Ram keeps killing cams/lifters… mystery oil consumption.

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extreme_rescue

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2011
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5.7 HEMI
Okay, so this is a weird one. Back in 2019 I had a lifter fail in my Ram and that ate the cam. I recall there being a build up of ticking prior to this, the lifter struggling obviously, but don’t recall an oil consumption issue. That being said, it did behave the same way it has twice since.

So when the first lifter and cam failure happened I went ahead and picked up a rebuilt engine from a trusted machine shop I know. Had the engine put in and within a very short amount of time it developed a tick again. This lead me to immediately check the oil and found that it was going through about two quarts every 500-800 miles or so. We replaced the PCV components, the oil system was all new from the rebuild, all of the sensors were replaced, the MDS was replaced. Everyone was baffled. So the engine was pulled out, sent back to the machine shop, inspected, rings replaced again just to be sure, and put back in. Again, a short while later it was doing the same thing. Well, the ticking never fully went away, but the oil consumption did for a few months again, then it started up again. Resulting in the eventual failure of the lifter and damage to the cam as this time it happened to me as I was working half way across the country and put a lot of miles on a struggling engine, which as far as I knew was fixed.

Well, I trailered it back here and had the engine out by a new shop to get some fresh eyes on it. Did a full rebuild again, all Mopar components where applicable, MDS delete (we were wondering if the MDS was playing a roll), all new lifters, cam, and a bunch of other stuff replaced again. Well, it has to be good now right? Nope. I‘m about a thousand miles in on this build and it’s burning through the oil again.

For this to happen to two separate motors, two and a half rebuilds, I am lost, my mechanic is lost, the machine shop is lost. Has anyone ever run into anything like this?
 
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Burla

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I mean rebuild the bottom end or top or both? Why would you have build the bottom end if so? Did you do a uoa? No oil in coolant, no water in oil sump? Burning oil valve seals or pistons. You used the heads from the old engine on the new one?
 

crackerjack1957

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Sounds like oil consumption was only on 1 block/heads.
If no visible leaks oil can only go in coolant or out exhaust.
 

Burla

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Do you get blue smoke out the tail pipe ever? Between both of these 2.5 rebuilds, what was reused? And no I havent heard anything close to this, but ticking often still happens after rebuild, but you had no choice the first time. trusted or not, he has to make it right or take him to small claims, in the end he is responsible.
 
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