Lifter failure - best path forward?

[CastI-Iron]

I just bought a 2019 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 hemi in it about 6 months ago. It is primary used for vacations towing our travel trailer - upgraded from a F150 ecoboost and I'd never go back. I've loved the stability and power of this truck.
Long story short, bought it with 114k miles on it but very low idle hours (Was at 460 or so when I bought it) but there isn't much of a history on it other than that.

It now has 470 idle hours, 2886 drive hours, and total mileage of 122000 - averages out to be about 42 mph. I was assuming it was mainly driven on the freeway.

Coming home from a trip after towing our travel trailer for several hours, right off the freeway I could hear the ticking in the cab. Changed the oil (was at about 4600 miles since I last changed it), and the oil filter is full of glitter. I've been using 0w40 PUP. After the oil change, took it around the block and now I'm getting misfires on cyl 3 and have a pending code (P0303). Luckily I caught it in time so the oil control valve screen is fairly clean when I inspected it.

The local dealership said it could be 5-6k to replace the lifters and cam. A local shop said it would be $6800. A third local shop said they don't do quotes like this over the phone because they don't know what else is going on in there, but last one they did was 9k+

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with opening the engine myself because of everything that is involved with it - along with having to do this out in the elements. However I think I'd be willing to swap the entire engine assembly with a lower mile one. I can get a low mileage wrecked engine for about 6k. I'd specifically look for engines less than 30k miles. Obviously I'd want to be sure to look at how the truck was totaled.

What direction would you take? I could take on doing the lifters and cam myself, maybe delete the MDS system and put a 'grizzly' tow cam in it, but maybe it would better to start again with a low mileage engine and a high flow oil pump. Doing the lifters/cam myself would be the cheapest option, but I worry about what else I'd find when doing that job and having the truck sit in the elements while I carve out time to finish it. I don't know how many hours each job's 'flat rate' is either.

 

[Mopar73340]

If the oil filter is full of glitter then anything short of a total rebuild or a different engine is a crap shoot because you don't know what the bearings, cylinder walls etc look like. Even a different "low mileage" engine is a crapshoot. Just changing the cam/lifters is not going to fix other potential problems.

 

[Dave01]

If a low mileage engine out of a wreck is around 6k, does anyone know what a new crate engine costs? Or are they even available? Just wondering.

 

[whitexc]

Sorry to hear about this. Keep us posted.


Sent from me

 

[dieselscout80]

https://www.allmoparparts.com/cat/2020-ram-2500-mopar-engines-and-transmissions.html

 

[Rowdy Dalton]

I would cut to the chase and buy a new Long Block.

 

[CastI-Iron]

Thanks for the condolences and feedback. Sounds like a long block may be the best route. The nice thing about getting a low mileage wrecked engine is they are typically compete - all pulleys, oil pan, coil packs, headers, etc... stuff I wouldn't have to worry about moving to a new block. I've never built a long block before, curious how many parts I could move over? I'd probably want a new oil cooler, spark plugs, and manifold gasket but maybe clean and move everything else over if I can (coils, manifolds, power steering pumps, harmonic balancer, etc..). I can find a SRT crate engine online for close to 9k but can't seem to find one for the ram.
I'm going to add a few pictures of the carnage.

 

[Dave01]

First, run away from that engine ... or COMPLETE rebuild. That's a lot of metal.

If you can buy a long block for the same price as the engine from the wreck, I'd go long block. Yes there will be more labor, but all parts and accessories should move over to the new block ok and I wouldn't feel like coolers had to be replaced. You end up with a 0 miles engine that way.

 

[dieselscout80]

It will take some cleaning of the oil system components: e.g., cooler, lines to and from cooler, the oil filter housing and any other line’s external to the block for me to have a warm fuzzy about metal particles.

If they are hard to clean it might be worth replacing them.

Coolers now do not have straight passages that are easy to clean like years ago. That said I would not fault someone for trying but is it worth the risk.

Only the person doing it can make that decision.

 

[Dave01]

It will take some cleaning of the oil system components: e.g., cooler, lines to and from cooler, the oil filter housing and any other line’s external to the block for me to have a warm fuzzy about metal particles.

If they are hard to clean it might be worth replacing them.

Coolers now do not have straight passages that are easy to clean like years ago. That said I would not fault someone for trying but is it worth the risk.

Only the person doing it can make that decision.

Really good point, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[CastI-Iron]

I ended up replacing the cam and lifters myself. While I was in there, I also sanded the exhaust manifolds flat using a piece of granite, added the Melling 10452HV high flow high pressure oil pump, frantz bypass oil filter, flushed coolant lines, etc.. quite the project but seems to be running OK now. I'll know how long it lasts later. I kept the OEM cam and lifters, so still has MDS.
Here is what the lifters and cam looked like, I'm not sure what would cause it to shatter like this, but I found all of the goodies at the bottom of the oil pan. I had to push the lifter through and fish it out with a magnet through the camshaft hole because it wouldn't come out the top due to how it was sitting.

 

[dieselscout80]

Congratulations!!

 

[Trash Panda]

I don’t understand why valvetrain failure is so common across the board these days.

Solid work! Did ya stick a bigger bump stick in there while you were at it?

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

He said he went back with OEM cam and lifters.

 

[Rowdy Dalton]

I ended up replacing the cam and lifters myself. While I was in there, I also sanded the exhaust manifolds flat using a piece of granite, added the Melling 10452HV high flow high pressure oil pump, frantz bypass oil filter, flushed coolant lines, etc.. quite the project but seems to be running OK now. I'll know how long it lasts later. I kept the OEM cam and lifters, so still has MDS.
Here is what the lifters and cam looked like, I'm not sure what would cause it to shatter like this, but I found all of the goodies at the bottom of the oil pan. I had to push the lifter through and fish it out with a magnet through the camshaft hole because it wouldn't come out the top due to how it was sitting.
View attachment 91572
View attachment 91573View attachment 91574View attachment 91575

This is one big roll of the dice. But, if it works, you've saved.a lot of money.
If I were you, I would drive it for 100-200 miles, change the oil and filter. Then drive 1000 miles, take a sample, and send it in for analysis. The oil analysis will be the most important thing. Or, just drive it like you've stolen it. Nothing to lose.