Another question while I'm on a roll.



I just picked up an '04 Ram 1500 HEMI QC. It's now got about 600
miles on it. The beast idles smoother than any other Dodge I have
owned, but I notice a very slight ticking sound coming from the engine
compartment at idle. I can only hear the ticking while standing
outside the truck.



Should I worry? Is this normal? Will it go away as it breaks in?



Thanks again!



- Dave

 

I hope it's normal because mine has always done it when it was cold. <edited><editID>BlueHemi</editID><editDate>37982.9702430556</editDate></edited>

 

I haven't noticed any ticking on mine. Does it do it all the time or only when it's "cold"?



I agree this engine idles very smoothly...at ony 500 rpm too! The
wonders of computer controlled fuel management, I suppose!

 

is it only making that noise when youve got the ac/heater on, or all
the time? i noticed mine made a noise when i was heating up the cab, it
goes away when i shut it off.

 

Now that I've read your comments, I'll do some careful testing.
The last time I recall hearing the light ticking, it was warmed up and
the heater was on. I'll permutate the engine temperature and
heater fan to see if there's any correlation.



Does anyone know WHAT is actually ticking under the hood? Are the
valves seating? Does it use noisy injectors like the Viper?
Has anyone had the ticking go away after break-in?



Thanks!



- Dave

 

OK, here's the scoop on my truck. Other than a very minor belt
squeak, the 5.7 is dead silent when cold, whether the heater fan is on
or not. After it warms up, the belt squeak is gone, but the light
tapping sound is there, independent of the heater fan.



This time, I really had to listen to hear the tapping. I'm now at
800 miles, so maybe it's breaking in little by little? In any
case, I assume it's nothing serious. Idle is glossy smooth and
oil pressure is dead center. My wife<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> has s<font size="2">aid, </font></span><font size="2" style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">"This is a <span style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;">nice</span> truck."</font><font size="2"><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> about a d</span>o</font>zen times so far. I think she's right.



- Dave

 

It's always good when the wife agree's, huh? I could think of a zillion things that could be ticking, it's likely nothing serious. Put a louder exhaust on it and you'll drown out the tickig noise. I'm so glad you like the truck. I'd REALLY like to own a Hemi too! I'm jealous.

~Amanda

 

Belt squeak is one thing I have noticed on my Hemi. Does anyone have a good recommendation to get rid of the squeak? My Dad used to use a bar of soap but I'm sure there must be a good spray-type product out there that does the trick without damaging (drying out and cracking) the belt...

 

As far as the ticking, don't worry, remember 7yr./70,000 mile. You can get belt dressing at most stores, but it shouldn't be squeaking. It squeaks due to improper belt tension, take it back and have them correct it.

 

Actually it's funny, I had the hood up tonight and heard the ticking
sound. It doesn't sound like it's anything major and ya with 7/70
I'm not too concerned...



This was with the engine warm, BTW.