I originally posted this in the Question and Answer section, but did not receive any responses.. So figured I would try and post it here..

My 2006 Ram 2500 Hemi daily driver/work truck/tow vehicle has a collapsed lifter.. Do you need to pull the head to to remove the lifters?? and does anyone know the approx shop time for this R&R ??

Thanks

I don't know what the shop time is, but yes...unfortunately the heads do have to come off to remove the lifters.

A top end job looks like a royal pain, but is actually not horribly bad to do on those trucks. I've done a couple, my approach is...Pull the radiator and fan off, unbolt the top of the core support, and that gives a pretty comfortable place to sit/stand for most of the work. There's no need to be hanging over a fender the whole time.


I probably wouldn't just do lifters without slipping in a little better cam and a set of valve springs at the same time, but that's just me...I can't leave anything alone unless it's under warranty.

Thanks Zippy.. I never thought about pulling the radiator for work space.. That actually makes sense!!

Now that I know the heads need to come off, I will look into a new cam, port work and other hi-po stuff.. However being an 8000 lbs vehicle with crappy crappy gas mileage.. My goal will be low end torque (for pulling the trailer) and increased mpg..

Does anyone have suggestions on mods or which cam to use??

Don the job pays 8.2 hours so go from there. I am going to assume you have the Hemi tick? Pretty common really if the truck has the MDS system(cylinder killing)it seems to be even more of an issue. Are there any codes present on the truck? What have you done to diagnose the issue? I am assuming you are hearing a ticking noise on cold start up?

FWIW here is the quick down and dirty procedure.

Removal
1. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery.
2. Remove the air cleaner.
3. Remove intake manifold.
4. Remove cylinder head cover.
5. Remove rocker arm assembly and push rods. Identify push rods to ensure installation in original location.
6. Remove the cylinder head.
7. Remove bolt from tappet retainer (1).
8. Remove tappet retainer (1).
9. Pull tappet out of bore with a twisting motion. If all tappets are to be removed and reused, identify tappets to ensure installation in original location.
10. Check camshaft lobes for abnormal wear

Installation
1. Lubricate tappets. CAUTION: 5.7L engines equipped with MDS uses both standard roller tappets and deactivating roller tappets, for use with the Multi Displacement System. The deactivating roller tappets must be used in cylinders 1,4,6,7. The deactivating tappets can be identified by the two holes in the side of the tappet body, for the latching pins.
2. Install tappets in their original positions.
3. Install tappet retainer (1). Install the tappet retainer bolt and tighten to 12 Nm (106 inch lbs.) torque.
4. Install cylinder head.
5. Install pushrods and rocker arm assembly.
6. Install cylinder head cover.
7. Install intake manifold.
8. Install the air cleaner.
9. Connect the negative cable to the battery. CAUTION: To prevent damage to valve mechanism, engine must not be run above fast idle until all hydraulic tappets have filled with oil and have become quiet.
10. Road test vehicle and check for leaks.

If you do a cam swap, don't go too crazy. The 6.1 cam seems to be a common swap, anything larger will require some kind of tuner to compensate. Also with the tuners, MDS can be turned off permanently and I believe people are using non MDS lifters in all 16 holes. FWIW the Diablosport Predator tuner has the most and best functions. I would shoot on over to the forums at http://hemitruckclub.com/ Thats probably one of the best tech places for these trucks.

Al, Thanks for the info.. it will be useful when I get the time to tear into the problem..

No, the motor is not MDS...

IMO, this is worse than just the hemi tick and it has all the symptoms of a collapsed lifter.. meaning its a loud rapid tick until the oil pressure comes up, then it goes away.. At first, it was only noticeable after the truck sat over night, now it is present after letting the truck sit for an hour or so...

It looks like I have a weekend of wrenching to do.. soon!!

For a truck application I really like P5153325AB.

It's smaller than a 6.1 cam but larger than a stock 5.7 cam, and it doesn't drop any off idle torque like 6.1 cams are prone to in 5.7s (granted that's easy to fix with gears, more converter, etc)

It's also only $211.00 retail, and is readily available...Chrysler has 11 of them in stock so any dealer should not have a problem getting it.

Jeepmon, I'll look into your issue and get back with you today...If you don't hear from me in a few hrs. send me a PM. I'm not certain you've correctly diagnosed your problem. I am flying solo thru the weekend at work (alone in a 2 man lab) so, be patient.

I'm waiting on some return calls now. But I need to know some pertinent info.

Oil/filter type have you always used this same brand?
Are you the orig. owner?
How many miles?
Are they original miles?...LOL I kid. I joke, sorry.
I sent you a PM, I don't get on here too often after hours. So at a minimum I'll have some answers for you tomorrow.

In my first post here I was leaning toward another source of the noise but, I now believe your diagnosis is correct. OK...reguardless of my Q's. You may have some debris that may/should work its way from the lifter hydraulics. Because it is a lifter(?) and the noise goes away I would reconsider going into the engine for that reason only. It is not detramental to integrity. Always use OEM recommended oil and filters at recommended intervals. The external spring dampers raise temps (localized) high enough to cause thermal breakdown.

Any good updates? Did you try the trans. fluid? One other thing I would add is you may benefit from a free flowing exhaust, if you know what I'm saying. Paired with a suitable calibration of course and then if you tailored the cal. to 93 octane...These changes would show the best gains (especially for the money) and you would not have to go into the engine. I'd reference some other forums for better recommendations/resources calibration-wise.