Well I finally got the POS running after nearly a year of downtime with trans and then the random missing and sputtering problems!!

The lower ball joints (recall ones) are toast again. A call to the Chrysler # listed in the sticky portion of this forum told me that they had previously been replaced and that enough mileage had been put on the car since then (about 100k, they were done in 01) that the recall was no longer good.

My main problem is the new tick that has started in the top end. It sounds like a lifter, but a friend told me these overhead 2.5v6 engines dont use lifters, but rather a "follower". The noise is consistent with RPM's up and down and never shuts up even when warm. Car has always regular oil changes and syntetic oil in the last 9 years I have owned it.

Do the lifters normally go bad in these? I thought it may have been stuck after some time sitting and that it would unstick with some driving..... but it hasnt.... so now Im even wondering what it could be.

Does anythinig else in the top end of these wear out and cause a constant tap tap tap in the top end?

What should I do about the ball joints??? Get bent over by MOPAR again??


I swear Im a die hard Mopar man and so is my whole family, but after my latest dealings with them and the rest of families experieces as of late, my 07 cummins will be the last vehicle they get my $$$ for!!!!

 

many have fixed the tick with a good oil flush ... seems that there are deposits in the passageways and not enough oil gets in the heads to keep them lubed ...

the ball joints you can
1) replace yourself
2) have them replaced at the dealer
3)take it to another shop
4) call the line and complain more and work your way up the food chain, cite that it's a lifetime recall

 

I have the same tick but it's intermittent, it'll stop for 20 seconds or so every few minutes. Sometimes it's loud and sometimes it's quiet and SOMETIMES it sounds like an all out connecting rod knock. 124k mi. on the engine. Just bought a 40k mi. spare engine but I want to extract every ounce of life out of the orig. engine as I can. Preferably quietly so people don't keep saying "you're engine's knocking" as if I hadn't noticed.

 

I have had problems out of my 97 to were the oil will no read right on the stick there for allowing me to run low on oil without me knowing it.. i've learned to watch the dash for the oil light.. I will go into a parking lot and make a quick left or right turn, if the oil light flashes on and then off, i know it getting low on oil.