How-To: 4th gen hemi cam installation

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bigrob713

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hemi 6.4
The truck has 127400 miles. I've only had it for a month and a half. It's had an intermittent cylinder 6 misfire. It was entirely random. I have not over-revved the truck. It also has a low load, low rpm shudder that would sometimes go away with throttle application. I thought this was the MDS but maybe not?

I took the rocker assembly off after I posted the pic. Someone has been in there before me. The rocker assy bolts were super tight. The block on top of the rocker shaft (in the pic) is broken in two pieces. The tabs that are on the retainers for these blocks are mashed and/or broken.

The bent pushrod let go on a cold startup. I'm thinking it may have already been slightly bent.
 
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charonblk07

charonblk07

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In the OP's pictures, the rocker arm assembly appears to have wire circlips that help locate the rockers in position. Mine do not have these. Should they? I just had a bent pushrod on cylinder 6 and the rocker was off to the side of the intake valve.

The clips were installed on the 3rd gen non-vvt engines; I’ve been using the same rocker arms in my upgraded heads since 2012. They don’t do much except make installation a little easier.

Stanke makes a bolt-on version of then if you want something similar, I personally find them bulky compared to these clips but the Stanke ones keep the rockers in place at high rpm.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

gapi

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I wonder if the previous party didn't know enough how to bolt down that rocker bar according to where the cam lobes were positioned. One needs to pay attention and know a lifter can be pumped and stubborn some times. You gotta work it accordingly, you can bend that tube.
Also that hole in the push rod likes to catch the edge of the socket if one gets caught sleeping. I mirror it all.

They don’t do much except make installation a little easier.
Copy that, I use zip ties to do the same thing. White ones not trimming them to make sure I see to remove them.
 

bigrob713

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No, the angle of the push rod onto the rocker keeps it located against the square washer on the tube.

Slack may have let your push rod come out of the socket enough to be pushed by the socket lip and bend?
Bad lifter, cracker spring?


The valve spring looks good as in I can't see a break or a crack. But I agree, it could be a bad lifter that started all this. Oddly, even with the pushrod like this, the valvetrain was quiet while running. And after the intermittent cylinder 6 misfire would stop, power and idle was good. (Of course this was before the push rod bent like this)
 
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HEMIgoatRAMrunner

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5.7L Hemi V8
I've swapped 6 cams now on these engines, most with over 100,000 miles and never had a lifter fall; if you're really worried about it like one guy I helped, I just bought a bunch of the cheap magnetic pickup wands from the auto parts store and placed them on the lifters through the pushrod holes then taped the wands to the head; the magnet will hold the lifter in place and it can't fall. And saying that it's not that much more work to remove the head is just wrong, especially if you're already running long tube headers. There's a lot more work to do if you're removing the heads and a lot more that can go wrong. I can do a cam swap in an afternoon, a full head removal is a 2 day affair.

Ok.. well that scares. I was thinking just disconnect from exhaust..and jump the 15 bolts. please let me know in detail on head removal. I have the valve covers off, rocker arms, push rods, water pump....
 

HEMIgoatRAMrunner

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Yep! Made that mistake one time. Wasn't because of the extra time to do it right just didn't have the money to do it right. :Stupid Me:
yeah tell me about it... on that journey as we speak. sliding the cam out tomorrow and my lifters all look good but i had a misfire on 4 cyls so im not gonna chance it
 

HEMIgoatRAMrunner

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Hey there. I just finished following this thread to do a cam swap of my own and have a couple tips that might help someone out.

When timing I pulled the oil pump off. Got the open end of a wrench on the pickup tube bolt lifted the pump with it and slowly got it out. Getting the bolt back in proved to be much harder than getting it out (I didn't drop the oil pan). Have a magnet handy to fish it out of the oil pan if it drops. To get it back in I put a rag into the oil pan and wrapped 10 wraps or so of fishing line around the Bolt. Put the Bolt into the pickup tube and placed a small magnet on top of it to hold it there. The rag also helps to hold it in place. Put the oil pump back on and twist it so it's seated properly together. Use a finger or the fishing line up the bolt then pull the line so the bolt threads itself in. It worked for me. Hopefully It'll work for someone else tooView attachment 208805

I deleted the MDS system and found the easiest way to remove the solenoids was to break the top off them. In the middle there's a little plastic cylinder with a hole in it and a slot on either side. Use a small flathead to keep it from spinning and put a screw in a couple turns then use a nail puller screw driver to pop it out.View attachment 208806 View attachment 208807 View attachment 208808

View attachment 208803
u just saved my life!!!! ****** hell man!!!!!
 

magicattacks

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Burnsville, MN
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Hemi 5.7
I have a 2016 Ram 1500 5.7l w/ MDS

I was hoping someone could help me out here. I replaced the camshaft using this guide in conjunction with Alldata to make sure that everything was done right. I replaced the Camshaft, thrustplate, Lifters, Cylinder Head Gaskets (whole set as well), machined Heads, and fuel injectors. I had a Cylinder 3 intake lobe that got sheared by the lifter itself.

After finishing and filling everything back up, the truck runs horrible after it "warms" up within 10-20 seconds. It cannot idle by itself for more than 10 seconds. If I rev it to past 1.5k, it starts to run much better and doesn't feel shaky at all. Running the misfire monitor the first time, it did show cylinders 5 6 7 & 8 misfiring terribly. I have not been able to recheck since because my misfire monitor is globally disabled for whatever reason.

I went back and triple checked my timing. I verified my pushrods are solid with no bends and in the right spots. I pulled the MDS and saw no shavings or sludge on the filter screens. I have replaced the Catalytic Converters (I was dumb and thought it started to run better when they were off, but alas I was wrong). I pulled the intake manifold off and confirmed no blockages. I did and redid the Cam Crank variation a few times to no avail. I made sure I had good Ignition Coil control from PCM and good injectors and controller. There's probably other stuff I have done but I can't think atm.

Either way, the trucks codes did come back with a p0300, p0172, and p0175. Anyone run into this and could tell me what they did that I clearly just can't think of right now.
 

Zinger1

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Hey has anyone got an answer on how to keep the crank from turning over while doing the cam?

I am thinking either remove the starter to block the flywheel or the flywheel cover and clamp the flywheel but what's everyone else doing on this one?
 

Zinger1

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Go it. I just put a clamp on the chain, holding it until the tensioner was out of the way and after marking some spots on everything to original timing. Then I put a clamp on the chain to remove the camshaft vvt bolt (crank bolt was already out)

Then I marked all the new parts lined up with the old, installed cam, and should be good. I'll double check correct timing before buttoning up.

This one ran with the p0307 code for about 2,500 miles before I tore it down. The cam was seriously hollowed out but mysteriously, the lifter looked like it had turned sideways to do that and it wasn't flattened out, still rolled too. The other 3 lobes next to it, all between the last and next to last bearing journals were starting to wear a bit as well. Then I see that the oil flow is from the front to the back and it leads me to more confirmation of the theory of poor idle lubrication, ie, not enough lubing at lowest pressure back there.

I installed the Melling 452 pump which is for the 6.4 but works for the 5.7 because it has slightly higher volume on the low side and disregarded using the extra spring to raise the pressure to 75, 65 is plenty at higher rpm. They are coming out with a new model called 342 HV early next year which will be the ideal for this engine. (prob put that one in my wife's Durango R/T)

I racked my brain for 3 months thinking I would use a 6.4 cam and decided not to for several reasons. There are a couple technical issues that are not talked about I won't address now. Also, there should be a tune job with that one and my principal use for the truck is to maintain the torque, not to have more rpm hp. This 2015 truck has the 3.92 cogs, 8 spd auto, and is quick enough for a rig with 170k on it so I just added shorty headers to supplement the low end torque for my trailer hauling and I'll be happy enough with it even though it is a unit that looks good enough to be fast.

This 5.7 motor is so mod friendly with those heads and useful 6.4 parts that I'm going to get another one next year 2013 to 2018 8 spd just to do all the fun stuff: cam, intake, injectors, valve mods, non-mds, and a host of other things to be used for a nice drive around model that will still be very drivable on the street.
 

nlopitziii

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Hi, my name is Nick and I am pretty sure I am a new member of this club. I have a 2014 RamBox with the 5.7 Hemi. I suddenly noticed a tick that varied with the rpm of the engine. I also noted a sudden decline in fuel economy. My research is telling me it is camshaft and lifter time but I have not done anything to truly verify my hunch. I bought the truck used with somewhere around 70k miles two years ago. It now has 119k. I don't beat on the truck and change the oil when the dash tells me to.

I would like to commend the OP on the write up/walk through he made for this procedure. Very nice!

I do have one question, I am currently researching parts to do this repair. My goal is better part design/ longevity with stock function. It seems like everything aftermarket is calling for the MDS being deactivated. This requires a tuning device and more expense. Are there any better designed parts that will allow the use of the MDS?

Thank you!
 

Tubbyjig

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I have a 2016 Ram 1500 5.7l w/ MDS

I was hoping someone could help me out here. I replaced the camshaft using this guide in conjunction with Alldata to make sure that everything was done right. I replaced the Camshaft, thrustplate, Lifters, Cylinder Head Gaskets (whole set as well), machined Heads, and fuel injectors. I had a Cylinder 3 intake lobe that got sheared by the lifter itself.

After finishing and filling everything back up, the truck runs horrible after it "warms" up within 10-20 seconds. It cannot idle by itself for more than 10 seconds. If I rev it to past 1.5k, it starts to run much better and doesn't feel shaky at all. Running the misfire monitor the first time, it did show cylinders 5 6 7 & 8 misfiring terribly. I have not been able to recheck since because my misfire monitor is globally disabled for whatever reason.

I went back and triple checked my timing. I verified my pushrods are solid with no bends and in the right spots. I pulled the MDS and saw no shavings or sludge on the filter screens. I have replaced the Catalytic Converters (I was dumb and thought it started to run better when they were off, but alas I was wrong). I pulled the intake manifold off and confirmed no blockages. I did and redid the Cam Crank variation a few times to no avail. I made sure I had good Ignition Coil control from PCM and good injectors and controller. There's probably other stuff I have done but I can't think atm.

Either way, the trucks codes did come back with a p0300, p0172, and p0175. Anyone run into this and could tell me what they did that I clearly just can't think of right now.
Did you find out why You were getting the P0300 Code? I did a full cam replacement and the engine is running rough at idle and I cant find the reason why Im getting the P0300 code.
 

Tubbyjig

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Did you find out why You were getting the P0300 Code? I did a full cam replacement and the engine is running rough at idle and I cant find the reason why Im getting the P0300 code.
So for anyone getting a P0300 code after a cam swap.
I got that code and could not figure out what was going on with my truck. Well in my case I found that I had installed an exhaust rod for cylinder 8 incorrectly. I actually bent the rod and forced my exhaust valve to stick open. Replaced the rods and she cranked right up. Had to replace the battery but she running strong now.
 

bmg97

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Doing this now. How does the a/c condenser come off ? I don't want to pry it too hard but seems like it's on there pretty good
 

spieg69

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I did the job this weekend. Guys don't get to hyped up it's a 2 day job. Depending on how particular you are. This thread was a life saver. There are a couple issues I ran into. Timing marks on the chain don't mean anything if you drop it.. make sure cylinder one is tdp and the cam pin is at 12 o clock. Take your time make sure of this. Also the last 1" on the cam install can be tough. Don't hit it.. I installed an 03 5.9 cummins head bolt in the cam and tightened until it turned cam freely and it fell into the spot. When installing the last 3" of the cam push down on the bolt and spin the cam to get it into the last couple bearings. Again do not hit it. Also push rods on new cam and lifter install they will pop into place to verify they are correct. Other than that this thread is to the T and amazing.
 

rod7515

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I have a question about replacing the phaser. I am replacing timing chain, lower crank gear and cam gear/phaser which is all one new unit. Is there anything that I need to do to that phaser or just put it on the way it comes out of the box. I am doing an all stock parts replacement. No upgrades for performance. I only ask because there was a link to a video in this thread that showed loosening the phaser screws and installing a clip but I figured that was a performance upgrade.
So as long as put the crank gear mark @ 6 o’clock a m Asher assembly gear @ 12 o’clock. Add my guides I should be good with timing?
Im not looking forward to dropping the pan on my 2011 ram but I am replacing the oil pickup with a new hellcat pump to get some extra oil so this doesn’t happen again. Only has 63k on it. I am also replacing the Vvt solenoid as well.
Thanks, Rod
 

jelih

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I'm in the middle of doing this job over several weekends. One thing I've noticed in all the threads I've read and all the videos I've watched, is that almost no one mentions how to remove and replace the front crank seal in the timing cover.

I did find another thread where the guy made his own tool and he said to wait to install it until after the timing cover was on, since the new seal got pushed out when he put the timing cover back on, but that doesn't make much sense to me because I think it actually seals against the balancer, and not the crank snout itself, and should therefor clear it just fine. He did say he may have been inebriated, so maybe that did it.

BUT, I still haven't seen much mention of the best way to do it. I imagine I can hamfist the old seal out easily enough with the timing cover off, but seems it's similar to installing a press fit bearing to get the new one in.

I also want to thank the OP for mentioning the part about heating the balancer with a heat gun before reinstalling it. Mine was an absolute mf to get off, and I've been dreading putting it back on, but I re-read this again just now and I had forget about that step, which should make things much easier.
 

Wild one

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I'm in the middle of doing this job over several weekends. One thing I've noticed in all the threads I've read and all the videos I've watched, is that almost no one mentions how to remove and replace the front crank seal in the timing cover.

I did find another thread where the guy made his own tool and he said to wait to install it until after the timing cover was on, since the new seal got pushed out when he put the timing cover back on, but that doesn't make much sense to me because I think it actually seals against the balancer, and not the crank snout itself, and should therefor clear it just fine. He did say he may have been inebriated, so maybe that did it.

BUT, I still haven't seen much mention of the best way to do it. I imagine I can hamfist the old seal out easily enough with the timing cover off, but seems it's similar to installing a press fit bearing to get the new one in.

I also want to thank the OP for mentioning the part about heating the balancer with a heat gun before reinstalling it. Mine was an absolute mf to get off, and I've been dreading putting it back on, but I re-read this again just now and I had forget about that step, which should make things much easier.
I'm guessing you read Dilligafs post,lol. The only way to push the seal out re-installing the cover,is if you're not paying attention to what you're doing,as you are correct the seal goes on the outside of the balancer. A piece of pipe or a big socket and some careful tapping will install the seal


 
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