I need to replace my HEMI, what am I in for?

[TheOcho8]

I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI. My truck has been having a **** idle. And today I put my compression gauge on the engine and found no compression in the number 4 cylinder. So I need a new engine.

My question…..what am I in for? I have replaced engines in the past. Just not on this truck.

Also where is a good place to find an engine?

 

[HemiLonestar]

Start simple. Pull the valve cover and look first. Get a borescope or similar camera and take a peek down that cylinder. Anything catastrophic will be painfully obvious.

 

[GTyankee]

If you bought the truck new, or you know the trucks history

If that engine has never been rebuilt, then i would take it to machine shop & have them inspect the block & heads.

If they can't find anything wrong with cylinder #4, a rebuild may be the better way to go

 

[aviatorblackout]

You might just have a broken valve spring. The metal in the early 5.7 hemis valves springs were an issue and would give you a crappy idle. If it runs better with higher RPM I would bet thats the problem. You can repair this without removing the head too, just make up a holder out of wire or something to hold up the valve when you remove the old spring

 

[Martins hemi]

I had to have all my valve springs on my 03 replaced due to breakage

 

[HemiLonestar]

165k and counting on my original 2003 valvesprings lol

 

[Martins hemi]

165k and counting on my original 2003 valvesprings lol

Mine went out at 172k so…your close lol
Good news is I’ve put nearly 200k since then

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Broken valve springs, can hold the valve open and give you a bad compression reading, A leak down test will tell you the condition of your cylinder rings and intake and exhaust valves, do you have a shop compressor, and you can purchase or rent a leak down kit.

 

[HemiLonestar]

Mine went out at 172k so…your close lol
Good news is I’ve put nearly 200k since then

I'm not worried. I had almost 200k on a set of 2006 springs. Maybe I'll leave them in longer to see if I pass you lol. If it grenades the engine then I can just plop the 6.1 in.