Hello all.. first, I am NOT a mechanic, which is why I'm asking here.

I own a 2014 Ram, 4 door, with a 5.7L motor, with 153,000 miles on it.

A while back, I had some issues with the engine performing at a less than usual level. I work at an industrial machine shop that employs several mechanics, so one of them ran diagnostics for me.

I got a P0305 error back (cylinder #5 misfire)

After calling a few shops, including one dealership, the general consensus was that engine replacement was my best option. So, I picked one of the shops that came highly recommended, and scheduled replacement.

A few weeks later, they called to say I could come pick up my vehicle. I went down and paid,

As I was driving home, my dash lights and the radio light dimmed off and on. Also, the cruise control wouldn't work. (it worked fine when I drove it to them)

When they opened on monday, I let them know the problem. They said bring it down and we'll take a look.

They called me later to tell me the clockspring had failed, and had nothing to do with their work, and it would cost me $1050 to replace it.

So....here's my question:

Is this something that they could have damaged while replacing the motor? It seems very suspicious that all those things worked fine when I dropped off, but suddenly failed while they had the truck in their possession.

On the other hand, I suppose the possibility exists that it COULD have failed right at the same time, and if that is the case, I don't want to try and force them to pay for that repair.

Since I don't know the process, I'd like some input from you guys about the situation.

Thanks in advance,

Scott

 

The clock spring is no where near anything associated with an engine replacement issue as it is in the steering wheel. I'd be more curious as to why a misfire required and entire engine replacement. Was the block damaged or something?

 

As a professional mechanic who has replaced several engines (though, I’m yet to replace one in a Ram), there’s a lot of red flags about your post.

Keep in mind the primary issue with the 5.7 engines is the cam lobes are known to flatten, and from a labor standpoint, repair vs replacement is negligible.

That said…

1) Any shop that diagnoses engine replacement over the phone is one I’d be very cautious of. It’s one thing to suggest possibilities based on a description of the problem, but it’s foolish, unprofessional, and highly suspect to recommend replacement without any further diagnosis.

2) Depending on their approach to replacing the engine, it’s possible the clock spring was damaged during the work. It primarily comes down to whether or not the column was disconnected from the gear; and if so, whether or not the column has a lock with the key off. Disconnecting the column from the gear is a common way to gain bolt access and clearance for removing/installing the engine.

If it was disconnected, and doesn’t have a lock, the column could’ve been rotated 360* and the clock spring broke. The only way to be sure is to remove and disassemble the clock spring for inspection.

3) I think the most likely issue is an electrical connection that isn’t making adequate contact. This could be an actual connector or it could be a ground point bolt that wasn’t fully tightened. It could even be as simple as the battery terminals not being adequately tight.

I highly recommend you take it to another shop for a second opinion. I’m not going to assume the shop that installed the engine is just trying to cheat you, but it’s possible they are at fault and you’re not going to get any straight answers from them. If another shop confirms they’re at fault, take that diagnosis back to them in writing.

 

I am curious why a clock spring replacment would cost north of 1000 bucks. The part ranges anywhere from 100 bucks, to 300 bucks.... so, labor is 700, or more???? That's outrageous.

 

I wasn't very clear in my initial post.. I actually took the vehicle to the dodge dealership initially. They discovered the lifter had failed, and recommended replacing it and the camshaft as option 1, or full engine replacement as option 2.

The second shop also had the vehicle for inspection. Neither place diagnosed over the phone.

I appreciate the feedback so far. If I can offer any more info to help, please let me know.

Thanks again.

 

lifter and camshaft were damaged. cost to replace entire engine wasn't much more, and came with a 3 year warranty, which was the reason I opted for full replacement.

 

Inspect the steering assembly under the hood and look for signs that they worked on it. There is plenty of room to remove and install the engine without loosening any of it but who knows. That assembly should still be virgin from manufacture so any wrenching may be detectable. If you see any signs that it's been touched, ask them about it and if they deny it, show them your evidence.
There's a good change that they free spun the steering wheel and broke the clockspring.

 

Thank you for the input. I will take a look at it in the morning. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond.