Getting a New Engine

[tig_d]

Hi all, I'm just posting for general guidance. My girlfriend bought a 2013 RAM 2500 with the 5.7 and 160k on the odometer two years ago, and it's had problems from the beginning. Finally today, a shop we trust told her they found metal in the oil and it needs a new engine. The quote is ~$10k. We're already in a tough spot financially but need a 4WD vehicle for this Minnesota winter, and she's told them to proceed. It will take about a month (two weeks to get the engine, the rest labor).

I'm just hoping to get some general guidance on what questions we should be asking, what other work we might want to have done at the same time, etc. The dealer that sold her the truck said the transmission was new or rebuilt, but they have zero credibility with us at this point, so who knows.

The shop working on the truck now has already ordered a new motor, but we could probably still change plans if you all have a specific suggestion for how we should go about this. Should we consider a different engine? 392? I do have quite a bit of confidence in this shop, as there are a lot of straight-shooting, well-worn mechanics there that tell it like it is.

What would you do in this situation? Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[LeeD]

Having trust in your shop and mechanics is all you really need. I’m sure it’s not their first 5.7 Ram that needed a new motor.
Back in PA I had a mechanic that I trusted and in the long haul saved me a lot of money on repairs and advice.

 

[Wild one]

Hi all, I'm just posting for general guidance. My girlfriend bought a 2013 RAM 2500 with the 5.7 and 160k on the odometer two years ago, and it's had problems from the beginning. Finally today, a shop we trust told her they found metal in the oil and it needs a new engine. The quote is ~$10k. We're already in a tough spot financially but need a 4WD vehicle for this Minnesota winter, and she's told them to proceed. It will take about a month (two weeks to get the engine, the rest labor).

I'm just hoping to get some general guidance on what questions we should be asking, what other work we might want to have done at the same time, etc. The dealer that sold her the truck said the transmission was new or rebuilt, but they have zero credibility with us at this point, so who knows.

The shop working on the truck now has already ordered a new motor, but we could probably still change plans if you all have a specific suggestion for how we should go about this. Should we consider a different engine? 392? I do have quite a bit of confidence in this shop, as there are a lot of straight-shooting, well-worn mechanics there that tell it like it is.

What would you do in this situation? Any advice would be much appreciated.

A truck 392 wouldn't be a bad upgrade,as the 5.7's in a 2500 are a bit under powered,especially if you plan on towing with it.

 

[tig_d]

@LeeD I really appreciate that confidence boost. This shop has definitely swapped Hemis before, and warned us from day one about various issues with it. We really tried to nip this in the bud with preventative maintenance and diligent care, but the new engine might be a blessing in disguise, despite the cost. It's a good shop and after this, we shouldn't have major engine troubles for the next 200k.

@Wild one I appreciate you chiming in as you've demonstrated solid knowledge in other threads I've been reading here today. I'm inquiring with the shop about a truck 392. Is it fair to say that that's a more appropriate swap than the Hellcat 392 because it has better-built heads,pistons, etc.? My understanding is that the truck 392 has lower compression and makes less horsepower, but is a more durable choice in a heavy truck. I'd appreciate you setting my understanding straight.

 

[Wild one]

@LeeD I really appreciate that confidence boost. This shop has definitely swapped Hemis before, and warned us from day one about various issues with it. We really tried to nip this in the bud with preventative maintenance and diligent care, but the new engine might be a blessing in disguise, despite the cost. It's a good shop and after this, we shouldn't have major engine troubles for the next 200k.

@Wild one I appreciate you chiming in as you've demonstrated solid knowledge in other threads I've been reading here today. I'm inquiring with the shop about a truck 392. Is it fair to say that that's a more appropriate swap than the Hellcat 392 because it has better-built heads,pistons, etc.? My understanding is that the truck 392 has lower compression and makes less horsepower, but is a more durable choice in a heavy truck. I'd appreciate you setting my understanding straight.

The Hellcat looks good on paper,but it's not really a high load towing style engine,lol. The truck 6.4 is the better choice in a 2500,as it's a bit lower compression,and is built to handle full load for 12 minutes on 87 octane,although it does like 89 better,but it will live on 87 pretty decently. The truck 6.4 is basically an R&R job,but to get the most out it,it should be tuned. A good upgrade would be a set of long tube headers,but as far as i know,only ARP makes long tubes to fit the HD trucks,and they bend you over,for their name,as they're over priced in my opinion.
The SRT 6.4 makes more power,but it requires 91 octane at a mininium,and has glass pistons,the truck 6.4 has better pistons then the higher powered SRT 6.4's have,so i'd avoid one of them.

If you haven't read this article,it's well worth spending a few minutes reading it,as it gives alot of info on the Trucks BGE engine.

We Scored a $400 Junkyard 392ci Hemi From a Ram Truck—and It’s the Mother Lode!

Our 392 BGE Hemi build-up journey starts with buying a mysterious junkyard Ram Truck 392 Hemi core. We crack it open and find the mother lode!

www.motortrend.com

 

[Sherman Bird]

Hi all, I'm just posting for general guidance. My girlfriend bought a 2013 RAM 2500 with the 5.7 and 160k on the odometer two years ago, and it's had problems from the beginning. Finally today, a shop we trust told her they found metal in the oil and it needs a new engine. The quote is ~$10k. We're already in a tough spot financially but need a 4WD vehicle for this Minnesota winter, and she's told them to proceed. It will take about a month (two weeks to get the engine, the rest labor).

I'm just hoping to get some general guidance on what questions we should be asking, what other work we might want to have done at the same time, etc. The dealer that sold her the truck said the transmission was new or rebuilt, but they have zero credibility with us at this point, so who knows.

The shop working on the truck now has already ordered a new motor, but we could probably still change plans if you all have a specific suggestion for how we should go about this. Should we consider a different engine? 392? I do have quite a bit of confidence in this shop, as there are a lot of straight-shooting, well-worn mechanics there that tell it like it is.

What would you do in this situation? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Replace the water pump and t-stat. Ditto for the serpentine belt and tensioner. Motor mounts would be advised. New spark plugs are a must. Hoses are something I'd STRONGLY suggest, including heater hoses.

 

[RJL1]

With a new engine I'd think about a new radiator or at the very least a good flush.

 

[tig_d]

Thank you all! I have a little more information now. We'll go with another 5.7 as insurance will actually cover $3k of it. The engine will be remanufactured from Jasper and comes with a 3yr/100k warranty, though I'm sure the warranty is a joke in practice. We'll proceed with every one of the replacement parts recommended here, including radiator. Makes sense to me to do it while they're already in there, and before any small problems can turn themselves into big problems in a replacement engine.

I owe you all a beer! And I continue to welcome advice, especially on how to best care for this new engine once it's done.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Jasper will make sure you replace the intake Plenum, because of metal fragments, and oil cooler being possibly contaminated.

 

[tig_d]

Jasper will make sure you replace the intake Plenum, because of metal fragments, and oil cooler being possibly contaminated.

I was just thinking that exactly. Last thing we want is to do this again in 800 miles. I'll specifically request that the shop go over intake plenum and oil cooler, as well as anything else that could throw fragments from the old engine into the new one. R&R as needed.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I was just thinking that exactly. Last thing we want is to do this again in 800 miles. I'll specifically request that the shop go over intake plenum and oil cooler, as well as anything else that could throw fragments from the old engine into the new one. R&R as needed.

I recently installed a brand of reman engine (Power Torque) in a 2006 GMC Sierra 5.3 liter with just shy of 200,000 miles on it. The options had been weighed including Jasper, but this one was chosen due to 1) It was a grand cheaper, 2)I've used this product before with stellar results, and 3) It was available right away.

I was surprised as to all the neon bright tags and stickers fastened all over this engine and in the paper work pack which came with it. Only an unobservant person would miss any of the admonitions which, when followed, ensured that the results would be satisfactory. The gaskets included were very high quality, for aftermaket parts, but, in my ayenal-retentiveness, I bought several genuine factory parts for this build.

I took my time, including making sure that the oil filter was installed whilst the engine was still on the stand, removed the oil sender, and poured 3 quarts of oil through it. This forced oil into the oil pump backwards, into the passages for rods and mains, and filled the filter completely. When I fired the engine up initially, the oil pressure shot up right away.
In spite of this, I had one lifter that took about 2-3 minutes to hush up!

Ultimately, I followed the instructions given with the engine to a tee, including minding every torque reqirement given.
What wasn't in any instructions was the fact that they painted the entire block.... so do all other builders. I chased all threads on that engine block with various taps.
I took a gasket cleaning disc and abraded the paint off of the water pump gasket areas and cleaned off every grounding point on that engine.... Then, after the engine was set into place, I installed new star washers between the ground wires/cables and the cleaned off places I'd prepared.

The taking of my time and following if instructions, regardless of my length of tooth, resulted in a beautiful running truck!

 

[MAC830203]

Get a hellcat engine and spare yourself all the headaches. You can get with all the electrons and trans too. Everything else is just a repeat of the same. No matter what shop or trust in the shop you have.
And….. you’ll go really fast

 

[tig_d]

Update! The truck is back home. I'm just going to post the invoice here in the hope that someone more knowledgeable than me will glance it over and let me know if everything seems to generally be in order. Any suggestions on caring for the truck as we break it back in would be appreciated.

I'm told it needs new suspension components and plan to do that work myself, probably in late January. Haven't looked this all over myself yet, but again I welcome any and all tips, recommendations, etc. that might help me and future readers out. Thanks and happy holidays to you all.

Edit: added a few pics.

 

[Wild one]

Update! The truck is back home. I'm just going to post the invoice here in the hope that someone more knowledgeable than me will glance it over and let me know if everything seems to generally be in order. Any suggestions on caring for the truck as we break it back in would be appreciated.

I'm told it needs new suspension components and plan to do that work myself, probably in late January. Haven't looked this all over myself yet, but again I welcome any and all tips, recommendations, etc. that might help me and future readers out. Thanks and happy holidays to you all.

Edit: added a few pics.

Dump the 5W-20 and run a good quality 5W-30

 

[tig_d]

Thank you and yep, it's getting some Red Line before it goes another mile.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Dump the 5W-20 and run a good quality 5W-30

Convenience fee? Huh?

 

[CanRebel]

Little late now. I've always seen bad reviews on those jasper engines. Hopefully yours doesn't have any issues.
That price looks high. New crate engine would be around that?

 

[tig_d]

Convenience fee? Huh?

I believe that particular fee is for using a credit card for part of it. Credit card charges cost the shop a percentage, and around here all of the shops have that fee.

 

[04fxdwgi]

You'd think for $10k they would clean up everything when done.

Too "old school", I guess.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I believe that particular fee is for using a credit card for part of it. Credit card charges cost the shop a percentage, and around here all of the shops have that fee.

Yeah? Well the astute businessman puts that cost of doing business in his overhead algorithm. Inasmuch as the amount being a mere 1% of the total charge, it doesn't come close to covering merchant fees. These fees average form about 2% up depending on regional and other factors. The devil is in the details. Just my 2 cents worth. I never show an additional charge for folks using plastic in my shop. How much do you think I was charged in merchant fees when the customer whose engine, transmission, and A/C I replaced, paid his nearly 14,000 dollar bill using a Visa?

We automotive repair professionals already have many image misconceptions and ill will aimed at us. This "fee" doesn't help, in my perspective! It just screams "boorish".