OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
So, our highest mileage RAM 1500 (I think it's a 2012, might be a 2011), which has 337,000km on it (210,000 miles) was "diagnosed" with needing a cam and lifters and headed for the bin. I was surprised, because last I heard it running, other than an exhaust leak, it sounded fine, and that was recently.
So, I called the guy up and he described to me what was happening:
- Fired up fine, ran fine
- Drove it for about 5 minutes and then it stumbled and stuttered
- After the above, it was idling rough
He then took it to the mechanic (not dealer) who put a code reader on it, indicated misfire on cylinder #3, he put a coil on it, problem didn't go away, he called the local engine shop, they told him it was the cam and lifters, which he then concluded was the diagnosis and relayed it to the guy whose company truck it is.
So, I went and took a peek at it. Fired it up, wasn't running rough, has what sounds like a pulley bearing on its way out, and an exhaust leak.
Pulled the coolant reservoir dipstick, bone dry. Opened the rad cap, no coolant. Brown goo:
Put in about 1/2 a gallon of coolant, started it, and waited for the thermostat to open. When it opened, between the reservoir and the rad, I used up the rest of the gallon jug.
Took it for a drive. Seemed to drive fine, has a bit of a hesitation but then goes OK. Cruises smooth, idles smooth. Seems to be weak off idle, but then wakes up.
Took it out to the airport, cruised out fine. On the way back, I floored it, once it got up near 5K the CEL started to flash and it got noticeably rough. Let off, CEL stopped flashing, but then it was running pretty rough. Cruised, it smoothed back out, drove in the 60km/h zone back to the office, it was perfectly smooth, idled smooth at the stop lights...etc.
With the window down, when you get on it a bit, it has a bit of a "stutter" which starts to clear up as the RPM come up, doesn't feel like a hard miss. Doesn't have any unusual valvetrain noise and no "chirp" like our previous 5.7L had when it apparently ate a lifter.
I'm not ruling out the possibility that it is indeed having a lifter fail, but the symptoms, to me, do not make that seem obvious.
This "take a look at it" was rather spur of the moment, so I didn't have my reader with me, I'm going to read the codes and see what it says. Of note, cylinder #3 is NOT an MDS cylinder. I'm not sure if buddy took at look at the plugs.
@The Critic and @clinebarger this one might be of interest to you. I already mentioned it earlier to @wwillson but that was before I decided to take a peek at it.
Will update further once I have some more data. I was rather disheartened to see the state of the cooling system, we pay to have these trucks properly service and looked after and this is not indicative of that taking place.
So, I called the guy up and he described to me what was happening:
- Fired up fine, ran fine
- Drove it for about 5 minutes and then it stumbled and stuttered
- After the above, it was idling rough
He then took it to the mechanic (not dealer) who put a code reader on it, indicated misfire on cylinder #3, he put a coil on it, problem didn't go away, he called the local engine shop, they told him it was the cam and lifters, which he then concluded was the diagnosis and relayed it to the guy whose company truck it is.
So, I went and took a peek at it. Fired it up, wasn't running rough, has what sounds like a pulley bearing on its way out, and an exhaust leak.
Pulled the coolant reservoir dipstick, bone dry. Opened the rad cap, no coolant. Brown goo:
Put in about 1/2 a gallon of coolant, started it, and waited for the thermostat to open. When it opened, between the reservoir and the rad, I used up the rest of the gallon jug.
Took it for a drive. Seemed to drive fine, has a bit of a hesitation but then goes OK. Cruises smooth, idles smooth. Seems to be weak off idle, but then wakes up.
Took it out to the airport, cruised out fine. On the way back, I floored it, once it got up near 5K the CEL started to flash and it got noticeably rough. Let off, CEL stopped flashing, but then it was running pretty rough. Cruised, it smoothed back out, drove in the 60km/h zone back to the office, it was perfectly smooth, idled smooth at the stop lights...etc.
With the window down, when you get on it a bit, it has a bit of a "stutter" which starts to clear up as the RPM come up, doesn't feel like a hard miss. Doesn't have any unusual valvetrain noise and no "chirp" like our previous 5.7L had when it apparently ate a lifter.
I'm not ruling out the possibility that it is indeed having a lifter fail, but the symptoms, to me, do not make that seem obvious.
This "take a look at it" was rather spur of the moment, so I didn't have my reader with me, I'm going to read the codes and see what it says. Of note, cylinder #3 is NOT an MDS cylinder. I'm not sure if buddy took at look at the plugs.
@The Critic and @clinebarger this one might be of interest to you. I already mentioned it earlier to @wwillson but that was before I decided to take a peek at it.
Will update further once I have some more data. I was rather disheartened to see the state of the cooling system, we pay to have these trucks properly service and looked after and this is not indicative of that taking place.
