Engine 5.7 hemi problem camshaft

[sledge1100]

I have a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 hemi. The truck has 75K miles and throws the infamous P0305 code.

Take it do my mechanic changes coil and plugs and doesn't work. I take to dealer to diagnose and can't determine what it is. I inform them of the info i find in here. it's a camshaft. Dealer quotes $3700 or engine replacement.

Take it to another mechanic that says he can do it for $2400 but then takes it apart and says he can't guarantee work because of metal shavings in engine that a replacement is better.

My question is how much do you think an engine replacement should cost? I've been quoted $7,000. I really don't feel like dropping 7K in a car that is 7 years old.

Any thoughts or comments appreciated.
Thanks
Dennis

 

[Paluby]

Man that's rough. Unfortunately a new engine will cost a lot. You could always try a wrecking yard for a good motor?

 

[R/T_Fire]

Yup, look into a wrecking yard and freshen up or rebuild that motor..

I know what your dealing with since my truck destroyed the cam and a few lifters.... lucky it was covered under warranty. the dealer took it down to the short block inspected every thing but found no signs of damage to the block so you may be lucky like me and just replace the cam and clean everything out of the block... Dealer told me the cost would be what you are being quoted for cost if it wasn't covered.

 

[Paluby]

Yeah rebuilding the motor could be a lot of fun. Upgrade a few things along the way and your wife will never know haha.

 

[R/T_Fire]

This is always how I look at it... I can spend, lets just say $5k on a repair or 6K on improvements.. all depends on how the owner uses their truck I guess...
REally I can't wait till I blow up my motor cause then is when I'll spend the cash to put in the stroker or 392 if I can legally.

 

[BlueRT]

In my opinion I would get what I could out of it the way it sits if you are not going to keep it for say another 2 years or so. If you plan on driving it for around 5 or more years a used low mileage engine from a reputable supplier ( maybe LKQ ? ) and labor from an independent garage with a solid reputation that has an experienced MoPar technician would be the lowest cost option. Now, if you plan on keeping it till it falls apart I would seriously look at a new crate engine ( is the 392 Hemi still available? ) from MoPar and installed by a "good" Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealer with a warranty from FCA.

 

[20162500]

well i have a 2016 with the 5.7 and has been i shop for over a week with still no answers for 100%. Both tech that looked at it said they thought bad lifters which caused cam to go bad then i had metal in filter after they checked it. But they still have not told me what they were going to do about it. Terrible service would not wish this on anyone. Sucks having brand new truck and cant drive or get a solid answer for a solution. Good luck with your truck.

 

[Zackb]

I am currently going through this exact situation with my 2013 ram 1500(78000 miles). drove it to the dealership after getting the codes read because i thought it was still under the original 5 yr 100k warranty. wrong:/. turns out im 1.5 months late as well as those lifters are on back order and could be up to 2 months ! considering doing it myself or going to my trusted mechanic and using some aftermarket parts. the OEM lifters have a 2 year warranty on them which seems pretty useless anyways and waiting 2 months seems out of the question. any reviews on and aftermarket lifters and/or camshaft that are good ?

 

[VB712]

I am currently going through this exact situation with my 2013 ram 1500(78000 miles). drove it to the dealership after getting the codes read because i thought it was still under the original 5 yr 100k warranty. wrong:/. turns out im 1.5 months late as well as those lifters are on back order and could be up to 2 months ! considering doing it myself or going to my trusted mechanic and using some aftermarket parts. the OEM lifters have a 2 year warranty on them which seems pretty useless anyways and waiting 2 months seems out of the question. any reviews on and aftermarket lifters and/or camshaft that are good ?

Matt at moes sells a complete cam kit with hellcat lifters

 

[Burla]

I really don't feel like dropping 7K in a car that is 7 years old.

a 2009 was likely built in 2008, and we are at the end of 2018, so basically it is a 10/11 year old truck, and the exact thing you have going on it a weakness in these hemi's sad to say. But anyhow, if it were me, I'd go the 2400 route. Since this is a weakness of these rams the lobs are worn at an increased rate, so rarely would it be a case of metal shavings. You see the nubs in most of these cases, I've seen very few with serious pitting, more like smooth lobes over time. IMO worth the risk, and I bet the mechanic would work with you if it was the other case. This is what we tend to see...

It is very likely all this is internally is an increased wear metals in the oil as opposed to metal shavings.

 

[Burla]

You know the best fact for you? The fact is this issue is happened because the cam is missing the roller, or something like that, that is why that code is thrown. There is likely nothing about that code that is metal in the engine. So even if there was metal shavings, I still say not, what evidence do you have that it has been any issue? If some guy was gonna replace my cam and lifters for 2400, I'd be all over that. Look into adding more film strength with new cam, more moly and 5w30 oil or better, read filter thread as well. Good luck, Burla

 

[Ramnewbie]

Matt at moes sells a complete cam kit with hellcat lifters

Is it just as easy as installing hellcat lifters or do you then need a tuner to electrically turn off the MDS that's no longer there?

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Burla]

Hey OP, take off your oil filter and cut it open. If you use an osculating tool, be mindful of the metal shaving there will be near the cut. Stay right by the top of the filter and make a neat cut. Don't make a cut that will put metal everywhere. Now, then inspect the entire filter for metal shavings. Metal shavings don't rotate through your oil sytem, all oil goes through the filter.

 

[RAMKevin85]

I'm in the same boat with a 2013 5.7 Hemi. Check engine light came on at 129,000 and started idling rough. The dealer read the code and told me #8 wasn't firing. I took it to a trusted garage, and they found the lifter wasn't stroking all the way, pointing to a bad lifter and potentially bad cam shaft.

With concerns over metal, they are advising engine replacements, without putting too much into tear down, to save expense. The cam replacement cost is $5,500 (with new plugs, coils, and boots because I'm due). But they won't guarantee anything for fear of metal. Dropping a Jasper engine into it with the replacement kit (all accessories needed to get the 100,000 mile warranty) is $10,000.

I don't want to drop that much into the truck, but it's my daily driver that I picked up only two years ago. I don't feel like spending $5,500, to turn around and **** it away if there is more damage deeper in the motor.

I am asking them to tear it down to the failure point, so that the cam and lifter can be viewed to confirm the damage, but beyond that, I don't want to sink more money into something that I may eventually replace.

I'm am also pricing the work at two other garages. One in my hometown, which I really trust (mechanic my family has used for years), and the other is a local shop with a good reputation.

It sounds like I'm not the only one, the garage told me the same thing as other have stated here. Camshafts from Chrysler are on back order for 7 weeks (more than 12,000 units). They are turning out 1,700 a week, and still falling behind demand.

It's a tough pill to swallow, especially heading into the holidays, so I'm just posting here for advice. Try the cam & lift fix, or replace? Based on what you know and have shared with others, what would you do?

 

[Burla]

Junk yard motor, another option. Probably less the 5500 if you take it to a non dealer mechanic? However, a new non mds engine would be worth it imo. Payment plan. This is very common, but even guys here who read this every week say it's not common. Either that or do it yourself, there are a couple of step by step threads here.

 

[Kap1]

Tough situation. I myself got a 2013 with 89k on it and scared to have to face the same issue.

I would be too depressed to spend $10k on a 6 year old truck. Maybe you can trade it in? Not sure what they'll give you for it, but you're going to spend at least $5k for cam, and then there still other things that can break in a 6 year old truck. I honestly don't know what would do in this situation. Good luck

 

[huntergreen]

If the rest of truck is in good shape, I would fix it. Your not going to find a decent ride for 10 grand. Put a rider on on your insurance so the engine is covered in the event your ride is totaled.

 

[RLJ10X]

I'm curious as to what caused the engine to go bad in the first place. Why do some engines go bad, some don't. Why? Wrong oil?

 

[RAMKevin85]

Update:

I shopped around a bit and was able to find a another local mechanic that could put in a Mopar rebuilt crate motor for $6,300 (total cost). It comes with a 3 year 100k warranty. I also had purchased a service plan from the Chrysler dealer when I got the truck that covered the power train. It maxes out @ $4,000 (they are a pain in the ass to deal with), so I'll still be out of pocket, but the hit won't be so hard. After talking to 6 garages (none of them dealers), every one of them said the same thing. If I planned to keep the truck, swap the motor. If I planned to sell the truck in a year or two, change the cam and get the hell away from it.

@RLJ10X: I think I just drew one of the short straws and got an engine that exhibited a problem that looks to be kind of common. There are more and more threads on this forum popping up about it. I did my oil changes every 6-7k, and completed them myself, so some idiot fresh out of "oil change school" didn't mess anything up at a quick lube. I made sure to use good oil and filters, but I purchased it from a dealer with 92,000 miles on it and its almost impossible to say how it was driven before I got it. The engine may have no other problems besides the cam and lifter, but that's a pricey fix with a lot of risk. Rather than roll the dice, I decided to go with the more expensive lower risk option. I still owe money on it from the purchase and would not be able to get back into another truck if I tried to trade it out.

Thank you all for the advice.

 

[Kap1]

$6300 sounds pretty cheap for the whole engine replacement with warranty. I've heard upwards of 10k on this forum before. Be alert to the terms and paperwork for this job, check reviews of this shop.

Please keep us posted on progress and dealing with the 3rd party warranty. What's the name of warranty company?