Possibly misdiagnosed 2012 RAM 1500 5.7L HEMI

[The Critic]

With the changeover, there is an area of concern that must be paid attention to. OAT and HOAT coolants ARE NOT COMPATIBLE OR INTERCHANGEABLE. Mixing the two coolant types can result in accelerated corrosion in the engine and cooling systems.When this happens, the coolant may have an ammonia smell or there may be particles floating in the coolant. In a worst cases cenario, you'll have the predicament below:

The condition reflected in Fig. 1 on the previous page is pretty much terminal. .. replacement of the engine and other cooling system components is likely. That would be an expensive repercussion for not paying attention to detail when servicing the cooling system.

You should get a copy of the invoice from the w/p replacement.....something tells me that someone used an "all makes/models" type coolant, which is likely to be OAT.

 

[OVERKILL]

So, the misfire doesn't follow the coil or plugs and persists on cylinder #3. Given the sudden nature of the occurrence, the thought is possibly a valve spring. We decided against pulling the valve cover in the office parking lot for what are likely obvious reasons, so it will be going to a local shop we trust most likely this week for some more in-depth troubleshooting.

 

[The Critic]

So, the misfire doesn't follow the coil or plugs and persists on cylinder #3. Given the sudden nature of the occurrence, the thought is possibly a valve spring. We decided against pulling the valve cover in the office parking lot for what are likely obvious reasons, so it will be going to a local shop we trust most likely this week for some more in-depth troubleshooting.

Part #R8154341AA should fix it...

 

[OVERKILL]

Part #R8154341AA should fix it...

Not as expensive as I thought, but still pretty dear:

 

[SatinSilver]

Did the engine shop give an estimate on a cam and lifters? I remember years ago you posting about another company truck that I think had some serious engine problems. Where the exterior of it looked great from the pics.

 

[OVERKILL]

Did the engine shop give an estimate on a cam and lifters? I remember years ago you posting about another company truck that I think had some serious engine problems. Where the exterior of it looked great from the pics.

That truck was sold, and, not surprisingly, somebody put an engine in it. We really should have fixed that one. That one definitely needed a cam and lifters, we don't know if this one does, it may just need a valve spring, won't really know until some more in-depth diagnosis has been done. This truck is in very good shape for having 210,000 miles on it, so I think it is worth fixing, but we'll see what is found and what the cost looks like as to whether that'll happen or not.

 

[OVERKILL]

Shop is recommending putting an engine in it. They are advising against tearing into a 210,000 mile engine that has a history of valvetrain issues. They would recommending fixing if it had like half that mileage and wasn't 12 years old.

So, we are currently debating whether to put a long block in it.

I probably won't get a chance to snap an under valvecover pic unfortunately (was hoping to) as I assume if the decision to put a new engine in it is made, this one will have to be returned as a core.

My heavy truck mechanic buddy (who is now a fleet manager, @slammds15 on here) noted to me yesterday that he has had a surprising number of his GM chassis vans suffer lifter failure, and when I mentioned AFM, he said these don't have it. Couple that with Ford's 7.3L engine having the same problem and it's wild to see how we went from having basically invincible roller lifters in the 80's/90's to this garbage gong show a few decades later. Offshoring for the lose

 

[wemay]

Oh man, sorry to read this.
I'd get something new(er) considering the miles and age.

What sux is no matter how well we take care of our vehicles, stuff like this can still happen.

 

[JHZR2]

A long block for $8k??!?!?? Crazy.

I know trucks are stupid expensive these days, but that seems like a poor value proposition on a 210k mile truck in Canada.

A used engine could be a craps shoot, but I’d try to find a low mileage one and consider that as an option.

 

[Nick1994]

How does the IT guy get involved with engine work on company trucks?

 

[D60]

Shop is recommending putting an engine in it. They are advising against tearing into a 210,000 mile engine that has a history of valvetrain issues. They would recommending fixing if it had like half that mileage and wasn't 12 years old.

So, we are currently debating whether to put a long block in it.

I probably won't get a chance to snap an under valvecover pic unfortunately (was hoping to) as I assume if the decision to put a new engine in it is made, this one will have to be returned as a core.

My heavy truck mechanic buddy (who is now a fleet manager, @slammds15 on here) noted to me yesterday that he has had a surprising number of his GM chassis vans suffer lifter failure, and when I mentioned AFM, he said these don't have it. Couple that with Ford's 7.3L engine having the same problem and it's wild to see how we went from having basically invincible roller lifters in the 80's/90's to this garbage gong show a few decades later. Offshoring for the lose

I've often thought about this, too. It seems like we reached the pinnacle of the reliability we can design and between all the lifter failures across makes plus the inherent issues of GDI I feel like we're going backwards.

Also -- at the risk of a TOTAL derail -- if you believe stories like Bob Lazar of us actually having alien technology but having NO idea how to operate it......you can see we're incredibly primitive in our "technology. " We can't even build a lifter that won't fail ---- we won't be figuring out alien power cells or intergalactic travel anytime soon.

I'm not trying to start an alien debate, just saying we're not as smart as we think we are.

 

[wemay]

Huh??

 

[Number_35]

A long block for $8k??!?!?? Crazy.

I know trucks are stupid expensive these days, but that seems like a poor value proposition on a 210k mile truck in Canada.

A used engine could be a craps shoot, but I’d try to find a low mileage one and consider that as an option.

Hard to say ... this is orders of magnitude less pricewise, but in 2015 I hit a rock or stump (can't remember for sure) which damaged the case for my electric lawn mower's motor.

I debated over replacing the mower (c. $500) vs. just the motor (c. $250 IIRC).

Then thought, if I were replacing the mower, and someone offered to sell me a one-owner one, five years old, with a brand-new motor, for $250, would I buy it? Absolutely.

So I spent the bucks, bought the replacement motor, and have gotten another eight years out of it.

I know it's a gamble with a high-mileage truck, but they are very expensive here.

 

[Thermo1223]

Here - pages 3 and 4:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2012/MC-10068549-0335.pdf

Next time warn us if you are going to post something scary and horrific. I had my headphones on & the lights off!

 

[JHZR2]

I’d probably consider one of the 50-60k-ish engines in the list… at $3900 roughly, plus tax, transport, install, it’s still a lot for an old high mileage truck. But better than the long block.

 

[OVERKILL]

How does the IT guy get involved with engine work on company trucks?

My best friend does some of the work on our fleet trucks, and the guys know I'm a car nut, so...

 

[The Critic]

So, we are currently debating whether to put a long block in it.

Most of the fleets that I work with usually have newer units, many of the larger ones do long-term leases with Enterprise or just use a national fleet company.

Babysitting old vehicles is something for individuals, not businesses. Our company uses a national fleet company and they retire stuff at 100K.

 

[Number_35]

Most of the fleets that I work with usually have newer units, many of the larger ones do long-term leases with Enterprise or just use a national fleet company.

Babysitting old vehicles is something for individuals, not businesses. Our company uses a national fleet company and they retire stuff at 100K.

Yup, vehicle unreliability is one thing the company I worked for couldn't tolerate. Charge-out rate for engineering/design staff was > $100/hour. Imagine the cost of the truck breaking down with four people in it, and the clock running.

Now imagine you have a team of eight construction workers held up because the engineering truck won't start.

 

[hemioiler]

I've often thought about this, too. It seems like we reached the pinnacle of the reliability we can design and between all the lifter failures across makes plus the inherent issues of GDI I feel like we're going backwards.

Also -- at the risk of a TOTAL derail -- if you believe stories like Bob Lazar of us actually having alien technology but having NO idea how to operate it......you can see we're incredibly primitive in our "technology. " We can't even build a lifter that won't fail ---- we won't be figuring out alien power cells or intergalactic travel anytime soon.

I'm not trying to start an alien debate, just saying we're not as smart as we think we are.

The issue isn't "can't" or "don't know how", the issue is the oldest one in the book: money.

 

[wtd]

Did anyone try using clear flood mode to listen to the engine as it turned over to see if it sounded even or uneven as it cranked? What about a relative compression test? This could give some indication about compression causing the misfire.