I have a 2013 RAM Big Horn, 81,000 miles, only used Synthetic oil since I bought it new. I have the Hemi tick. I brought to one dealer who said it was a lower end rod knock and they could try to fix it but no guarantee and said I would be better off putting a new engine in it. So I got a second opinion at another Dodge dealer and they said it was lifter failure and that i would have to replace all the lifters and cam shaft. So now i have 2 Dodge dealers telling me two different expensive scenarios. The ticking sound starts after the engine has been running for approximately 90 seconds and continues until i get where i am going and shut it off. When i rev the engine up it gets faster and when I take my foot off the throttle to slow down so does the ticking noise, but keeps ticking even at idle at a stop light.. Oil pressure is in the mid 50's when driving and mid 30's when idling. So my question is whether it is a Manifold leak (1 bolt cracked off), bad lifters or a rod bearing that is bad. Any help would be appreciated

 

Use a mechanics stethoscope to isolate where the noise is coming from. A piece of garden hose works too.... Lifter tick and exhaust leak sound amazingly similar though.... may not hurt to just fix the exhaust manifold bolts, and see if the noise changes.

 

I have found that in the Hemi, If it is exhaust manifold leak, it is MUCH more apparent when the engine is cold, but when the engine warms up (and the metals expands with temperature increase) the tick dies down a lot and in some scenarios, even disappears. but if it super constant like that, might be a lifter or possible noisy top end like rocker noise or something. but as HeyYou stated, start with trying to identify where exactly it is coming form on the engine; top, middle, or bottom. That will give you the most info. If it is the manifold, it will most of the time be back by the fire wall on the rear most cylinders.