Hi guys.
Curious to know if anyone has changed a camshaft. 2011 Ram 5.7. Noticeable valve train noise drivers side rear of engine. Also getting a miss fire code for cylinder 7. So my guess is camshaft and lifters. My nephews truck and I might help him with the repair. Any tips from those of you who may have done it. Kinda sucks that the heads need to come off as well....

 

Check valve springs first.

 

Yep. Thanks bud. Thats the first thing will do

 

The book says to remove the AC condenser when you remove the radiator. I just finished doing the cam & lifters on my '09 and can tell you that if your careful, you don't have to (I didn't). You do have to be very careful when working around where the AC pipes attached to the evaporator at the fire wall on the passenger side....and you'll have to work around the hoses which cross from left to right that go to the compressor. If you evacuate the AC, then you can remove the hoses & compressor to make more room to work.
Be very carefull that you don't let the cam chain slip off the lower sprocket (mark the chain, upper sprocket, and block with a marker just in case so you can get them lined up properly. Otherwise you'll have to pull the pan to get the oil pump off to see the alignment marks.

I left the exhaust manifolds still attached to the heads when I pulled them to avoid some of the hassle of getting to the bolts (and I had some broken exhaust bolts). Be prepared to cut the exhaust pipe flange bolts as they have a very flimsy retainer to keep the nut from turning (you might be luckier than I was).

There's an electrical plug connector on the very back of the manifold that is hard to reach & the wire harness doesn't have much slack. Take your time to get it unhooked (I gave up & cut the wires & spliced in a longer pig tail when I re-assembled).
Lots-o-luck,
Mike Sal

 

Thanks for the tips Mike

 

I spent a little less than $900 in parts if I remember correctly. You have to get creative and have several lengths (very short and long) of extensions ready along with deep & short sockets for getting some of the bolts (head & manifold) around the brake booster & around the firewall. Have the front end on jack stands so you can pull the wheels and inner fenders to help with getting the exhaust manifolds back on. The brake lines are sort of in the way on the drivers side so just take your time. If I were doing it again, I would put the new spark plugs in before I installed the heads to save a little bit of hassle. Take your time when putting the rocker arms on. The push rods for the intake valves tend to want to fall out of the rocker so take it slow & easy to make sure they are in the sockets as you tighten down the bolts.
Mike Sal

 

Thanks again for all the tips Mike.
This project is on hold for now...Here in Ontario Canada Chrysler has a huge (3000) back orders for lifters for this truck....with no date for when they will be available. I am rather shocked! I even inquired about a mopar reman long block and they are out of stock ! Next stop was my favourite auto wreckers who had no hemis in stock. Their wrecker dealer network brought up a few high miler engines for big bucks....so no.
At the moment Im trying to research MDS delete kits which offer a different camshaft and lifters which I have found available. Not sure I want to go this route as this delete will require a tuner and Im not sure if or how it will affect our emission laws and testing here in Ontario ???

 

Just a little update. Code set again for misfire cylinder 7. Pulled valve cover. Springs good. Visibly checked valve opening amounts and appeared exhaust valve cyl 7 not opening as far as others. Mounted a dial indicator. Cam lobe for exhaust cylinder 7 appears to be worn at least 100 thou. Swapped coil pack on cyl 7 for fun and cleared codes. Presently considering MMX engine parts.

 

I originally tried to hunt for a "complete" MDS delete kit....or at least a "complete" stock cam & lifter kit....I could not find one. There are a few vendors who advertise "complete" kits, but they do not include everything you will need to do a cam/lifter R&R.

You should park the truck until it gets fixed. Spreading the worn off metal throughout the engine isn't doing it any good.

I am mad at Chrysler for not providing any help to owners for an issue that is clearly design and/or quality related. I didn't buy any of my replacement parts from them. I'm not going to reward them for a bad issue.

 

If you are going this far, you should get your heads rebuilt. The 2003-2012 heads were known for valve seats dropping and ending up in the cylinder chambers. Trust me get the heads rebuilt and have new valve seat put in or buy some new aftermarket heads like Edelbrock.