Hey there,

My father purchased a truck for our company off of a widow who lost her husband. RAM 2500, 6.4L Hemi. It seemed to be in pristine condition, the interior looks brand new. 3ish months later, after commuting daily - engine light comes on, and is blinking. Took it to a mechanic and they tell us that they found low oil pressure and misfire - engine needs to be replaced more than likely. This was awhile ago so I can not remember what they checked exactly. Well, truck has been sitting awhile on our property unused, so I decided to rip off the intake manifold and get to the VVT solenoid which I read will tell you if the engine needs a full replacement. I get it out, inspect, and indeed see metal particles. There is not a lot - but my understanding is, if its there at all, its too late. I started researching a bit and I see some opinions say that a cam/lifter replacement and a few quick oil changes will suffice. Obviously, if we don't need to replace engine, I would love to get it running without that expense.





As you can see - clearly got some metal particles. This spot is the only area on the VVT that appears to have them. In this case, what is your opinion - is the engine salvageable or so we need to bite the bullet and swap the engine?

Any input is greatly appreciated!!

 

Problem is, if you have chunkies there, you can bet they are also throughout the rest of the engine...... Not sure a cam/lifter swap would take care of the issue either..... You might get some more miles out of it, but, how many is a BIG question. I might be tempted to cut open the oil filter, and see how much debris is in there.... If you see a fair bit, just replace the engine.