Does the Hemi have issues? ie “tick”

[JF19Longhorn]

I “may” have used the wrong title. Sorry bout that. I am not look to race my truck or anything related to it. I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up. I’d also like the ability to load up the bed with a load of dirt (landscaping my backyard) and not worry about the payload (so not really power question).

the potential for the “tick” and other issues is concerning, but the turbos on the Ford EB also needs some research.

thanks for all the input everyone. Gonna go change that title if I can...

Payload might be a problem on either of them. I believe the F150 has a 'slightly' higher payload trim for trim... but in a F150 Limited or the like from RAM the payload is going to be pretty low. I don't recall my F150 Limited's payload, but my RAM Longhorn is only 1277lbs.. and I do not have some of the heavier options like sunroof, Multi function tailgate, and air ride.

 

[ClancyO]

First car was a 68 mustang. Many fords since. And yet here I am, in a Ram.

 

[SCasey89]

I’d also like the ability to load up the bed with a load of dirt (landscaping my backyard) and not worry about the payload (so not really power question).

If you end up with the Ram, I’d be sure to get the air suspension. It’ll adjust to level the truck to compensate for the weight in the bed. Not saying you should be pushing the truck to its limit as far as payload...just mentioning the auto-adjusting is a nice feature of the air suspension.

Back to the Hemi discussion...

 

[SCasey89]

The Hemi has plenty of get up and go for changing lanes, passing, merging onto a highway, etc. So I would not have any worries about that.

The Hemi does have the cylinder deactivation (MDS) which is seamless with no hesitation when transitioning to all cylinders. MDS first debuted in 2006, and I had it on my 2008...I remember there definitely being a hesitation In the transition from 4 to 8 cylinders. Something you had to keep in mind when wanting to pass a vehicle. But that hesitation is nowhere to be found on the new trucks.

 

[Reverse]

I'll just comment on the 'tick'. The Hemi developing (or having) the 'tick' isn't a problem, the engine will keep going and going.

It's when the tick gets louder, like on our 2014 1500 Big Horn (which we still own) that you may have a problem. If you have an engine with a loud tick (which is relatively rare) then it means that one or more lifter rollers have seized and are eating their way into the camshaft. Fortunately we had the extended warranty, otherwise it would have cost us around $5000 to get that repaired.

We still drive that Big Horn daily (repair at was 130,000 miles, now it's at 175,000), and recently bought a Limited to replace our 2014 1500 Express Regular Cab that had over 110,000 miles on it. We also used to own a Challenger that we put over 110,000 miles on. All Hemis all the time

Moral of the story (for our family, since we put a lot of miles on our vehicles): get an extended warranty for peace of mind, then enjoy your truck.

 

[njt07]

Thanks everyone!

 

[jdmartin]

lol hey, its a $70k plus vehicle (which is a lot for me). Its also my first truck so I’m just covering my bases. appreciate the info.

No problem man, I get where you are coming from. I bought a first new truck before 30 years ago and I remember how it felt .

At the end of the day, pretty much everyone makes a really nice truck. I wouldn't turn away anything that's new today in the full size segment for sure. The differences really come down to personal preference and dollars. I thought, and still think, the Ram is the best full size for the money when everything is considered. I paid just under $37k for a well loaded Bighorn crew cab 4wd, and with the tax write-off it will end up costing me about $27k ultimately. That's a hell of a truck for $27k.

 

[mikeru82]

I’d also like the ability to load up the bed with a load of dirt (landscaping my backyard) and not worry about the payload (so not really power question).

If this is your first truck you should pay close attention to how much dirt you load into your truck. You can't just load it up until the bed is full. I found that out the hard way with my first truck. I was young and dumb, and just bought an old 1970 GMC 2wd half ton, 8 foot bed. I needed to move some dirt so I just shoveled into it until the bed was full. Drove home about 4 miles with the bed on the bump stops and I swear the front wheels were barely touching the ground. Kind of hard to steer that way. I probably had about 2 tons of dirt in the bed LOL. It's a good thing the dirt was mostly dry. I was lucky to have made it home.

 

[Drewster]

I “may” have used the wrong title. Sorry bout that. I am not look to race my truck or anything related to it. I would however, like to have the ability to pass on a 2 lane road without a significant pucker factor, particularly if the JA in front starts to speed up. I’d also like the ability to load up the bed with a load of dirt (landscaping my backyard) and not worry about the payload (so not really power question).

the potential for the “tick” and other issues is concerning, but the turbos on the Ford EB also needs some research.

thanks for all the input everyone. Gonna go change that title if I can...

The Hemi has no issues passing.

On my 2004 with the first generation of the new Hemi (that ran great at 140k until I traded it in for my 2020 Limited) I used it to move decomposed granite for a make-shift driveway, move a demolished kitchen for a buddy, the list goes on - no problem. It would tick a bit when it needed an oil change, but that's about it. When I was getting the granite, the first guy at the counter said "we recommend half a yard for half ton trucks" so that's what I did. When I came back the second or third time, the other guy leaned over and said "hey, you might technically be over, but those can definitely handle a full yard or more" and he was right - you could tell the load was there, but the truck handled it just fine.. and that was a 16 year old truck where people told me "oh the valvesprings will fail, the lifters fail, the whole thing is trash"..... handled like a champ. The new ones are the same thing but refined over two generations [edit - and now with a bulletproof ZF transmission].

People are concerned about turbos because they're "fancy", but cam phasers are apparently the common repair that will set you back on the ecoboost. Just search for "ecoboost cam phaser" and you'll have plenty of interesting drama.

Ford's benefit is the all aluminum construction. Because the whole body weighs thousands less, it means they can carry that thousand pounds in payload. By the numbers, Ram is at about 1800lb while a 3.5 EB is about 3,200lb.

To me the biggest downside of the F150 is the ride and interior. Ford hasn't really changed the suspension in decades, so they still ride like a truck (especially with the towing package). A Ram with air suspension feels like a cloud in comparison. Similar on interior, Ford is in need of an update while Ram really kicked it up a notch.

In other words, if you're going to use your truck as a work truck day in and day out and need maximum capacity, the F150 might be your best bet. If you want a super comfortable truck that actually feels like it's worth 60k, has a big piece of iron that's been refined for the last 16 years - and can still haul whatever you need on the weekends - the Ram is a great choice.

You should really just drive both back to back and see what works for you. I was on the fence, but the Ram won me over with how comfortable it was- even though I tow a car trailer, mulch, whatever every now and then, I'm driving it unloaded every work day, so being comfortable and reliable takes priority over the raw numbers.

 

[Fatherof3]

This is my 3rd Ram with a Hemi and I have yet to hear a tick ( knock on wood ). lol

 

[ColoradoCub]

Ford's benefit is the all aluminum construction. Because the whole body weighs thousands less, it means they can carry that thousand pounds in payload. By the numbers, Ram is at about 1800lb while a 3.5 EB is about 3,200lb.

I wouldn’t get too excited about the listed payload on the F150, I had a 3.5 Eco with max tow and the suspension was pretty damn weak. I had to add airbags to the rear suspension to tow a boat that weighed about 4500 lbs because it squatted so much. I don’t buy those payload ratings for 1 second.

 

[njt07]

The Hemi has no issues passing.

On my 2004 with the first generation of the new Hemi (that ran great at 140k until I traded it in for my 2020 Limited) I used it to move decomposed granite for a make-shift driveway, move a demolished kitchen for a buddy, the list goes on - no problem. It would tick a bit when it needed an oil change, but that's about it. When I was getting the granite, the first guy at the counter said "we recommend half a yard for half ton trucks" so that's what I did. When I came back the second or third time, the other guy leaned over and said "hey, you might technically be over, but those can definitely handle a full yard or more" and he was right - you could tell the load was there, but the truck handled it just fine.. and that was a 16 year old truck where people told me "oh the valvesprings will fail, the lifters fail, the whole thing is trash"..... handled like a champ. The new ones are the same thing but refined over two generations.

People are concerned about turbos because they're "fancy", but cam phasers are apparently the common repair that will set you back on the ecoboost. Just search for "ecoboost cam phaser" and you'll have plenty of interesting drama.

Ford's benefit is the all aluminum construction. Because the whole body weighs thousands less, it means they can carry that thousand pounds in payload. By the numbers, Ram is at about 1800lb while a 3.5 EB is about 3,200lb.

To me the biggest downside of the F150 is the ride and interior. Ford hasn't really changed the suspension in decades, so they still ride like a truck (especially with the towing package). A Ram with air suspension feels like a cloud in comparison. Similar on interior, Ford is in need of an update while Ram really kicked it up a notch.

In other words, if you're going to use your truck as a work truck day in and day out and need maximum capacity, the F150 might be your best bet. If you want a super comfortable truck that actually feels like it's worth 60k, and has a big piece of iron that's been refined for the last 16 years - and can still haul whatever you need on the weekends - the Ram is a great choice.

You should really just drive both back to back and see what works for you. I was on the fence, but the Ram won me over with how comfortable it was- even though I tow a car trailer, mulch, whatever every now and then, I'm driving it unloaded every work day, so being comfortable and reliable takes priority over the raw numbers.

Thanks! Great input. Once i get closer to the actual purchase date then ill be test driving everything. Im slowly building up a list of things to check and test drive as I read through the forums.

 

[Drewster]

Thanks! Great input. Once i get closer to the actual purchase date then ill be test driving everything. Im slowly building up a list of things to check and test drive as I read through the forums.

No problem! On that note, I should add that the biggest pain I had in searching for my truck (once I settled on Ram) was actually finding one with the 3.92 rear axle. The vast majority of Rams I saw had 3.21 gears, which gives you a towing capacity of ~8400 lb - a decent amount, but not for the 10k GVWR trailer I planned to tow, so I needed the 3.92 for the 11,500lb towing capacity.

If you look at the window sticker of a truck with the 3.92, it'll show "3.21 differential" as standard equipment, but way over in the options it'll show the 3.92 differential. Different websites may only show "3.21" because they're looking at standard equipment, even though it actually has a 3.92. I found going here and using the "search new inventory" was the most helpful in finding which truck was configured for that towing capacity.

 

[silver billet]

No problem! On that note, I should add that the biggest pain I had in searching for my truck (once I settled on Ram) was actually finding one with the 3.92 rear axle. The vast majority of Rams I saw had 3.21 gears, which gives you a towing capacity of ~8400 lb - a decent amount, but not for the 10k GVWR trailer I planned to tow, so I needed the 3.92 for the 11,500lb towing capacity.

If you look at the window sticker of a truck with the 3.92, it'll show "3.21 differential" as standard equipment, but way over in the options it'll show the 3.92 differential. Different websites may only show "3.21" because they're looking at standard equipment, even though it actually has a 3.92. I found going here and using the "search new inventory" was the most helpful in finding which truck was configured for that towing capacity.

Unless you bought a tradesman or basic big horn... hate to brake it to you but you are limited by payload, not towing. 10k tailer at 15% = 1500 pounds of payload. That's right on the max of most Ram 1500's, and doesn't yet include the weight of you, your family, pets, cargo etc.

The vast majority of 1500's cannot tow more than 8000 pounds, regardless of gear ratio or engine. They make 2500's for just that reason.

 

[Drewster]

Unless you bought a tradesman or basic big horn... hate to brake it to you but you are limited by payload, not towing. 10k tailer at 15% = 1500 pounds of payload. That's right on the max of most Ram 1500's, and doesn't yet include the weight of you, your family, pets, cargo etc.

The vast majority of 1500's cannot tow more than 8000 pounds, regardless of gear ratio or engine. They make 2500's for just that reason.

1,720 lbs of payload to be exact - how about this, you worry about you, I worry about me? That's the trailer's weight rating, and thus what I want the truck to be capable of. As long as my 11,400 lb capacity truck can do what my 2004 could do with 8,800lb capacity (which it can), it'll be just fine.

If I want the opinion of internet warriors, I'll ask

 

[sws2ndRAM]

My '05 Hemi "ticked" from the first time I drove it, with 11K miles, until that sad last day when we said goodbye. And hello to a '20 Laramie, Hemi eTorque. I had all kinds of truck 'experts' tell me that the '05 was doomed (valves, lifters, crank, etc.). I put 150K hard miles on it, kept the oil clean, and it performed great. The '20 so far makes a few noise when it starts up and shuts down, but no real ticking. As for power - I haven't put the eTorque through its paces yet, but so far, hauling 3 people and lots of gear, it's been powerful and a great ride. Lots of great trucks out there - find the one that meets your requirements. Ignore the "experts". They're usually full of themselves. And maybe other stuff.

 

[silver billet]

1,720 lbs of payload to be exact - how about this, you worry about you, I worry about me? That's the trailer's weight rating, and thus what I want the truck to be capable of. As long as my 11,400 lb capacity truck can do what my 2004 could do with 8,800lb capacity (which it can), it'll be just fine.

If I want the opinion of internet warriors, I'll ask

Right. So you attach your trailer and hop in and you're already at max payload. You don't actually have a 11,400 capacity truck.

Society has a right to inform and protect others from actions that are careless and dangerous. Not just you, but the innocent people you might trample over as you lose control over your stuff. Most others on these forums actually appreciate being corrected when they didn't know or understand the importance of payload. Finally, people telling you you're over payload and can't actually tow your trailer, is no different than a nearly drunk driver being told to hang up their keys.

 

[Drewster]

Right. So you attach your trailer and hop in and you're already at max payload. You don't actually have a 11,400 capacity truck.

Society has a right to inform and protect others from actions that are careless and dangerous. Not just you, but the innocent people you might trample over as you lose control over your stuff. Most others on these forums actually appreciate being corrected when they didn't know or understand the importance of payload. Finally, people telling you you're over payload and can't actually tow your trailer, is no different than a nearly drunk driver being told to hang up their keys.

No bud, the trailer has a 10k *capacity* - unloaded it weighs 6,000 lb. Based on your SWAG of 15% tongue weight, that's 900lb, leaving me 820 pounds for myself, dogs, wife, snacks. Plenty. Load it up with a 1,000 pound ATV? 720 pounds - still plenty. Maybe I want to fill the tanks with fresh water? You guessed it, still fine.

You may not want to hear this.. but even *if* you go 200 lb over on payload capacity, it's not like the truck flashes red lights, calls the internet police, voids your warranty and suddenly stops towing.. it just does the same job with a little more struggle. Towing 8,000 rather than 7,000 pounds with a wacky weight distribution might put me 10lbs over on payload... does the truck suddenly become unsafe like a light-switch? No. If I'm pulling something and it feels unsafe, I pull over and fix it. Everyone is going to be okay regardless of how noisy you are on the internet

Lastly, it's not the same as a drunk driver. It's more like rambling to someone in the Home Depot checkout line that they should really check their breaker capacity before they install that new widget. Do you know the full extent of what they're doing? Absolutely not. Is there a good chance they've already done proper prep work and everything will be just fine? Yup. This is simply your own need to prove a point spilling out and throwing a thread off topic. You want to stop dangerous towing situations? Flag down the folks towing a train of SUVs with a Corolla down toward the border.

With that - back on topic! Rams are great trucks, and they'll likely do what normal truck stuff you want for years. If payload capacity numbers are more important to you than comfort, drivability, and durability, you probably should go get an F150 or a diesel.

 

[silver billet]

No bud, the trailer has a 10k *capacity* - unloaded it weighs 6,000 lb. Based on your SWAG of 15% tongue weight, that's 900lb, leaving me 820 pounds for myself, dogs, wife, snacks. Plenty. Load it up with a 1,000 pound ATV? 720 pounds - still plenty. Maybe I want to fill the tanks with fresh water? You guessed it, still fine.

You may not want to hear this.. but even *if* you go 200 lb over on payload capacity, it's not like the truck flashes red lights, calls the internet police, voids your warranty and suddenly stops towing.. it just does the same job with a little more struggle. Towing 8,000 rather than 7,000 pounds with a wacky weight distribution might put me 10lbs over on payload... does the truck suddenly become unsafe like a light-switch? No. If I'm pulling something and it feels unsafe, I pull over and fix it. Everyone is going to be okay regardless of how noisy you are on the internet

Lastly, it's not the same as a drunk driver. It's more like rambling to someone in the Home Depot checkout line that they should really check their breaker capacity before they install that new widget. Do you know the full extent of what they're doing? Absolutely not. Is there a good chance they've already done proper prep work and everything will be just fine? Yup. This is simply your own need to prove a point spilling out and throwing a thread off topic. You want to stop dangerous towing situations? Flag down the folks towing a train of SUVs with a Corolla down toward the border.

With that - back on topic! Rams are great trucks, and they'll likely do what normal truck stuff you want for years. If payload capacity numbers are more important to you than comfort, drivability, and durability, you probably should go get an F150 or a diesel.

You always work from GVWR, not dry weight. Your home depot example is silly. Of course I know what you're doing. Unless you simply want to park your truck next to your trailer to take pictures, you're more than likely driving down the road at or above max payload. Having had the experience of driving my trailer (7500 GVWR) in my truck (1750 pounds payload) in pretty bad conditions on labor day weekend (a bunch of us RV'ers and semis were forced to reduce speed to 60 to 75 in a 100 km/h zone getting blown all over the road), there is no way that driving 10,500 pounds is anywhere near safe.

Your entire comment is nonsense, by the way. Pointing at a dangerous Corolla driver doesn't suddenly mean you're off the hook - I'm pretty sure my 5 year old nephew still trys that logic once in a while.

And no, if payload is more important to you, the last thing you do is get a diesel. That will cut your payload even worse. There is nothing wrong with seeking out other features in a truck like comfort and tech, but at the end of the day if the truck can't do what you want it to do, it's the wrong truck. Yes, safety is first.

But you do you, you guys never learn and I won't bang my head against the wall if you insist on wanting to know better. I'm just posting this to correct your misinformation for the benefit of other forum members who might happen to wander by.

 

[Dusty1948]

It appears to me that the so-called "Hemi tick" is being experienced mostly by people that don't and have never owned one.

I've owned three 5.7 Hemis and have never experienced a tick until an exhaust manifold bolt broke. Yet the web is full of Ram haters who can only talk about the "Hemi tick" as if it's an ingrained feature that they claim represents a major flaw in the engine. Yet I hear Chevies and Fords on the road with an obvious exhaust leak all of the time. With the exception of one or two, maybe, just about every F-series owner I've ever known had one with an exhaust leak.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 040040 miles.