10.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$4,380
Average Mileage:
131,700 miles
Total Complaints:
1 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. replace the engine (1 reports)
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problem #1

Jul 302016

Ram 1500 Big Horn 5.7L Hemi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 131,700 miles

engine rattle, than shortly after a heavy knock

The truck started to make a faint rattle at 2500 - 3000 RPM's under load and would go away. It sounded like the problem I had with my old Ford Ranger, cam chain tensioner. I took the truck into dodge, where the truck has gone since I bought it, to have a tech look at it. I took the tech on a drive and the noise was prominent and he heard it, but said it definitely wasn't a motor noise. I voiced my concern and they had it for 3 hours. The tech came back and said they can't find where it's coming from. You'll have to come back when it's worse, Brilliant! 2 weeks later, after not getting any worse, I went to start it to go to the office and there's a really heavy knock. Sounds deafeningly like a rod bearing. Wonderful! No I'm at the point where I'm looking for a new motor but dodge says they are back ordered, 34 on order and no date can be given. This Hemi is only for the VIN numbers with a T in the 8th digit. Must be a standard issue if they're back ordered and can give a ship date.

Update from Aug 8, 2016: 8/5/16

I took the truck and had it looked at by a mechanic that was referred by a friend. He said it sounded like a common issue with the 2011 Hemi in Chargers and the Ram, lifters. I had him pull the valve cover and head off the right side to confirm. It was worse than we both thought. Apparently the lifter on the #7 cylinder had been low on lubrication and smoked the intake roller. There was at least 1/16 of play in the roller which was the constant noise we heard. In turn, this beat up on the lobe of the cam and wore through the hardness of the heat treated lobe and wore the lobe quite a bit and would have lead to failure shortly. It was cheaper and more reliable to replace with a used motor, than to rebuild both sides of the valve train. I wish I would have take pictures to include.

- A N., Prior Lake, MN, US