rebuilding 3rd get hemi
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rebuilding 3rd get hemi
Hey everyone. I'm new to this and I have a 2004 Ram 1500. Ive got 195k miles and just ran into a big issue. I still haven't pulled everything apart but I'm having a valve slap issue and I'm in search of some new valves, valve springs, pushrods, cam, valve retainers, etc. This truck is my pride and joy. Thanks in advance.
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Before you take ANYTHING apart, use a vacuum gauge connected to where the brake booster vacuum line goes on the intake manifold, start the engine and then watch the gauge how steady it is, if it is for the most part steady its probably just a collapsed lifter, if the reading is noticeably jumpy you probably have a broken valve spring.
Then as a secondary test, if you have a slap/tick issue, check with a stethoscope and try to isolate which valve it is and see where the noise comes from the loudest. About 3 months ago I had a hard core tick issue and it turned out to be a collapsed lifter which was a pretty straight forward fix as daunting as it seemed. Hardest part about pulling the heads on a Hemi is getting the intake off and exhaust manifold bolts.
Once you find out which head has the issue in it, pull the valve cover off that one head and feel by hand to see if you can find slop in the rocker arms and then inspect for broken valve springs. If no broken valve springs are apparent you should try removing the rocker rail with the slop and inspect it for scoring & excessive wear. Most Hemi engines will have some scoring on the under side of the rockers where the pushrod meets the rocker, sometimes it looks like hell, but I assure you there are many perfectly running hemi engines with this issue and most people will never know it. Next re-torque the offending rocker arm rail down again and check for slop, sometimes re-torqueing them will get rid of rail deflecting & slop, if it does throw it back together. If slop still exists, change your lifters, Rock Auto has 8 for $98. Also make sure you get the correct head gasket as the sides are NOT interchangeable. I just did one side on my engine.
Also make sure your tick is not related to a broken exhaust manifold, sometimes a leaky/cracked exhaust manifold can sound mechanical. Mine are cracked and sound really loud after running it hard, but once it cools during normal driving it quiets down.
Then as a secondary test, if you have a slap/tick issue, check with a stethoscope and try to isolate which valve it is and see where the noise comes from the loudest. About 3 months ago I had a hard core tick issue and it turned out to be a collapsed lifter which was a pretty straight forward fix as daunting as it seemed. Hardest part about pulling the heads on a Hemi is getting the intake off and exhaust manifold bolts.
Once you find out which head has the issue in it, pull the valve cover off that one head and feel by hand to see if you can find slop in the rocker arms and then inspect for broken valve springs. If no broken valve springs are apparent you should try removing the rocker rail with the slop and inspect it for scoring & excessive wear. Most Hemi engines will have some scoring on the under side of the rockers where the pushrod meets the rocker, sometimes it looks like hell, but I assure you there are many perfectly running hemi engines with this issue and most people will never know it. Next re-torque the offending rocker arm rail down again and check for slop, sometimes re-torqueing them will get rid of rail deflecting & slop, if it does throw it back together. If slop still exists, change your lifters, Rock Auto has 8 for $98. Also make sure you get the correct head gasket as the sides are NOT interchangeable. I just did one side on my engine.
Also make sure your tick is not related to a broken exhaust manifold, sometimes a leaky/cracked exhaust manifold can sound mechanical. Mine are cracked and sound really loud after running it hard, but once it cools during normal driving it quiets down.
Last edited by JoshSlash87; Feb 22, 2016 at 02:35 PM.