Preventative Replacement?

[Stitches]

Hi folks,

So a few people around may know of my previous issue with buying a used truck and before being able to register it in my state it (most likely the issue) got a stuck lifter and ate up the cam. So after a few months of battling the dealership is buying another ram a year newer and swapping me instead of repairing it. However this got me wondering am i only buying time till it happens again? Should i go ahead and cam it now and get the lifters etc replaced now so im not worried about it happening at any moment? I guess you cant answer the peace of mind part but is it likely to happen again in say 6 months? If i do go the route of getting this done anyone know a good cam to get? and are there better supporting parts i should look into or just the mopar parts?

edit: sorry if this is in the wrong place thought the latter part of the question would qualify it here.

 

[jws123]

Hi folks,

So a few people around may know of my previous issue with buying a used truck and before being able to register it in my state it (most likely the issue) got a stuck lifter and ate up the cam. So after a few months of battling the dealership is buying another ram a year newer and swapping me instead of repairing it. However this got me wondering am i only buying time till it happens again? Should i go ahead and cam it now and get the lifters etc replaced now so im not worried about it happening at any moment? I guess you cant answer the peace of mind part but is it likely to happen again in say 6 months? If i do go the route of getting this done anyone know a good cam to get? and are there better supporting parts i should look into or just the mopar parts?

edit: sorry if this is in the wrong place thought the latter part of the question would qualify it here.

Whats your mileage? just take care of it change the oil every 3k or so also use redline 5w30 oil btw best **** ever for the 5.7. Some people get lucky and the cam/lifters never go bad. I would just run it and if it happens do it then its not that bad of a job if your mechanically inclined.

 

[NOV87]

Wondering about that myself. It would be cheaper than post cam failure engine swap (if it comes down to that). Also, if you pre-emptively upgrade, you can do it at your convenience and with proper parts staged and ready to go. On the other hand, there's a chance that the original cam may never fail...

 

[Stitches]

I see...from some searching around i did it seemed it was a not if but when type situation. Guess i wont rush into it but ill still keep it in mind maybe spread out the parts purchases

 

[joshuaeb09]

Since I like to have emergency funds for things I've started squirreling away for a full cam upgrade with all the trimmings(Lifters, Pushrods, Springs, Hellcat Oil Pump, Tie Bars, Gaskets, etc). If I never need it I can always roll it into to my main emergency fund at my brokerage or use it as down payment money should I ever decide to get something new. Nice thing about not doing it now is that money makes money for me and doesn't commit me to paying for a failure that might never occur.

 

[HammerHead]

Hi folks,

So a few people around may know of my previous issue with buying a used truck and before being able to register it in my state it (most likely the issue) got a stuck lifter and ate up the cam. So after a few months of battling the dealership is buying another ram a year newer and swapping me instead of repairing it. However this got me wondering am i only buying time till it happens again? Should i go ahead and cam it now and get the lifters etc replaced now so im not worried about it happening at any moment? I guess you cant answer the peace of mind part but is it likely to happen again in say 6 months? If i do go the route of getting this done anyone know a good cam to get? and are there better supporting parts i should look into or just the mopar parts?

edit: sorry if this is in the wrong place thought the latter part of the question would qualify it here.

I think a lot of us are implementing a good oil strategy. Lots of guys running 30 weight oils and some are mixing in a few 40 weight quarts; usually chasing a specific additive or to simply beef up the viscosity.

 

[Kap1]

You're trying to throw away $5k for cam and lifters job, even though it may never break on your truck. It's like doing a heart surgery even though you don't need it...just in case.

Just use redline 5-30 oil, and change it every 7-8k miles. Get UOA so they'll tell you how long you can wait until changing.

 

[Stitches]

makes me feel a bit better about it then. The emergency fund makes alot more sense then me buying parts I may not use thanks everyone for the input ill just drive it till it fails me

 

[Fitz-0518]

^^^Solid common sense. Your truck may never have a valve train or exhaust manifold issue. Most do not. Our forum tends to concentrate this type of issue and we then think we will all be faced with the problem sooner or later. Best PM, Tier 1 quality oil and filter change every 5k. My 03 1500 5.7 has 230k miles and neither of these issues.