I've read so many posts on the dreaded Hemi tick. Its mind blowing to me that Dodge hasn't resolved this issue. But on the flip side, I also realize part of the Hemi tick has to do with the engine being hemispheric. Hence, the Hemi! So with all that, I would like some opinions to see what everyone thinks. I have a 2012 Dodge Crew Cab 1500. It has 107k miles on it. I bought it new in December of 2012. Last December I had the exhaust manifold bolts replaced. They replaced all 16 bolts. I only had 2 broken bolts on the drivers side and my mechanic said that if it were him, he would replace them all. And he said it's just a matter of time before they all break. He said it's much easier to replace them when they aren't broken, so I agreed. Cost me about $800 for both sides which I don't feel was too bad considering I've heard some have paid around $900 per side to have them replaced.

When I first got the truck, there wasn't any ticking at all. Not until the manifold bolts broke. Then after I replaced them, everything sounded great for about 2 months. Now I've got a tick again. Not the same tick like the manifold bolts. The ticking is constant. Its not real loud, but its there. Just tick tick,tick,tick,tick...constantly. So I went back to my mechanic and told him I've been reading all about it on the forums. I told him I realize it may just be there and I may just have to live with it. ....I hate listening to it.

I'm a female and it makes me nervous driving it on the road by myself. Will, the lifters fail and cause me to end up stranded somewhere? Should I bite the bullet, replace lifters and cam? Then I read somewhere where it's better to replace just the rocker arms. I've read where they are putting in longer arms? I think that's what I read. I am debating selling it and getting rid of it. But I LOVE my truck. It looks bran new. I've babied it. Park it in the middle of nowhere to keep people from dinging the doors. I love this truck. But I hate the hemi tick. I feel like this engine should last 150-200k miles. But then again....what if this ticking I'm dealing with now is more than just the tick.

So today I took it back to my mechanic. He had suggested to try de-sludging it. I agreed to try it. He put a solvent in the oil, drove it around for a while, came back and drained the oil and let it sit for a while. Then he put Lucas oil treatment along with the regular oil back in the truck. He told me to drive it for a few days and let him know if its better. I'm hoping after a few days of driving it will be better, but so far, the tick is still there. He did tell me that if after a few days driving it, he could drain one quart of oil out and add another quart of the lucas oil treatment. I just don't know.

Any thoughts from all of you here? Will this engine last another 50-100k miles? If it starts to fail, there any warning signs? I don't have any engine lights on, oil pressure seems to be okay.....it just ticks all the time. Sound like an old engine. Maybe I should add a loud muffler / exhaust so I don't hear it. LOL. For me, I have this awesome truck with the "hemi" motor and yet it sounds like crap! Sounds like I've got a very loud "timex" watch in there. Reminds me of the old timex watch commercial. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

So much to think about and so many different things that may or may not fix it. I guess my biggest concern is will this engine last another 50-100 thousand miles? Or is it a crap shoot?

 

Think I would make REAL sure it isn't just another broken exhaust manifold bolt.... or just an exhaust leak.

if it is lifter tick, it may never get worse, and you could put another 200K miles on it..... or, it maybe blow up tomorrow. Generally, even if you get a total failure, it just drops one cylinder, and you can make it home. I haven't seen one yet where the lifter failure was bad enough to prevent the engine from running at all......

Welcome to DF!

 

Thanks for the reply. My first thought was also maybe another broken bolt. But man....I've maybe put 2000 miles on the truck since they changed the bolts. Also before when the exhaust manifold bolts were bad, it would make a terrible slapping noice. Lasted maybe 30 seconds and then it went away. This noise it much quieter, doesn't have the slapping noise. And it never goes away. I can hear it when I'm driving. This noise seems to be coming from the bottom of the engine. Right by the drivers wheel well. So maybe it is a broken bolt again. But doesn't the broken bolt noise, go away when the engine warms up?

Where else would an exhaust leak be coming from? Besides the manifold bolts?

It's good to know if a lifter fails, I can still make it home. That does make me feel a lot better. My husband and I will be making trips several times a year and I worry about getting stranded on the road somewhere. At least I know we could make it to an exit and get off the road. Thanks for that information!

 

May also be leaking at where the down pipe hits the manifold. Best bet is to grab a length of garden hose, maybe four feet long or so, hold one end to your ear, and go exploring around the engine with the other end. Where the tick is loudest, is where your problem is coming from.

 

I feel your pain Tgirl. Been there. Agree with Heyyou and ensure no exhaust leaks first or any other possible external source.
Im probably biased because I chased a hemi tick...and did a repair. In your research did you see this thread

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/4th-gen-ram-tech/419170-hemi-camshaft.html

 

Yes I had seen this thread. So basically you did have lifter failure? And it damaged the cam? So you were getting a code that let you know cylinder 7 had an issue? Did you have a check engine light on? I don’t have a check engine light on and back in December I also had to have the fuel pump replaced. They checked all codes and everything was clean.

This whole thing just pisses me off. For the first 6 years I didn’t hear any ticking in the engine. Now within the last 8 months I am hearing it. First is was the manifold bolts. Fixed that and a month or two later it’s ticking again. I think I originally posted I replaced the manifold bolts in December. I was wrong. Did the fuel pump then. Then in April I think it was, I had the manifold bolts done. People keep telling me... it’s just the hemi tick. Live with it. Well no... I don’t want to. I want it gone. LOL. It’s just so frustrating because this tick sounds like it’s a junk engine. I would trade it on a new truck but I don’t want payments. And 107k miles should just be getting broke in at that mileage.

My hubby keeps telling me I worry too much. But I just don’t think a truck runs perfect for 6 years and then just starts ticking unless there is some kind of an issue. Doesn’t make sense.

 

Yes. You are correct in what you ask. The tick progressively got worse and more noticeable. Eventually check engine light came on because a code was set which in my case was cyl 7 misfire.

There is the normal hemi tick....then there is the abnormal hemi tick. Take a listen to other hemis when your in traffic or going thru a texas drive thru for your morning coffee and compare to yours!
Admire your mechanical knowledge, drive and desire to have a great running and sounding engine. Your hubby should be proud !😁

 

what weight engine oil are you using? I have read that some in the south use 5W-30 or 10W-30 to help quiet the engine.

I pulled a sample of engine oil and sent it to Blackstone Labs for an oil analysis... cost $28

Report came back low in iron which makes me feel good about wear on my lifters. The loss of lubrication on the roller cams is what I have seen on youtube is the cause of lifter/cam failure.

This video was helpful in understanding the problem...
I have used a lube additive for years that is popular with truckers, and I swear by it. 2oz per qt of oil every 5K miles... MotorKote Hyper lube. https://motorkote.com/

 

My hubby thinks differently than I do. He will drive something until it dies. Me??? I've always wanted a dependable vehicle, one that stands out and looks flashy. I got that from my dad. He was so picky with his vehicles. He would buy a new one, and keep it for 5-6 years, and have people lined up ready to buy it when he sold it because they still looked bran new and they knew he took care of them. My dad also did his own mechanical work on his vehicles. Growing up as kids, my dad never spanked us or yelled at us...UNLESS we put our feet in the seats, or put our hands on the windows and got smudge marks on the windows, or touched the paint on the outside of the vehicle. He always carried a whisk broom in the car. He would have us all stand by the car, and he would brush us off with the little broom. Then have us sit on the seat and he would brush off our feet. Then we could get in the car. All of this carried on to me. I am so picky with my vehicles. People tell me I'm going to wash the paint off. When I wash the truck, I wash the wheel wells, the inside of the rims and when it comes to maintenance, I do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Always change my oil regularly. The dealer told me when I bought this truck that I could go until the service engine light for the oil came on. I asked the guy how long that was and he said he thought 6500-7000 miles. I told him NO WAY was I waiting that long to change the oil. He said because it was a synthetic blend oil, I could go longer between oil changes. I told him I wouldn't be doing that. So I change my oil at 4000 miles. I've always believed if you take care of a car mechanically, it will last forever. Well......this dodge pickup (the first one I've ever owned) has been good as far as running good and not having to replace many things. This hemi tick thing really bothers me.

I'm debating selling the truck. Also debating rebuilding the engine because that would be cheaper than buying a bran new truck. Thought about just replacing lifters, cam and maybe rocker arms. But then, if I rebuilt the engine...what about the tranny? Would that also need to be redone too? So far, I've haven't had to replace the starter, alternator, water pump or anything with the tranny. I've serviced it, but it runs well so far. Replaced fuel pump, and ended up doing the by pass thing on the fuel pump. Replaced all plugs twice, last time we also replaced the plug wires. Other than that, this truck has been a good one and very dependable. I just hate the hemi tick and feel that because it wasn't there for 6 years and now it is....something is going on. My hubby thinks I should just live with it and drive it until it dies. Honestly, I want to keep it. And if I do keep it another 3 to 4 years, it won't be worth that much. At least now, I could sell it and have a decent down payment on something else or trade it. I just don't know what to do.

If I were to re-do the lifters, cam and rocker arms.....what could that typically cost me and would it eliminate the hemi tick or would the hemi tick come back? Would I need to do more than just the lifters, cam and rocker arms? I'm not sure I really want to rebuild the whole engine. I've read where some people upgrade the cam when they re-do the lifters. If I went that route, what would be the best way to do it and what all would I need to replace and upgrade? I know I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but the decisions right now are just overwhelming.

 

I'm running Valvoline 5w-20. They did add the Lucas synthetic oil treatment to it yesterday when the did the de-sludge. When I picked it up, it still had the tick. They told me to drive it over the weekend and see if it goes away. They said it may take a little bit of driving before the oil treatment starts working. I did see this video when I was researching this before I posted. I asked my mechanic about it and that's when he suggested doing the de-sludge and then adding an oil treatment and using Amsoil oil. I told him let's do it. Well when I took it over there yesterday, they asked me what kind of oil I wanted to use. I told them what he had originally told me, the Amsoil. Then he tells me he can't get it because he's not a dealer. Well shoot! I asked him about Red-Line oil. He said can't get that either. He said valvoline is what he uses. So that's what they put in. It's the synthetic blend. I think.

I went back and forth with my mechanic about 2 years ago on the oil they were using in my truck when they changed it. When I first bought the truck, I took it to this shop. It was owned by another guy at the time. He has always been our family mechanic for years. Then, about 3 years ago, I took it to another place to have a front end alignment. Well that place is one of those that when you bring your car in, they tell you all the things you need to do. They told me I was running the wrong oil. I was like...what? He said yes, you're running 10w-30 oil and you're supposed to be running 5w-20. So I went to the guy who had been changing it and he said yes, he was using 10w-30. I told him he should of told me he was doing that. At that point in time, he told me then I needed to bring him the oil I wanted him to use. Then this new guy bought out the original guys shop. I've known him since he was a kid. He and I went back and forth on what oil to use. I told him, do exactly what the manufacturer says to use because at that time, the engine was still covered under warranty and I didn't want to do anything that would negate the warranty.

When I first bought the truck, I always used the synthetic blend oil. When I was going back and forth with the mechanics on my oil, they were also telling me to use full synthetic oil. I called the dealer and asked them. They asked me how many miles were on my truck. I told them 80k. They told me that full synthetic would probably be better because of the amount of miles. So I switched to full synthetic oil at that time. About 3 months later, I noticed the hemi tick. I did re-search and at that time, I thought the tick was maybe from the manifold bolts. So I went to the mechanic and told him what I thought. Well he dismissed me. Said I read to much on forums and he used to work for dodge and he knew it was just the hemi tick and nothing could be done. That was in December when they replaced the fuel filter. Well the noise got worse. Finally in April, my battery was dead so I had them replace the battery. That day my mechanic was is a good mood or something. He asked how my truck was running. I said, well I still have that tick. Would you mind just checking the manifold bolts for me. He said....Sure. So.....he did. Called me about 2 hours later and said, um, yeah, you have 2 broken bolts on the drivers side. Said he hadn't checked the passenger side yet, but he suggested I replace all of the bolts because it was a problem with dodge. I was so pissed off because I had told him back in December that I thought that was the problem. Because I am a female and I'm very opinionated and speak my mind....he just doesn't like that. Anyhow....kind of a long story. But that's where I am.

Personally, I would rather use the red-line oil or amsoil oil. Where do you get it? Since my mechanic can't seem to get it, can I get it on line or somewhere?