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5.7 Hemi tick at 88k that used to go away and now does not

AnsweredAsked by fleet_buyer_sdAug 30, 2025in Truck talk

fleet_buyer_sdOP

Work TruckSioux Falls, SD

Posts 22
Joined Aug 2025

2019 Ram 1500 Classic Tradesman 5.7, 88,200, one of 14 pickups in the fleet. for the last year it has had a tick on cold start that went away in 30 seconds once it warmed up. last tuesday the driver called and said it ticks all the time now, hot or cold, and it is louder on the passenger side. no light, no misfire code when i plugged in.

i know the words MDS and lifter and cam. what i do not know is whether a tick that changed from cold-only to constant is the same problem getting worse, or two problems. and whether at 88k on a fleet truck i put a cam in it or run it through the auction as-is and buy another one.

Answers

Accepted answer

al_turns_wrenches

High MilerFargo, ND

Posts 33
Joined Aug 2025

two problems, and you described both of them. i spent 4 years at a Dodge store before Ford.

the cold tick that goes away is the exhaust manifold bolts. the passenger side rear bolts on the 5.7 snap off, the manifold lifts off the head when it is cold, you get an exhaust leak tick that seals up as the manifold expands. look at the back of the passenger manifold with a light, you will see a bolt head missing or a rust stain around the flange. about 400 to 600 to drill the studs and do the gaskets, more if the head threads are chewed.

the constant tick that showed up last week is a lifter. the MDS lifters on cylinders 1, 4, 6 and 7 are the usual ones, the roller needle bearings let go, the roller stops turning, and it wipes the cam lobe flat. once it is ticking hot it is already flat or close. pull the passenger valve cover, put a pry bar under each rocker and look for one that moves too far or a roller that does not spin.

on a fleet truck at 88k: cam, lifters, non-MDS lifters with a tune to turn MDS off, gaskets, is 3,200 to 3,800 at an independent. the auction is going to hear it ticking and take 2,500 off. i would fix it and keep it, the rest of that truck is fine at 88.

tundra_holdout

High MilerBillings, MT

Posts 16
Joined Aug 2025

my 2014 Ram 5.7 did exactly this at 96,000. tick that went away, then a tick that did not. by the time i had it in the shop cylinder 6 had a lobe shaped like a dime. 4,200 with the cam, lifters and the manifold bolts because they snapped when the shop pulled it. sold it fixed and bought the Tundra. i am not saying do that. i am saying do not drive it another week.

fleet_buyer_sdOP

Work TruckSioux Falls, SD

Posts 22
Joined Aug 2025

pulled the cover thursday. number 4 lifter roller does not spin, lobe is scuffed but not flat yet. and there are two bolt heads missing off the back of the passenger manifold, so al called both from the description. indie in Sioux Falls quoted 3,640 for cam, non-MDS lifters, the tune, both manifold bolt sets, gaskets, fluids. truck is worth 19 clean and 16 ticking, so it is getting fixed.

grand_forks_ram

Daily DriverGrand Forks, ND

Posts 8
Joined Sep 2025

mine is a 2021 with 41k and quiet, so i am reading this with the hood open every morning now. for anybody on the newer ones, the owner site at ramtrucks.com lets you put the VIN in and see what is open on it. and the 5,000 mile oil interval people argue about is cheap next to 3,640.

fleet_buyer_sdOP

Work TruckSioux Falls, SD

Posts 22
Joined Aug 2025

done and back on the route. 3,640 out the door, 1,400 miles since, quiet hot and cold. the tune turned MDS off so it does not drop cylinders on the highway anymore, driver says it feels the same and burns maybe a half mile per gallon more. old cam is on my desk as a reminder to listen to drivers when they say it sounds different.

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5.7 Hemi tick at 88k that used to go away and now does not

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