Thought my truck was hydrolocked after a fast water crossing, however it looks like the K&N filter plugged up with water and sucked muddier water past the filter, seizing the motor before it could hydrolock. This is on an 03 Ram 1500 with the 5.7, does anyone have any tips for doing a motor swap? Anything I can do to save time? This will be my first motor swap

 

And if anyone's curious, I pulled all the plugs and tried to turn it over, couldn't get it to turn over with the starter or a breaker bar. Checked starter, starter is good. Wierd part is there was only 2 plugs with any moisture on them, the airbox wasn't exactly flooded(it was never submerged) and the oil is squeaky clean

 

you might have just fried the computer some how i'd have it look at by a professoinal

 

Before I pulled the motor I would want to know what is locked up. With all the plugs out you should beable to turn it with a breaker bar, can you rock it back and forth a little? Pull the pan for inspection. Personally, I would want to rebuild the engine rather than using one that I didn't know anything about.

 

I think I'm gonna have it towed to a shop and have them check it out before I pull the motor. I've been just hanging off a breaker bar and cannot get it to budge in either direction. The way I way looking at it you can't access all the bolts to drop the pan without pulling the engine

 

If the engine is indeed bad, the best way to go about a repair or replacement would be to check ebay out. There are several junkyards that sell with an ebay account and give a few months warranty. Hemi engines with descent mileage are going for under $2k shipped for entire drop in assemblies. Newly rebuilt lower halfs go for about the same, but will cost you more for assembly in the long run.
I would def have it looked over before doing anything drastic if you are unsure what to look for and do.

 

Just talked to a guy who put an 08 Hemi in an 03 and said it just bolted right up. I'll have to find out what he did to make the computers work, but that might be an option to run a newer engine from a wrecker or ebay

 

you can try to find a wrecked truck with the same motor in it, i have a buddy who got a rolled 03 and put the motor, trans and electrical components in his truck, he was also able to pull the laramie trim and leather seats out and swap it. he payed 2500 and ended up with an 02 with an 03 hemi, upgraded from an slt to a laramie package, then sold the spare stuff on craigslist getting almost 800 back from that. not a bad deal