Urgent help needed - Ticking Chrysler 4.7

[hemioiler]

The tick not being common much on 5.7s makes me happy. It’ll be nice having an engine that actually has aftermarket support though.

Nobody has actual numbers, and everybody has an opinion on the exact percentage and also what causes it. But in any case, they sell these 5.7s in literally everything FCA sells, there must be millions on the road still and many others that have ended up in the junkyard outliving the rest of the car.

It's a higher percentage than I'd like, but it's not something to panic over either. I run HPL with a high quality filter and change my oil regularly like clockwork, this advice is recommended on the many FCA forums and seems to be the best hedge against it.

 

[hemioiler]

I mean, if you’ve ever walked through a parking lot and heard a tick, it’s pretty safe to assume it’s a Hemi. Pretty often too.

Hemi's have 4 different sounds that is attributed to "hemi tick". Only one of those is the actual bad kind, the kind where the lifter and cam lobe are damaged. The most common other source of ticking is broken manifolds or broken manifold bolts (exhaust leak). And they just have noisy injectors as well, it's a quieter tick and not heard in the cabin but many people hear it outside and hear the phrase "hemi tick" and start to worry.

The last tick is lifter bleed down, sometimes on a cold start it can trick like crazy for about 2 seconds until something in the valvetrain gets oil again, this is very common and seems to be triggered by a quick start and shutdown the previous time. Like moving your car in the driveway and then coming back a few hours later it might tick for a second or two and then instantly quiet down.

 

[Nick1994]

Hemi's have 4 different sounds that is attributed to "hemi tick". Only one of those is the actual bad kind, the kind where the lifter and cam lobe are damaged. The most common other source of ticking is broken manifolds or broken manifold bolts (exhaust leak). And they just have noisy injectors as well, it's a quieter tick and not heard in the cabin but many people hear it outside and hear the phrase "hemi tick" and start to worry.

The last tick is lifter bleed down, sometimes on a cold start it can trick like crazy for about 2 seconds until something in the valvetrain gets oil again, this is very common and seems to be triggered by a quick start and shutdown the previous time. Like moving your car in the driveway and then coming back a few hours later it might tick for a second or two and then instantly quiet down.

I just think I’d drive myself crazy if I had to listen to that tick all the time.

 

[hemioiler]

I just think I’d drive myself crazy if I had to listen to that tick all the time.

Mine runs smooth and quiet as butter. No ticking except when you open the hood and put your ears by the injectors but all engines are a lot noisier once you get up close and personal with them.

 

[hemioiler]

Here is a video of "hemi tick", this guy actually pulls the lifter out in a later video and shows the damage.

This illustrates both the lifter tick (which is the sporadic heavy ticking noise) and the very light/faint/constant injector noise.



Now compare that ticking sound to the first video in this thread, sounds identical to me except the frequency of the tick here, but the video I posted here is just the start of the tick and most of them develop into full/constant ticking and eventually a check engine light comes on due to misfiring and at that point its game over.

Same channel, guy pulls the lifter and shows the huge amount of slop in the needle bearings:

 

[emmett442]

The last tick is lifter bleed down, sometimes on a cold start it can trick like crazy for about 2 seconds until something in the valvetrain gets oil again, this is very common and seems to be triggered by a quick start and shutdown the previous time. Like moving your car in the driveway and then coming back a few hours later it might tick for a second or two and then instantly quiet down.

FWIW, A LOT of engines do this. Start a car up, move it a few feet, shut it down, it may tick/rattle in the morning.

 

[OVERKILL]

Hemi's have 4 different sounds that is attributed to "hemi tick". Only one of those is the actual bad kind, the kind where the lifter and cam lobe are damaged. The most common other source of ticking is broken manifolds or broken manifold bolts (exhaust leak). And they just have noisy injectors as well, it's a quieter tick and not heard in the cabin but many people hear it outside and hear the phrase "hemi tick" and start to worry.

The last tick is lifter bleed down, sometimes on a cold start it can trick like crazy for about 2 seconds until something in the valvetrain gets oil again, this is very common and seems to be triggered by a quick start and shutdown the previous time. Like moving your car in the driveway and then coming back a few hours later it might tick for a second or two and then instantly quiet down.

Yep, every single one of our trucks at work has had the manifold leak, as has my wife's DT now (cracked manifold with the DT's). Our 2002 Expedition did it; all of the F-series and E-series of that vintage with the 2V modular were prone to it. My dad has been through two passenger side replacement manifolds on his Expedition, buddy at work, his 4Runner went through two passenger side manifolds for the same problem, then an aftermarket set of headers, then a different aftermarket set of headers.

Seems to be a common problem on trucks and SUV's in general, and not brand specific.

 

[TheSavage4.7]

I get it but you wasted your time . Just step back and think! I get the desperation to find the issue but you’re making more work that necessary for yourself.

It’s either a rod, wrist pin or piston.

Positive it’s not rod knock. I had the oil pan off and checked. I will pull the head and see where i can go from there. At this point, i don’t care anymore, so if i can get it ruled down to one specific thing i will be happy.

My money is moreover on a wrist pin giving out.

 

[TheSavage4.7]

I’m going to try and save the 4.7 for at least a little while longer. I can pull the head, replace a piston, pray the ridge ain’t too bad and it should be ok. It’ll give me longer to save up too.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I mean, if you’ve ever walked through a parking lot and heard a tick, it’s pretty safe to assume it’s a Hemi. Pretty often too.

Here in NY it's usually a Ford missing an exhaust manifold or two

 

[Nick1994]

Here in NY it's usually a Ford missing an exhaust manifold or two

Or a spark plug?

 

[TheSavage4.7]

Last post for probably a little bit.

Pulled the oil pan again, took the rod cap off, no up and down movement or side to side from the wrist pin. Felt the same as the other wrist pins that I checked. Also, no piston movement inside the cylinder.

Decided to do more experimenting…ended up finding out that the tick goes away completely with no rockers in (as i knew before), stayed gone if i inserted the intake rocker, but immediately came back if i inserted the exhaust rocker.

I’m thinking it might’ve burnt a valve, or hell, maybe bent it as it overrevved around 300-400rpm a few days before. I’m pulling the head later this week to check.

 

[CarDoc66]

Just skimming through all the posts, don’t overlook a valve spring. It’s more common on pre-VVT 5.7’s but I have seen a 4.7 break a valve spring or two.

 

[another Todd]

Is it possible the cam is going flat on cyl 7? I also thought of the earlier comment about the flexplate being cracked as a possibility, they can produce a similar noise.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Is it possible the cam is going flat on cyl 7? I also thought of the earlier comment about the flexplate being cracked as a possibility, they can produce a similar noise.

I second the possibility of a bad cam lobe.

 

[StumblingElk]

I bought a dodge 4.7 to flip a year or so ago and it did this same thing.

Lifter/lasher swap helped as did replacing the broken manifold bolts and gasket. Those manifolds are also prone to crack and those manifold bolts should be re-tightened after a few heat cycles.

Sounds like in your case, being #7, it could be more in depth. That particular cylinder is known to be the first to go from a swiped cam

 

[TheSavage4.7]

I bought a dodge 4.7 to flip a year or so ago and it did this same thing.

Lifter/lasher swap helped as did replacing the broken manifold bolts and gasket. Those manifolds are also prone to crack and those manifold bolts should be re-tightened after a few heat cycles.

Sounds like in your case, being #7, it could be more in depth. That particular cylinder is known to be the first to go from a swiped cam

The cam lobe looks fine to me and there’s no grooves or anything else in it. I’m curious about that though.

A swiped cam would be an easier fix than removing the head and messing with it. I have yet to pull the head as it’s the holidays and i don’t have a ton of time.

By the way, merry (late) christmas and happy new years to everyone reading this!

 

[Soft Cars]

Does that engine have cylinder deactivation? I think the next step would be checking for a wiped cam lobe.

 

[mattd]

Does that engine have cylinder deactivation? I think the next step would be checking for a wiped cam lobe.

No, it does not. OHC engine

 

[Soft Cars]

No, it does not. OHC engine

If it's OHC, you should be able to check the cams easily by pulling the valve covers. You'll have to rotate the engine by hand to watch the cam lobes. Use long flex head ratchet on crank pulley / harmonic balancer bolt.