HEMI Start-Up Tick

The RP is an excellent filter, but sometimes you get a dud, it happens. I've had a FRAM Ultra that leaked, FRAM sent me two new ones. I've had ADBV leakages with a few filters, some of them premium, on our old Expedition. It is what it is.

OK so first on my list of things to try is a new RP filter.

Apparently if you hold the gas to the floorboards and then hold the starter button, the engine will crank and build oil pressure, but will not fire off until you let go of the gas. Haven't tried it, but I wonder if that would be a good short term bandage type of thing to try out? Maybe 2 or 3 extra seconds of turning over might get the oil to where it needs before it fires off?
 
OK so first on my list of things to try is a new RP filter.

Apparently if you hold the gas to the floorboards and then hold the starter button, the engine will crank and build oil pressure, but will not fire off until you let go of the gas. Haven't tried it, but I wonder if that would be a good short term bandage type of thing to try out? Maybe 2 or 3 extra seconds of turning over might get the oil to where it needs before it fires off?
Yes, that's flood clear mode, has been around since the 80's. Worth giving it a try, see if it changes the behaviour.
 
OK so first on my list of things to try is a new RP filter.

Apparently if you hold the gas to the floorboards and then hold the starter button, the engine will crank and build oil pressure, but will not fire off until you let go of the gas. Haven't tried it, but I wonder if that would be a good short term bandage type of thing to try out? Maybe 2 or 3 extra seconds of turning over might get the oil to where it needs before it fires off?
Dodge suggests doing it for cars that haven't been started for a long time (plus some ridiculous suggestions like disconnecting injectors or pulling fuses :rolleyes:).
https://www.dodgegarage.com/news/article/how-to/2019/04/its-a-crime-not-to-prime.html
 
The only tick I get on my Hemi is when the exhaust manifold bolts break. Common issue - replaced them 2x in 105k miles.
 
The only tick I get on my Hemi is when the exhaust manifold bolts break. Common issue - replaced them 2x in 105k miles.
Is that what happens? I service a '12 that I assumed had a cracked or warped EM on right side. Ticks like mad until warm. I actually located the leak near the bottom of the manifold at head interface using the old fuel-line-in-the-ear trick

I never thought to lay eyes on the fasteners themselves. Did older ones like 2012 also regularly break the bolts?
 
Is that what happens? I service a '12 that I assumed had a cracked or warped EM on right side. Ticks like mad until warm. I actually located the leak near the bottom of the manifold at head interface using the old fuel-line-in-the-ear trick

I never thought to lay eyes on the fasteners themselves. Did older ones like 2012 also regularly break the bolts?

The hemis (and GM v8's too) are notorious for breaking bolts, and/or cracking the manifold. The exhaust leak then sounds like a tick which goes away slowly as the engine warms up. Some guys put new bolts in only to have them crack a second/third time.

The best way to fix this is take the manifolds to a machinist and have them (very lightly!!) grind them flat, then reattach with new bolts. This is because the manifold is now already twisted into its final state from heat cycling so when you grind it flat it will no longer try to twist anymore.

Alternatively, others use this as a good time to upgrade to shortys or long tube headers.

"Hemi tick" is a different thing, that's lifters making noise and that needs to be corrected ASAP if it doesn't go away after a few mins (at most).
 
The hemis (and GM v8's too) are notorious for breaking bolts, and/or cracking the manifold. The exhaust leak then sounds like a tick which goes away slowly as the engine warms up. Some guys put new bolts in only to have them crack a second/third time.

The best way to fix this is take the manifolds to a machinist and have them (very lightly!!) grind them flat, then reattach with new bolts. This is because the manifold is now already twisted into its final state from heat cycling so when you grind it flat it will no longer try to twist anymore.

Alternatively, others use this as a good time to upgrade to shortys or long tube headers.

"Hemi tick" is a different thing, that's lifters making noise and that needs to be corrected ASAP if it doesn't go away after a few mins (at most).
A lot of trucks and SUV's have this issue. Ford trucks from the 90's and early 2000's (our Expedition), the 4-Runner, and yes, the GM and Dodge/RAM trucks.

Every single one of our work trucks with the 5.7 has had the manifolds flat-planed and then new studs. No further issues with them. All of them had developed the exhaust tick.

There are many other sources of noise, such as rocker arms, lifters bleeding down, the VCT phaser.

Many times when a lifter fails it makes a "chirping" noise (that's the only noise our one truck that ate a lifter made, it never ticked other than years before from the manifold leak). When the lifter locks up you are replacing the cam and lifters and there's no reversing this process once it starts; once the improper hardening on the wheel or pin is breached and the needles start cutting into it.
 
Ive narrowed down a loud knock/tick on my 2017 Hemi RAM...it happens like this:

If the truck sat, say overnight, then I start it just to move it a short distance (think: to the other side of my driveway), then shut it down....if I start it again within an hour or two, it will make a fairly loud knocking noise for 3 seconds at startup. Not a lifter tick, IMHO....its a deeper tone.

If I: drive it longer before shutting down (as simple as driving through the roundabout at the end of our street) OR I let it sit for an extended period again, the loud knock does not occur at startup.

I have no idea WHY it does it, but over on RAMForum it seems to be a common thing in this exact scenario. Im not sure if that is what the manual is referring to or not as a "short distance". There are theories as to what it is but I dont think anyone knows for sure (probably not even Mopar).

Just as an amendment to my previous posts in this thread, I too have had my 2019 Ram 1500 classic hemi tick like an SOB under this exact scenario ^^^.

I've had it happen twice over the past few months. Both times after a cold start, quickly move the truck in the driveway, shut it down, go to use the truck in an hour or two and it ticked loudly on start up for just 2-3 seconds. Loud enough to hear it over my straight pipe single exhaust. LOL.

So weird it happens only in that series of events, but I'm OK with that, because like said, you can mitigate it if it's something you have to do often. It is definitely not a usual event for me.

In terms of an exhaust manifold leak, my 2019 has tie-bars between the exhaust manifolds and the bolts. We shall see how long it is before something gives. LOL. I'm currently at ~47K miles.
 
Coincidence maybe but the Pentastars commonly have startup tick too. Our '16 does it for about 1 second on a cold start.
 
Coincidence maybe but the Pentastars commonly have startup tick too. Our '16 does it for about 1 second on a cold start.
Did you see where the lube filter is on the Pentastar?

So weird it happens only in that series of events, but I'm OK with that, because like said, you can mitigate it if it's something you have to do often. It is definitely not a usual event for me.
Shorttripping a HEMI causes the lifters to bleed down faster. Add some MoS2, and you should be good.
 
Back
Top