So, I recently bought an 03 1500 with a 5.7. Far cry nicer than my 96 5.9. It has higher mileage, 230k, but looking at it you wouldn't be able to tell. The damn thing looks almost new with very little wear and tear.

However, it does have a slight tick when it's cold, it goes away after a few minutes of running. A friend I work with is a full-time mechanic. Told me it sounds like a lifter. It sounds like it's coming from the rear of the drivers side. Looking up lifters and such I get listing for MDS and non MDS. I'm pretty sure I have non-MDS, vin code D, but some kits don't say one or the other. Now, I ran a search here, but I use the mobile site and the search function has beaten me. If I am going to either pay someone or rip apart the top end myself I want to upgrade what is already in there.

Also, is it possible to do the lifters without pulling the heads? I know it's a long shot, but anything to save some money would be great.

 

The 5.7 engine has an inherent "Hemi tick". If it doesn't sound like the engine is beating itself up, that's probably what it is. The mileage would concern me a little if I heard that, too. Before you have someone tear it apart, find someone with the same engine and see if their engine sounds the same.