I just bought a 99 Ram 2500 4 X 4 with a V10 Magnum, The motor makes a lot noise that sounds like lifters when you first start it up for about 2 or 3 seconds and when you are cruising with a light load on the motor. When you are accelerating or take your foot off the gas completely it is quiet. When you have just a light load on it you can hear it rattling. Does this sound like bad lifters? I have around 40 pounds of oil pressure and 117k miles on the motor. Any Ideas? Thanks

 

Any ideas guys, Do you guys think I can just replace the lifters, Or do you think I need to replace the cam and all. Is there anything unusual about the V10. Does this sound like just a lifter issue or does it sound like something more?

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that what you're hearing when cruising lightly loaded is probably a talkative injector, and totally unrelated to the lifter noise at startup.

 

I might remove the belt and check the tensioner and all the pulley's too. And the fan clutch.

 

What does your oil pressure look like?

 

Oil pressure is steady around 45 pounds.

 

Anyway I can test for this?

 

Do you guys know where is a good place to buy a new cam? I found the lifters but I haven't found the cam yet. Should I go with a stock replacement or should I bump it up a little. I live in Nevada where I have to pass smog so I don't know if I would run into any issues with that. I thinking I should rebuild the top end. I haven't decided yet if I should just pull the motor and go through the whole thing.

 

Before you start getting that weird on it, do one simple thing..... Change the oil. Put in some regular, average, every day, dino oil. NOT synthetic. drive it a couple days, see if it doesn't get quieter.

 

Short of finding a way to make it talk while parked and probing around with a stethoscope, I don't know of a way.

It just occurred to me that it might actually be your evap purge solenoid ticking, which is much easier to test. Just unplug the electrical connector from it and go for a ride. If the tick is gone, pull over, plug it back in, and listen for it after you're back to cruising again. If it's the purge solenoid, it's no big thang and all you've got to do is get used to it.