hell do you have 21k on a 19 at that rate?!?!

I got 21 or 22 on a 2015 lol

 

[Adam E]

I'm using Purolator Boss, and I know long idle time is not good, but starting it up every few weeks and letting run for 3 or 4 minutes to build pressure back up shouldn't kill the engine. I would take it to the dealer, but I know it would be a waste of time and I have the Max Care Unlimited Warranty, so if it eats a lifter, I'm covered. I was just surprised it did it, because it had never did before.

So a little off topic though I also have the Max Care Lifetime Warranty and was using Redline oil. My brother a Chrysler mechanic asked me why I was throwing away money on Oil. He said you have a lifetime warranty why spend the extra money when you're covered either way.
I ended up purchasing the FCA Oil change plan for 6 year I think it comes out to $11 an oil change including filter.
I now use what they call "Sky Oil" it's the oil that comes out of the pull down tube

 

[2019RamInSC]

The oil flow doesn't know if the truck is in gear or not, so you can give it gas and bring rpm idle up or should I say when you are in park rev it a tad. I think the consensus is the cam is well lubricated at high rpm's, 2500 plus. What oil are you running? Even redline will tick if the truck sits for a month, so a couple guys suggest trying prevention modflood e or whatever they call that. If the truck sits long, you can try this, before you start the truck, put the hammer down to the floor and then start it, the truck engine should turn w/o starting, in theory might help against dry start.

Thanks for that info. I am using Penzoil Platinum Synthetic. The "prevention modflood" makes sense. But since it does not happen every time. I hate to do that. Maybe I will reserve that for when it sits for more than one day. I will research the RedLine oils also.

Thanks!

 

[Pocketfisherman]

If a lifter on a lobe didn't bleed down after a month, I would be concerned it was stuck and dirty. The original posters symptoms are normal for the weight of oil used in these RAMs.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

Just change your oil. Leave the oil filter on there and just drain and fill with new oil. I use PUP and after 2500 to 3000 miles depending on the weight my valvetrain will sing for a few seconds in the morning. Two or three consecutive days of singing, and I change the oil. The singing goes away for a few thousand more miles and then I will change again. I use royal purple or Mobil 1 oil filters so they can stay on there for a few oil changes.

 

[TomB 1269]

The cold start lifter noise I have been able to diagnose on my own to cold oil shutdown. It seems that if the truck is driven a short distance and the oil does not heat enough to become thicker i.e. 5W20, 5 on startup and 20 at operating temp. It seems as though the oil drains down out of the lifters easier as the viscosity is lower. However if you get the oil temp to register, i.e. above 104 degrees it seems to minimize and or stop the "dry" lifter startup issue.

I have notice the issue since my 1st oil change at 3000 miles, I am now at 14500 and have had 2 additional oil changes since then (i.e. every 5000 or 6-7 months whichever is 1st). I have also had BG MOA added at my last oil change. It has had no effect to the dry / cold lifter tick.

 

[Mando Mark]

Hello, I have a 2019 Ram 1500 Hemi with 21K miles, I have not started it in about a month. This morning I went out to start it and got the dreaded cold start lifter tick for about 3 seconds. I use redline 5w-30 and have never had a loud cold start lift tick like I had this morning. Guess I need to start it for a few minutes every other week, even if I'm not driving it.

I'm not an expert on the 5.7 Hemi - I've had mine for only a year. Prior to that, I had a 2000 Quad-Cab I bought brand-new with a 5.9 liter 'Magnum' V-8, which could pass anything except a gas station. (Averaged about ~12 mpg the entire 16+ years I had it, and a dreadful 6 mpg pulling our camper.) Anyway, I bought a Caliber to run around town and to work with and the Dodge would sit sometimes for WEEKS in my garage - only used if we went camping or I had to haul something. It too sounded like it had 'no oil' and everything clattered and rattled for 3-5 seconds after start-up. I've read the Hemi's are known for lifter ticking at start-up, but I suspect if yours had been sitting for an extended period of time, that ticking would be more pronounced and last longer until oil got pumped around. JMHO, YMMV.

 

[ChevySlayer69]

The cold start lifter noise I have been able to diagnose on my own to cold oil shutdown. It seems that if the truck is driven a short distance and the oil does not heat enough to become thicker i.e. 5W20, 5 on startup and 20 at operating temp. It seems as though the oil drains down out of the lifters easier as the viscosity is lower. However if you get the oil temp to register, i.e. above 104 degrees it seems to minimize and or stop the "dry" lifter startup issue.

I have notice the issue since my 1st oil change at 3000 miles, I am now at 14500 and have had 2 additional oil changes since then (i.e. every 5000 or 6-7 months whichever is 1st). I have also had BG MOA added at my last oil change. It has had no effect to the dry / cold lifter tick.

Many of us notice this... But man oil does not get thicker as it warms up. LOL

 

[njjeff201]

Lack of use can be just as detrimental as excessive use. Jump in that baby & run it a bit every 2 weeks or so or better yet drive it... keep rust from forming on your rotors, keep trans & axle seals wet. Not an oil additive fan just use best oil & high end filters.

 

[Burla]

Generally not a fan of additives either. Some oil additives are just the same things in engine oil just more of it, which some people say hemi's need due to design. ram member jetblckram found this article that explains why more additives are needed with metal assays of damaged cams. If you follow oil you know the gov't keeps taking additives out of oil.

 

[TomB 1269]

Many of us notice this... But man oil does not get thicker as it warms up. LOL

Thicker is a generic term......And yes oil viscosity increases as it gets warmer aka: THICKER in a generic sense.....If you disagree with my statement that viscosity increase then please do research on multi weight oil that are used in our autos, i.e. 0W20, 5W20, 5W30, 10W40, etc....... Also if you read the post about "quieting" the motor down as far as mechanical noise, aka ticks, etc. goes you will see a lot of the guys suggest changing to a 5W30....Why would a 5W30 have any effect on mechanical noise from an engine from a 5W20..... Because as the oil warms the viscosity modifiers in the oil take it from a 5 weight to a 30 verse from 5 to 20. Where 30 is a higher viscosity, aka: THICKER than a 20 weight............

I do apologize for having used such a generic term, but for me viscosity and thickness are sonomis with one another for me, but that may not be true for others, again my apologies.

 

[800steve]

Thicker is a generic term......And yes oil viscosity increases as it gets warmer aka: THICKER in a generic sense.....If you disagree with my statement that viscosity increase then please do research on multi weight oil that are used in our autos, i.e. 0W20, 5W20, 5W30, 10W40, etc....... Also if you read the post about "quieting" the motor down as far as mechanical noise, aka ticks, etc. goes you will see a lot of the guys suggest changing to a 5W30....Why would a 5W30 have any effect on mechanical noise from an engine from a 5W20..... Because as the oil warms the viscosity modifiers in the oil take it from a 5 weight to a 30 verse from 5 to 20. Where 30 is a higher viscosity, aka: THICKER than a 20 weight............

I do apologize for having used such a generic term, but for me viscosity and thickness are sonomis with one another for me, but that may not be true for others, again my apologies.

This how multi grade oil was explained to me by a Mobil chemist. 5w-20 means when cold the viscosity is no "thicker" than a 5 weight oil, and when its hot it is no thinner than a 30 weight when hot. But when cold a 5w oil is thicker than a hot 30 weight and when its hot a 30 weight is thinner than a cold 5w. It does does NOT get "thicker when it gets hot.

 

[indept]

Thicker is a generic term......And yes oil viscosity increases as it gets warmer aka: THICKER in a generic sense.....If you disagree with my statement that viscosity increase then please do research on multi weight oil that are used in our autos, i.e. 0W20, 5W20, 5W30, 10W40, etc....... Also if you read the post about "quieting" the motor down as far as mechanical noise, aka ticks, etc. goes you will see a lot of the guys suggest changing to a 5W30....Why would a 5W30 have any effect on mechanical noise from an engine from a 5W20..... Because as the oil warms the viscosity modifiers in the oil take it from a 5 weight to a 30 verse from 5 to 20. Where 30 is a higher viscosity, aka: THICKER than a 20 weight............

I do apologize for having used such a generic term, but for me viscosity and thickness are sonomis with one another for me, but that may not be true for others, again my apologies.

Wrong. Go to youtube and search cold oil comparison. There are videos showing various synthetic oils flowing downhill at , if I recall correctly, 0 deg F and they flow slower than warm oil. 800steve , below, is correct.

Heres a basic cold & hot example showing hotter is thinner.

Here's a more controlled experiment showing cold only, go to 5:47 in the video to see how thick it is.

This how multi grade oil was explained to me by a Mobil chemist. 5w-20 means when cold the viscosity is no "thicker" than a 5 weight oil, and when its hot it is no thinner than a 30 weight when hot. But when cold a 5w oil is thicker than a hot 30 weight and when its hot a 30 weight is thinner than a cold 5w. It does does NOT get "thicker when it gets hot.

 

[800steve]

Tom, you need to watch those videos again, yes like everyone has said, hotter is thinner, but viscosity does not increase, just does not change as much as a straight weight oil.

 

[Nick_rp]

Glad i checked this thread. I use mobil 1 purely because its the best i can afford at every change and i daily my ram but if that lubegard additive does the same or close to as RL than im all for it.

That big oil thread is a little too big and i end up more lost after reading a few pages than when i started.

You guys may end up repeating your self alot but these random posts do help others. Even ones that have been here awhile like me. So much appreciated