So I decided to give in and get a newer truck than my 70's era rigs for my DD. Picked up an '08 Dakota QC for a great price. The shoe that I was looking to drop is starting to fall. It's developed the lifter clatter on one side when it's cold. Otherwise runs fine, with 143k miles. I've done all of the typical research, YouTube videos, Google, etc. It looks pretty easy to replace the lifters actually. But I was wondering if someone could tell me if there's another way to do this? The lifters get plugged up from not changing the oil properly, and it makes the rocker arms pop out from beneath the cam. So here's my question; has anyone ever successfully run some sort of engine flush, or other high detergent substance, through the engine, and it cleans up the lifters? And if I have to replace the lifters, how about the rocker arms? Is it like most engines that require the new rocker, so that the lifter rotates in its bore propperly?

Thanks everyone!

Bought a 110k 03 durango sludger 4 years ago with 3 rockers/followers off! I raised the lifters up with about '025" via washers, before putting those 3 rockers back in place. May have helped, I don't know. Did run a quart of marvel mys oil through it, and ran it an hour on that stuff. Then I changed the oil and filt about 3 times in the next couple of weeks, and all is well still with now over 160k miles. I've changed the oil every 3 to 4 k miles since then. Never hear a peep out of valve train. That was a 16 valve engine, yours a 32?

The lifter is not really a lifter, it is a lash adjuster that just holds up one end of the rocker while the valve holds the other end and the cam pushes down on the middle of the rocker, this adjuster has no way of rotating but it is round so it may rotate just from vibrations or something. On my truck I am driving right now I have tried every kind of snake oil imaginable (since it is my truck I feel free to experiment)and they will not be quiet. I replaced an entire set for a customer one time when they started falling out on a routine basis and it still clattered, took longer but they still would fall out ocasionally. I have thought about welding a tab on the upper end of the rocker so it just don't fall off when it bleeds down, seems someone would have come up with a rocker already made that way but I don't know of any. I have seen when they fall out get jammed under the cam, bend valves, crack pistons, break rocker stands... if it is a keeper engine then you need to adress it, I have a 5.7 hemi to put in mine (supposed to be an easy swap) so I am not too worried about it. BTW my engine has no sludge in it at all and only 130,000 miles. Seems if you drive it every day they don't bleed down enough to fall out, just clatter, usually when someone comes in with a bad one they always say it sat for a week then it was running like crap when they started it. There are no 32 valve 4.7s they are all 16 valve, in later years they went to dual spark plugs.

Thanks for that info Dave! Yes, the truck is a keeper in my book. So what do you recommend to "address it"? Aside from the 5.7 Hemi swap, that is. Although that is an interesting idea.

Seems if a guy was to add a tab to the upper end of the rocker it could keep it from falling off if (I really mean when) the lifter bleeds down. I don't really have any ideas for the timing chain tensioners we see failing, perhaps a stiff spring could be added inside the tensioner so it is not relying on oil pressure to keep it tight. The other big issue I see a lot is head gaskets and cracked heads, I got no ideas there asside from really good machining of the head and block surface, MLS head gaskets and DON"T LET IT OVERHEAT for ANY TIME AT ALL! Seems chrysler has forgot how to build an engine to take a little overheating.

Hmmm... Things to ponder. Thanks for your insight Dave! One last thought; what about oil pressure or volume? I wonder if the pump is just worn enough to be a part of the issue? I'm going to get a mechanical oil pressure gauge on it asap and start monitoring it. It seems to me that if the timing chain tensioner and these "lifters" are oil pressure dependent, that upping the pressure, or maybe volume, might help? And as far as the overheating issue, I'll just keep a closer eye on the cooling system. I'm not doing, nor plan to do any heavy use with it, but I will keep it in mind now.

I got this truck with the intent to not have to work on it much and not be having to modify it to get what I wanted from it, like I usually do with my older rigs. That my not be the case. I think that I'm going to start changing the filter once the oil starts showing discoloration, and see what happens. I might be able to gain on it that way. But if I have to, I guess I'll dig into it. The Hemi swap sounds great, but I think I want to leave it alone. If it becomes a problem child, trading in or selling a stock truck is far easier than one with a swapped motor in it. Besides, I'd rather do that in a 2wd, and mine is 4wd. Less crap to beef up.

I don't think it is a pressure or volume issue as those things all bleed down after shutting it off, not while running.