I recently bought a 1994 Ram 1500 4x4 auto with the 5.9. The truck has 114k miles but appears to be in pretty good shape. The only concern I have right now with the truck is a ticking noise coming from the engine.

The noise is not noticable from the cab when the engine is cold. As the engine gets warmer the noise gets louder. The noise is most noticeable when the truck is at idle (slow tick.....tick.....tick.....tick) or just before the transmission is about to downshift (fast tick.tick.tick.tick). The noise is there at highway cruising speeds, but I really have to be listening for it to hear it. The frequency of the noise seems to be proportional to engine RPM's.

I have read about similar problems on this forum, but most posts deal with a tick before the engine warms up. My problem seems to be the exact opposite. The noise does not come and go. If I drive the truck long enough for it to begin to warm up (usually a mile or less) I will hear the noise every time.

I am planning on taking it to the shop this week to get diagnosed, but I wanted to ask this forum first so I wasn't completely in the dark when/if I have to take it in. Is there anything I should do before I take it in to rule out some problems?

If it turns out to be a stuck lifter or a bent pushrod what kind of repair bill would I be looking at?

Thanks

 

i get the same noise. My dad always said its just the lifters. theres gotta be something that can be done about it though.

 

Sounds like a collapsed lifter to me. Cold oil probably has enough viscosity to permit the hydraulic action of the lifter, but as the oil gets hot and flows easier the lifter collapses. Replacing lifters is not a hard job in the Magnum engine. I am sure you can look for other threads on this site and find out everything that needs done.

The easiest way to diagnose if you need to replace all or just one lifter is by pulling the valve covers and use a stethoscope and listen to each lifter while having the motor running. Some oil will overflow the head while you are doing this but not a lot. If it is just one that is completely bad and the others are in good shape you could keep your expenses down by replacing the one. However, for less than $175 you can buy a complete set of new roller lifters and that is what I would recommend.

Depending on your finances you could also install a set of 1.7 roller rockers. These will set you back $350 to $550 depending on what you buy. These 1.7 roller rockers will increase the performance of your engine. You may have heard this mod called the "Poor mans camshaft upgrade". If you are going to re-install the original rocker arms make sure that none are damaged or have any abnormal wear. If either of those conditions exist replace what you need to. Factory rockers can be purchased in sets of two or as complete sets.

Check the push rods for bends by rolling them across a flat surface. If any of them are bent replace the bent ones. If you replace all of the lifters it is always recommended you replace all of the pushrods. Remember you need to get exact matches for what you already have.

If you are going to do this repair yourself you need to remember that any lifters, rocker arms, and push rods you re-use MUST be put back in the same location you removed them from.

Since you will have the intake manifold off for this repair you should also at a minimum replace the plenum gasket. Most of us replace the stamped steel factory plenum with a billet aluminum one from APS or Hughes, but if you are trying to keep costs down just replace the gasket with a new Fel-pro gasket. I think the APS or Hughes kit costs around $150. Chances are unless the gasket was replaced recently it is leaking anyway.

While the intake is off, now is also a good time to put a new thermostat in your truck. Some of us run a 180 degree thermostat and have no problems while others prefer to stay with the 195 degree factory spec. Sometimes the 180 will send a trouble code to your computer. Doing this is less than $10 and very easy to do at this time.

Any reasonable competent mechanic can have this entire job done easily in 1 day. As I do all of my own work, I don't know what a shop would charge you to do this, but if you could do it yourself, or have a friend that can help you can probably get by at a minimum of about $400. Adding the new roller rockers or plenum plate will of course drive the price up.

Hope this helps.

 

spark plug wire worn/chaffed arcing to something metal.. take a spray bottle or garden hose and wet your motor half way good.. at NIGHT time.. start it up while wet.. and where ever the arc is,,, should give you a nice little blue show.

 

Wow! Thanks Turkeyhunter, that's a lot of great information. I haven't looked down the TB yet myself, but I had Dodge do a vehicle inspection after I bought the truck and they told me that the plenum needed replaced, so I have that on my list of things to do. I also bought a 180 TS, but I haven't had a chance to put that in yet.

I had the truck in the shop a couple of weeks back and the tech that did the oil change and tranny flush thought it sounded like a sticky lifter, but he didn't recommend doing anything about it until the engine started to misfire. Is this sound advice? Can a collapsed/sticky lifter lead to more serious problems down the road? Will I end up bending a rod or something if I contine to drive it the way it is?

Also, would it be worth my time to run seafoam through the oil and see if that helps or would that just be a waste of time? Would synthetic oil help the situation?

Thanks

 

I'll try the spark wire suggestion tonight, but would that make sense that it would only do that when the vehicle gets warm?

 

You can fix the noise for $2.50

Go buy some Marvel Mystery Oil from Wal Mart and put it in your crank. Works wonders, seriously!

 

It's always easiest to try the cheap stuff first. I have never been one to use oil additivies ( Marvel Mystery oil, Seafoam, etc ) but others have. Some like it, some don't. It's really your personal preference. Doesn't cost anything to see if you have a spark plug wire shorting out. Still think it's a collapsed lifter but thats what the forum is for. Getting and giving information to each other. I always respect other members information.

Good luck.

 

I think the MMO would help if it were the opposit of his problem... when the lifters warm up, they are not pumping up all the way and they are collapsing as turkeyhunter said. I wouldnt hurt to try it but dont be supprised if it doesnt work. It will however clean up the inside of the motor though. My daughter uses it in her honda at my recommendation and over 2000 miles or so her mileage went from a solid 23~25 mpg to 29~31 mpg consistantly.

oh wait... it just occured to me that if the oil hasnt been changed much you may have gunk that is plugging up one of the lifter galley's... in that case using the mmo may work so i'd try it 1st. the mmo will do a good job of cleaning up the insides. Hopefully it wont look as bad as this...



[IMG]local://upfiles/1508/D40EE81C186C49B18FDF672334131525.jpg[/IMG]

 

i have a tick also, been there ever since i bout my 96 v6. ive used seafoam, didnt fix the tick but it sure made a world of difference with engine response. i notice this tick anytime, cold or hot. most noticeable when im sitting int he drive thru. everyone tells me its not the lifters, my father thinks is just a vibrating heat shield, i think its the lifters myself bu no one can find anything wrong. ill try that stuff from wal mart (i hate wal mart) and ills ee if that does anything.

plugs, cab, wires, rotor, air filter, oil filter, seafoam, water pump, best, tensioner, nothing has even made the sound change let alone fix it.