Hey I have a 2006 dodge ram 1500 with a 5.7l engine. The engine is shot. I found a guy selling a 5.7 out of an 03 ram 1500, and another guy selling one out of a 07 charger. Was wondering if there was any differences between the three and what my best choice would be. Any help would be much appreciated thanks.

 

I think the 06 is mds. I'd probably opt to remove that feature, they seem to have issues with the lifters. Car engine has different intake/pan, and water pump housing. If all that stuff is good on your existing engine, I'd go for the lowest mileage and known running well engine available. If some of that stuff you need, then go for the truck engine.
What is shot on your current engine?

 

Several lol...your engine has MDS and EGR. The 03 has neither EGR nor MDS, unless you write out MDS and EGR with a custom tune, you'd have to pull the heads to add MDS and punch out the EGR ports. The 07LX engine has EGR and MDS would need to be stripped to the long block, your front timing cover, oil pan, dipstick and intake manifold put on it. That being said, you wouldn't have to pull the heads if you wanted to use MDS and the EGR will hook right up.

Eagle 5.7's had the MDS lifter and timing chain tensioner issues, I've never heard of widespread pre-eagle 5.7 lifter problems ever. Always seems to be the VVT engines (both 5.7 & 6.4) wiping cam lobes.

 

Eagle 5.7's had the MDS lifter and timing chain tensioner issues, I've never heard of widespread pre-eagle 5.7 lifter problems ever. Always seems to be the VVT engines (both 5.7 & 6.4) wiping cam lobes.[/QUOTE]

Crap, you're right... Starting in 2009 the hemi had the vvt with the stuck lifter grinding the cam lobes. All 5.7s engines prior had provisions for mds, and they actually used those provisions starting in 2006. My memory has faded on this stuff.

 

I’d try to get your year engine...

http://car-part.com

i only say this because I’ve seen more oil pumps fail on the 03 to 05 Hemi engine than I’d be comfortable with...

 

What the hell do you guys do to them up there lol? Run them without oil? Forget to check the oil regularly lol? I've owned a few (and still do) plus have NEVER read or heard about that happening. You realize it's the same oil pump from 03 to 08, right....?

 

 

You decide to resurrect Dad's truck?

 

So far it's a no go. My current car (2013 Subaru Legacy) is burning oil and needs the engine to be fully re-sealed at the valve cover and everywhere on the engine that was sealed with silicone. The dealership wants $2,800 (half the value of the car), so I'm going to trade it in and pay a couple thousand for a newer vehicle somewhere else. I decided not to sell it private since I could run into issues with the buyer and the engine slowly leaking oil, which is then burning on the exhaust. My dad's truck is an hour and a half away from me at an outdoor storage unit, and I have no way of getting him to sign the title (if we can even find it) since he's at a nursing home. It also needs a new hood, brake lines, and a bunch of other stuff which I am not mechanically inclined to do. Who knows, maybe I can get it back and running one day...

 

I run a shop, I work on many many vehicles. I’ve never blown one up...but I’ve seen one lose oil pump at 45k and trash engine, (he was an older guy I knew that was meticulous on oil changes. His was an 03) and have seen at least 10 in past 5 years that lost engine due to oil pump failure, most of them had under 120k.....so for me personally after actually having to diag and do these repairs I think I have enough credit to not support early hemis

should I mention I’ve worked on probably 500 ram trucks in past few years. Not talking out of my ***. I speak from actual experience