i own a 2003 dodge dakota and it was running rough and the check engine light was on. also a ticking sound was occuring. i to the dodge dealership and they ran some tests. this is what the statement says. "Ran srd test and found that cylinder #4 has a misfire. pulled plug and checked compression 95psi. spark is strong and fuel pressure within specs. swapped plugs, coils, and injectors and the misfire did not travel. pulled the passenger side valve cover and found that the #4 follower fell out and is causing the concern. note that there is damage to the cam lobes due to possible oil flow issues. some of his buddies that looked at it said that it needs a head on the passenger side and then the truck should run. does this sound right or does it sound like the entire motor needs to be rebuilt and all. any help would be greatly appreciated. the entire total price quote for parts and labor is $5380. i would think it would be higher if it was an engine rebuild and all. i assume this is for both heads to be replaced and all the labor.

 

Get a second opinion and don't tell the second shop what the first place said or they will just concur.

 

I agree. I don't know if 'follower' is the lifter or guide plate, but I'm hoping it's the former, but more than likely the latter, especially if the cam is growing a bad lobe.

 

The price is ridiculous. A rebuilt engine should be much less.

Since you say "cam follower" I'm assuming it's a 4.7. You can replace the cam without pulling the head. The only hard part is setting up the timing chains.

So, what exactly are these crooks planning to do?

 

I've seen decent performance engines built for around that much. Sounds like they are trying to take you for a ride.

 

so i was just wondering if i could just pull off the camshaft sprocket on the end and and replace the camshaft with a new one. reattach the follower, then put the sprocket back on the end of the camshaft. put some new oil in it and coolant and all and then go ahead and see if it runs. what do you guys think? i heard of someone having an issue with a dodge ram 1500 with the 4.7L and the follower fell off so it was making noise and the camshaft was damaged. the guy replaced the camshaft and the follower and everything was fine.

 

Can you swap the cam? Sure. The hard part are the timing chainS, with an S. You need to make sure that they are set up correctly so you may end up pulling the timing cover.

If you just want to get it running on the cheap give it a try. You may find other problems once you get started though.

 

yeah i know it has three timing chains. i found a good writeup showing how to keep the timing and all and all the specialty tools you need to replace the chamshaft. i just wanted to get an opinion as to whether or not this sounds like the issue. if i did a new camshaft and got everything timed and reattached the follwer that fell off causing the ticking noise then the engine should start and run right?? just looking for some input. any help appreciated. thanks.

 

It sounds like "an" issue. It may not solve the oiling problem but you won't know until you get into it. Yes, it should run once you get it back together.