I have an 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 3.7 in it. I've been trying to find a tapping/ticking noise. I think it might be a valve lash adjuster,it's diffently not a rod knock. Last night I did a mechanical oil pressure test at idle it was around 34 or 36 psi, at 3,000 rpm it was about 84 psi or so. Well I got up under the truck and I think I hear some noise before the oil pan like by the flywheel/flex plate inspection cover. The 2 questions I have is do these trucks have any or has anyone heard that some people have had problems with the flywheel/flexplate cracking or the torque converter bolts to flywheel coming loose? And I have a book for this truck and it says curb idle oil pressure is 4 psi and at 3,000 rpm it needs to be between 25 to 110 psi? Is that right? Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

your oil pressure seems good.
as for the ticking, those motors have always had a slight tick and vibration due to the 90* v-6 instead of a normal 60* v-6

 

Your prob hearing the sound echoing off the firewall and through the block if you think it's coming from the flywheel. It's common for noises to travel like that. I'd put a mechanics stethescope on the top half of the motor and try and isolate where the noise is coming from and then take action.

 

Thanks guys. This particular noise started a few months ago after I changed the trans. fluid and filters. Another question I thought of is a friend of mine put a Snap On scanner on it and the rpm on it was reading like 760 rpm at idle. However the tach on the dash reads 500 rpm. Does these factory tachs take a crap after awhile or is the factory tach reading off a sensor off the trans or engine? Thanks again

 

Also check all the exhaust manifold bolts to make sure none or broken off or loose

 

Yeah my drivers side exhaust at the rear of block does look like it is away from the head but I didn't see any exhaust coming out of it but I will see if they are loose. Thanks again for the input. This noise is driving me nuts.