I'm # 100k with this issue yeeeeeah

[HunterCat]

Nearly 400 hp in a naturally aspirated 5.7L motor at fuel economy that knocks around 20mph is "flawed".

If I was worried about longevity at all costs, I'd have bought a Toyota. I'm on my third hemi, zero issues. Not to say it won't happen tomorrow, but I sleep just fine at night.

Any engine that has such a well known failure is flawed in my book. There's a cottage industry around Hemi MDS Delete. That should tell you something.

Yeah, if you're not worried about longevity you can buy a Chevy or Ford too.

 

[Atcer2018]

I have to agree with Huntercat on the 3.6 and the oil cooler issue. It’s a far less invasive repair than a cam job. Most people who know the engine replace the oil cooler at 100k with the spark plugs as the intake manifold has to come off for that anyway. It’s more work but you’re already over half way there to replace it. More of a poorly designed maintenance item than a failure. The 3.6 also has some issues with cams and lifters as evidenced by CDJR mechanics on YT doing vids on replacements.

 

[Sherman Bird]

We had a 03 and at 32k it got hot and took out the heads. Dodge did fix it. That was back when they still did that stuff. It was never the same after that. It was sold around 37k and I didn't touch another Dodge for several years.

Interestingly, Fel-Pro actually engineered a fix in their design of the head gasket... this was about 2004 or so. That pretty much put the head gasket issue to bed.... It's a shame the OE couldn't or was unwilling to fix it themselves. I guess it was more pragmatic to sub it out! IIRC, the 4.7 was around until about 2011-2012?

 

[turkeybird56]

The plastic oil filter housing on the 3.6 is a known issue but it's not even close to being in the same league as the Hemi failure in terms of repair cost and complexity.

Yes, cam failure is a problem on the Chevy 5.3. What does that engine have in common with the Ram 5.7? Multi Displacement nonsense. I used to have a 2003 Silverado with the 5.3 and it was a good engine back then. Unfortunately, that particular truck fell apart around the engine .

AFM/MDS etc. gets a hard no from me. While manufacturers have to abide by CAFE standards, they're not held to any standard for reliability thus they produce a flawed engine design that saves a miniscule amount of gas to help get them over the finish line.

The Chevy 5.3L was a good solid powertrain till they started with the AFM/DFM crapola. I was gonna buy a Sierra 1500, 2022 with the AFM/DFM not installed, I just could not get the local dealer to do me right since it had a MSRP of 63K. So hence, the Red Beast stays parked out front.

Wife had a 2010 F 150, that we got in 2009 when the "new" upgraded came out with the 5.4L 3V Triton., Zero issues, only thing I replaced was idler tensioner arm and it was at 45K when I sold it to wife's younger son when she died.

 

[62Blazer]

First off if like to respectfully request you have intercorse with one's self. That said I was the victim of this twice, I have fixed about 5 of these engines myself in the passed couple of years for friends and the dealership usually has one of these a month where I'm from. So do the math an average of 12 a year per dealership and this is a population of about 15k people. So yeah that's a ton of people with these issues. Please don't down play this it's actually a serious issue that antichrystler refuses to properly address. It seriously cost alot of money on something I Was already making payments on and the dealership wouldn't even consider touching it under warranty.

I get a kick out of people who's only response is something like this. Seems real mature. Could have at least spelled it right........
Anyway, I said I understand the frustration and was not making excuses for Ram. Simply trying to put the issue in perspective. Completely agree it sucks when you have to pay money to fix the issue. But unfortunately you always take the risk of a failure in any vehicle.
Out of curiosity, how many trucks does this dealer sell per year? What is the average age and miles on the trucks they repair? So this dealership only sells to the local population of 15k people?

 

[62Blazer]

The problem with you saying “it’s only a few out of millions” is that there is a real problem, minuscule or not. When you happen to be the one who gets a vehicle with the exact same problem as others have had, all of that “other manufacturers have problems” B.S. goes right out the window. When folks who work hard for a living and spend big money on a vehicle that they buy with the intention of using said truck/car everyday without having to fork over more money or be without the vehicle they have/are paying for is very frustrating. People naturally will look for somewhere to vent those frustrations and it just happens to be where others who are in the same boat are doing the exact same thing. Bottom line is, no matter how you feel or what your experience is, if vehicles from one manufacturer are having the exact same problem then it should be addressed - nation wide. As a side note, I love my RAM and hopefully I have no more bad juju.

Again, just putting it in perspective. What is considered a "real problem" means completely different things between a single person who spent a lot of money on a truck versus a big manufacturer. As stated nothing is ever perfect and some level of defects make it out in the field. I don't think a lot of people understand that companies track these types of issues and determine what type of defect ratio is has. That is what is used to determine if it makes economic sense to change the design. If the defect rate was 50% like the internet want's you to think than Ram would have spent millions of $ redesigning the system. Yes, it sucks if your vehicle has this issue but I also think it's important for everybody to consider what the true defect rate is. This means the chance it will happen to your vehicle.

 

[Units]

Again, just putting it in perspective. What is considered a "real problem" means completely different things between a single person who spent a lot of money on a truck versus a big manufacturer. As stated nothing is ever perfect and some level of defects make it out in the field. I don't think a lot of people understand that companies track these types of issues and determine what type of defect ratio is has. That is what is used to determine if it makes economic sense to change the design. If the defect rate was 50% like the internet want's you to think than Ram would have spent millions of $ redesigning the system. Yes, it sucks if your vehicle has this issue but I also think it's important for everybody to consider what the true defect rate is. This means the chance it will happen to your vehicle.

I agree with you, they do track these things. They also take a calculated risk, will it cost more to just keep throwing money at it and fix the truck until it reaches its factory warranty end or put out a mass re-call and slap a new motor in all the affected vehicles? Unfortunately they decide, at the expense of the people that have problems, to keep throwing money at it and over time after different model years and drive train changes, enough time will have elapsed and it will no longer be their problem. Just like every thing else in any business, it’s all about the bottom line. So what, they lose a few customers? Time passes, people in general have short memories, the next big ticket buying generation comes up and they turn a profit. Nevertheless, it really gets my goat that this happened to me. But, I degress, who am I but some middle life fella on an old school forum complaining. Time for a beer.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Any engine that has such a well known failure is flawed in my book. There's a cottage industry around Hemi MDS Delete. That should tell you something.

Yeah, if you're not worried about longevity you can buy a Chevy or Ford too.

Funny whenever any body on the board buys a Ford how many people jump in about ecoboost turbo issues, 5.0 burning exessive oil, etc. Ford forums never report systematic issues. No waste gate rattle, no cam phaser recall, no hard shifting 10 speeds...

We've got a fleet of MDS equipped Hemi vehicles. No more issues per vehicle than 4.6 Fords that are hemi related. Electrical systems, yes. Whenever someone points out non-MDS motors eat cams at roughly the same rate, it just gets shrugged off. Both motors tend to outlive transmissions before the vehicles are scrap. Feels aren't data.

I'm not brand loyal, I have bought every domestic manufacturer's truck at some point from 1971 to 2021 models. Never had a significant drive train issue since a seized 350 in a 1975 Blazer and a burnt out transmission band in a '71 IHC Scout.

Maybe I've just lived a charmed life.

 

[Spree]

I've had zero problems with my hemi. Getting ready to hit 150K soon. No ticks, no knocks, runs smooth and quite. Just the way I like it. I would like to know how it ran with the cam missing a lobe?

 

[demonram]

They ALL have an Achille's heel. The 3.6 has the plastic oil filter housing under the intake manifold which fails prolifically. The cam failure is also a problem on Chevy 5.3 Liter trucks and the Ford 5.4L Triton 3 valve as well.

One of my customers did get help on his 2019 Silverado with 62000 miles on it with the failed lifter/wiped out cam/ metal throughout the engine, but it took him making phone calls to GM Customer support in Detroit to get help. He wound up paying 1500 dollars instead of 8 grand.

My last new truck was a 2008 F150 Lariat crew cab with the 5.4L Triton 3 valve. I never did let the dealer knuckle draggers touch it for "free" oil changes. I did my first oil change at 3000 miles and every 5000 thereafter. I used synthetic 5W20 oil as specified and a Motorcraft filter. That truck went over 170,000 miles without any engine problems.

Several of my customers and neighbors have the 5.7 Hemi Rams... none have ever had a problem, but these folks never took the "free" oil changes either. I wonder if there might be a correlation.

Never thought about it, but when I bought my 2011 Sport, it came with free oil changes, forget how many, for two years. I took advantage of it until late in the offer. My cam went away with 92,000 miles on it. The local dealer replaced the cam and lifters after I agreed to pay 10% of the cost. I've changed my own oil using PUP 5W-30 full synthetic, and haven't had any problems and now have 161,000 on the truck. Never thought about whether the oil the dealers use might be a contributing factor. Interesting thought.

 

[gfviperman]

Frequent oil changes will solve the cam eating issue. My 134,000 miles 2011 had a recent oil analysis done at Brookstone Labs. Super report ... engine in excellent shape. Oil changed every 4K miles ...

 

[Scott0700]

I’ve never accepted free oil changes. I’ll do it myself and pre fill the filter every time. Think the guys doing the free oil changes do this? Think they really changed the oil at all?

 

[AthensMarine]

This is exactly why I didn't get the 5.7 in my '22 and instead went with the 3.6. I went with better long term reliability over more power. I don't tow so it wasn't a difficult decision.

As far as I'm concerned, it's not a matter of IF the Hemi will eat itself, it's a matter of how long will it take. It's a flawed engine.

126,000 miles. That’s how long mine lasted. Never again.

 

[Tominator223]

IMO the cam eaters have the wrong oil. Recommended by CDJR. My 3rd gen 04. Has 300k no mds or vct/vvt. Uses 15/40 same as the 5.9cummings. I’m not saying to use 3rd gen oil. But maybe tricker oil than recommended by mfgr. I personally can’t buy a 60k truck , that can’t idle forever or make 250-300k without engine issues. As I live in SE Texas and use my truck all day & as a cool off when I feel like I’m gonna die from heat. I work outside & my truck is right next to me running in summer. Which is about 9 months here. And I prefer gas engines.

 

[AthensMarine]

Frequent oil changes will solve the cam eating issue. My 134,000 miles 2011 had a recent oil analysis done at Brookstone Labs. Super report ... engine in excellent shape. Oil changed every 4K miles ...

Nope… got mine tuned up at every milestone suggested by ram, change my oil every 3500 to 4000 miles… Engine ate itself at 126,000 miles. 2019 RAM Limited 4X4

 

[Mike Wenrich]

It would be helpful if we knew how many 5.7 and 6.4 engines have failed. I've been thinking about a 6.4 in a 3/4 ton 4WD for towing my 6,000 Lb Lance trailer. But the reviews have me concerned. A life warranty if one is available would be a consideration because I don't drive enough miles to run out of mileage warranty but the time gets me. I would need a 10 year warranty to protect me for 100K miles. So I have been looking at Toyota but they only have a V6 now, although you can get twin turbos and a hybrid option that boosts the torque. Puny short bed in a crew cab. Hard to know what to do these days. The Toyota might not be safe enough towing at nearly its max limit either. I'm getting pretty long in the tooth so maybe a 6.4 would last just long enough.

 

[lobo]

I understand the frustration and you see posts about this all the time. However I would really like to see a true number of engines that have this issue along with the age and mileage on them. If you really pay attention to all of the people making posts about this issue you will see that very few actually have this issue like the original poster here. Rather they read a post somewhere that somebody had the issue and just restate it, thus making it seem like a much wider spread issue.
There are literally millions of these engines on the road to put it in perspective. For example the original poster states how there are "dozens" of people with this issue and infers that means it's widespread. Okay, so "dozens" of issues compared to "millions" of engines equals an issue rate so small that a manufacturer is not going to do anything about it. No matter what you do everything you make will not be perfect and some defects will make it to the field. Even if "thousands" of engines have issues you are still only talking about 10ths of a percent of the total engine have issues.
Again to clarify, I understand the frustration of having to rebuild or replace an engine and not trying to make excuses for Ram. Just trying to put it in perspective and what the true defect rate could be. And based on reading multiple forums, Facebook groups, etc... for years that have thousands of users on them there have only been a handful of them that have truly had the issue on their vehicle.
Also, if you get on a forum for ANY manufacturer (Chevy or Ford mainly) you will see the same basic thing going on. It's a different issue but every forum will have some ongoing common engine failure and say how the engines are junk and everyone fails. I had a Chevy truck with a 6.0L LS V-8 in it previously and followed all of those forums and pages for years. Same thing there....if you believed the forums every 6.0L engine would suffer some catastrophic failure.

People who do more idling and stop and go traffic seem to have the most problems. Those who do less idling seem to have the least problems. No matter what brand people buy, they should do some research ahead of time to avoid expensive problems.

 

[DaveSharp]

The dealer is not that bad yet. In order for them to get paid the oil and filter has to sold to a work order and the tech has to punch on and off on the time. So yes, the dealer has to actually change the oil to get paid. BTW, just for grins, if someone did try to cheat on an oil change chances are one of the other techs in the shop would report him/her and have them fired. Incompetence or despair, honesty isn't usually the problem.

 

[DaveSharp]

You have a point there. A engine rebuilder showed the problem with oiling at low engine speeds with these engines and there is a severe lack of oil getting to the cam due to the way it is oiled. The engine is poorly designed in that matter and manufacturers would rather pay lawsuits than fix something which is why I always recommend people get a lawyer when they reach an impasse with the manufacturer.

 

[DA Smith]

The problem isn't limited to the Ram 5.7 Hemi. The GM products with a similar MDS system actually have more failures then the 5.7 Hemi.