Lifter failure!

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
Hey everyone i have the good old lifter failure on my 2017 Ram 1500 with the Hemi engine. 66000 Kms on the clock running on Redline 5w30 for the two most recent oil changes.

I have been driving without the MDS on for the last 26000 Kms as well.

So the noise started maybe a couple of months ago but i will note that it hasn't always been there, its almost like it came and went intermittently until this week i could hear it quite loudly so i decided to get it into the dealership.
I also took a video of the noise just incase.

So i dropped the truck off yesterday, went through the issues with the service department and left it with them. Today i got a call with the typical could not duplicate the noise, everything is good. So i went to pick it up and lone behold they bring it around and as soon as i walk outside i can here that tapping/knocking noise. I go back and grab the tech and he comes out and almost instantly says lifter failure.
They are keeping it but who knows how long it will take to get fixed with all the supply issues going on. They told me i could still drive it until they get the parts but im very unsure of this?

If someone could tell how to upload videos, i got a good video of the noise for future reference. Most videos out there are pretty much leaking manifold videos whereas i actually caught the lifter failure.
 

HEMIMANN

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
Posts
6,807
Reaction score
17,098
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Ram Year
2017 2500 Laramie Crew Cab
Engine
6.4L HEMI
Clarification request:

All 66k km on RedLine?

What oil filter(s)?

What oil change intervals?

How much idle time?

How cold was engine started in?
 
OP
OP
LuFc92

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
50k Kms on PUP Full Synthetic, then switched to Redline 5w30, was going to switch over to Redline 0w30 once the temperature drops here.

Just the oem mopar oil filters

8k Kms intervals

Very little idle time, i do not idle the truck because of it being linked to lifter failure (irony) i usually shut it off if im going to be sat. Maybe gets a little idle in winter when its cold on startups.

I don't know if they started it inside the shop or outside this morning but when i did it yesterday it was outside, 22 Degrees Celsius. 21 today when i went to pick it up and it was noisey, could hear it from 15 feet away
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,115
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
did you have mis fire code? no mis fire code, no lifter failure. just hemi tick.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,115
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
upload to youtube and post link, I can listen to it. If no mis fire code, change the filter and make sure level is full to tipping over full.
 

Dodge 1500 4X4

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Posts
2,560
Reaction score
2,221
Location
Rochester, NY
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I sound like lifter tick, or rocker arm increased valve stem clearance, Its more prevalent on drivers side.

Great looking rig.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
LuFc92

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
See it sounds louder to me on the passenger side but at this point its just loud wherever you stand.
I could hear it as soon as i opened the service department door and stepped outside, not sure if he was a tech but the guy pulling it up jumped out and said everything is good to go.....i said really it doesn't sound like it.

Thanks i literally just finished putting the truck together and then this happened.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,115
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
Was this warm idle tick? Sounds like hemi tick, but maybe a 5 out of ten on the hemi tick scale . I have no idea how that translates to damage, just that it isn't the banging tick we hear sometimes. Rule out exhaust, get down there and really go around exhaust and see if there are any bolt issues. It is possible it is lifters, some hemi's will tick for 100k miles, some tick for 10 miles, no way to know if there is going to be damage. I would expect if you took the heads off, the lifters would be lifting fine, but maybe you would find the one ticking. Sadly, even replacing it is a pig and a poke if it fixes it.

How many miles has it been ticking? How long after the most recent oil change?

It is a sweet truck.

If it were me, I'd aggressively rule out any exhaust issue, either how the manifold sits for warpage, or loose bolts. Then, I think I'd bite the bullet and replace the lifters, if you are lucky it is a needle nearing issue, and not how the lifter is cocked in the bore. It is the difference between pulling the heads and simply changing all the lifters, or perhaps a cam and lifter job if it eats the cam. Of course I'd be constantly looking for metal as well, which also means cutting filters open with my dyi oil change, for what it worth. If you replace lifters moly the hell out of the bore.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,115
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
Looks like amazon has plenty of lifters in stock under 200, I haven't taken off the heads but I'd wager that is the only challenge here, all the junk you need to remove to get to heads. It is worse then it looks, I bet good money if you keep at it you will have them off in an hour.
 

HEMIMANN

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
Posts
6,807
Reaction score
17,098
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Ram Year
2017 2500 Laramie Crew Cab
Engine
6.4L HEMI
How cold does it get when you start your truck - is it starved on startup? Not now, during winter.

8k is a bit long for an OCI for this engine (regardless of oil type) but I wouldn't suspect it to be causing lifter failure @ only 66k km. Not sure what to make of Mopar filter. Not sure how restrictive to oil flow it is. We do know that low restriction filters matter, along with the other factors.

This is the only failure I've seen on Red Line 5W-30, have any other members?
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,115
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
It isnt a failure, no code yet, but 20% of hemi's that get tick will still tick even with redline. At this point is just hemi tick, which is a good thing compared to thread title/
 

Enhanced Eddie

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Posts
18
Reaction score
33
Location
NC
Ram Year
2016
Engine
5.7 HEMI
I have been driving without the MDS on for the last 26000 Kms as well.
Do you disable MDS every time you start the truck and put it in Drive? When you disable MDS like that the lifters actually get less lube. You're already running Red Line, so just let MDS do its thing and see what happens. Then after you run it for a while with the MDS on, take another video please and post it. You have nothing to loose to try this and everything to gain.
 
OP
OP
LuFc92

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
Was this warm idle tick? Sounds like hemi tick, but maybe a 5 out of ten on the hemi tick scale . I have no idea how that translates to damage, just that it isn't the banging tick we hear sometimes. Rule out exhaust, get down there and really go around exhaust and see if there are any bolt issues. It is possible it is lifters, some hemi's will tick for 100k miles, some tick for 10 miles, no way to know if there is going to be damage. I would expect if you took the heads off, the lifters would be lifting fine, but maybe you would find the one ticking. Sadly, even replacing it is a pig and a poke if it fixes it.

How many miles has it been ticking? How long after the most recent oil change?

It is a sweet truck.

If it were me, I'd aggressively rule out any exhaust issue, either how the manifold sits for warpage, or loose bolts. Then, I think I'd bite the bullet and replace the lifters, if you are lucky it is a needle nearing issue, and not how the lifter is cocked in the bore. It is the difference between pulling the heads and simply changing all the lifters, or perhaps a cam and lifter job if it eats the cam. Of course I'd be constantly looking for metal as well, which also means cutting filters open with my dyi oil change, for what it worth. If you replace lifters moly the hell out of the bore.
It does it warm and cold.
The first place they checked was manifold bolts, it even says it on my paperwork.
The truck is still under warranty so im not bearing the cost but the tech said he's confident one of the lifters has collapsed now that he can actually hear it.

Id say 6 months intermittently i have been hearing it but it wasn't as loud as it is now, its why i switched to the redline oil when i started to hear it.

I plan to continue running redline. But if we are throwing things out there i plan to do a 392 swap after my warranty is up next year
 
OP
OP
LuFc92

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
It isnt a failure, no code yet, but 20% of hemi's that get tick will still tick even with redline. At this point is just hemi tick, which is a good thing compared to thread

How cold does it get when you start your truck - is it starved on startup? Not now, during winter.

8k is a bit long for an OCI for this engine (regardless of oil type) but I wouldn't suspect it to be causing lifter failure @ only 66k km. Not sure what to make of Mopar filter. Not sure how restrictive to oil flow it is. We do know that low restriction filters matter, along with the other factors.

This is the only failure I've seen on Red Line 5W-30, have any other members?
Winter we can see anything upto -40 DC, the truck was being used everyday through last winter.

Well 8k KM is only 5k miles right?

I believe it was already failing before i put the redline in the truck, i still plan to use redline once the issue is fixed
 
OP
OP
LuFc92

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
Do you disable MDS every time you start the truck and put it in Drive? When you disable MDS like that the lifters actually get less lube. You're already running Red Line, so just let MDS do its thing and see what happens. Then after you run it for a while with the MDS on, take another video please and post it. You have nothing to loose to try this and everything to gain.
Yes i do, i never used to but for the last 26k Kms i disable everytime i drive the truck. I did not know that? Everything I've read suggests the MDS is linked to lifter failure
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,115
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
If the lifter was collapsed. it would throw a code/ If the dealer will tear it down on them, cool beans looking forward to outcome. dont tell dealer what oil you use, they dont need to know. I also think it would be louder if it was collapsed.
 
OP
OP
LuFc92

LuFc92

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Posts
36
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
If the lifter was collapsed. it would throw a code/ If the dealer will tear it down on them, cool beans looking forward to outcome. dont tell dealer what oil you use, they dont need to know. I also think it would be louder if it was collapsed.
Does using 5w30 void the warranty?

I don't know its pretty loud in person, it can be heard from 15 feet away. I don't think my phone camera did it justice.
 

Travis8352

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Posts
1,500
Reaction score
3,330
Location
Houghton michigan
Ram Year
2018
Engine
5.7 hemi
Does using 5w30 void the warranty?

I don't know its pretty loud in person, it can be heard from 15 feet away. I don't think my phone camera did it justice.
It shouldnt considering the manual says use 5w20 api oil meeting chrysler ms6395 specification. 5w30 acceptable when 5w20 is not available. Im paraphrasing but thats basically what it says
 
Top