It might not be such a bad idea to replace the lifters..... I know that they aren't precisely inexpensive.... but, if they are clogged..... you are going to get a repeat performance of this job.

 

Update:

I have just removed both heads.
Will clean them up.
All valves seem undamaged.

 

That might be the worst engine internals I've ever seen. You might be the only ram to never have a plenum leak because the sludge clogged the holes in the gasket.

That's just terrible. I'll bet the ticking was due to the ljifter going airborne and clanking off the pushrod and back down into the camshaft. Looks like there'd a wear spot in that pushrod.

Mancini can get you a new set of lifters for around $140.00. I recommend NOT reusing the ones you have.

Make sure you take the spider retainer off and when you clean all that sludge, use at least 2 cans of brake parts cleaner to thoroughly spray down all visible spots on the camshaft. when you reinstall the oil pan, pour one quart of your new oil over the camshaft and then reinstall the spider retainer. Then reinstall the pushrods, and rocker arms and use the rest of the oil to coat the rockers, pushrods, lifters and the grooves the lifters rest in.

Don't soak the lifters in oil over night. Some recommend doing that, but it causes the lifters to fill with oil instead of pump up to the correct preload. It essentially becomes a solid lifter.

When you get it all buttoned up and turn it over, it'll clank loudly until the lifters fill with oil, so don't let that scare you. It could take up to 3-4 minutes too, so be ready for it. I found that likely reving the engine got the oil pump to push oil up more quickly, but I wouldn't go more than 1500 RPM until they fill and the sound smoothes out.

Change the oil filter after about 500 miles because there's bound to be sludge that you missed and it'll clog that first filter quickly. I'd be done with the first batch of oil by 1500 miles, so go cheap on that first run. Might even want to add a 1/4 can of seafoam to the last 200 miles of that first batch of oil, too.

 

As much as I want to replace the lifters, I really don't have another $140 to shell out.
The heads, valves and springs are all cleaned out.
I'm in the process of cleaning the rocker arms, rods and lifters.

What can I do to test to see if a lifter is not plugged?

 

to clean a lifter:

-Remove "snap ring" in the top of the lifter. You need a very small set of pliers or a couple of picks. IIRC, the stock lifters use a bent piece of wire to retain the plunger as opposed to an actual snap ring.
-Remove the plunger/cup that the push rod sits in.
-Remove spring.
-Remove check ball.
-Thoroughly degrease all parts.
-check ball bearings in roller for smooth operation, not servicable if they are shot.
-reassemble.

And get all that crap off the camshaft lobes or you'll regret it.

 

Hey, give us a shot of the under side of the heads so we can see the valve seats.

Take an individual shot of each chamber for greater clarity and label them 1 thru 6 so we can refer to it specifically if we see something amiss.

A top down shot of the intake and exhaust valves so we can examine the seats would be groovy too.

I see some black in the valve guide marked R2. That shouldn't be there.

 

Sure thing.
Can I just pour gasoline over the cam to
get rid of the dirt on the cam?

 

Yes. But, be sure and pull the oil pan, and clean it out as well, and give the gas plenty of time to evaporate before putting it back together.

Do NOT smoke while playing with gasoline. Mineral spirits would be better.... might be cheaper too. Not sure on that score.

 

Dont worry man, I dont smoke.
Will be pulling out the oil pan as well.

 

Not really a big surprise. At least Dodge is consistent with their crappy castings across all platforms.....