Engine replacement ideas for the 2007 Ram 1500

[Kern Dog]

My truck has the original engine, transmission and axle.
I've been through several sets of rotors, pads and tires though.

 

[MiradaMegaCab]

Perhaps run a ProCharger, the whistle at idle, polished high mount intercooler will draw some attention. The centrifugal supercharger won’t hit the 545RFE too hard and the slight delay in boost will provide you with “off the line” traction as opposed to a Roots blower.

The 545 trans will be ok as long as you’re not hitting OD (4th and/or 5th) gears under WOT.
Basically you can drive spirited from a dead stop through 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears.
Conversely avoid doing a WOT downshift as that will put you into “2nd prime” which will toast the clutches (I believe there’s only 2 clutches in that pack).
Moral of the story, avoid 2nd Prime while under boost.
Diablo might have eliminated or raised the 2nd Prime downshift speed parameter, Anyone care to chime in on trans tuning?

 

[Budnicks]

Hellaphant ?

HellCat 6.2ltr. crate ?

426cid 7ltr. crate engine ?

6.4 392cid SRT Hemi crate ?

a stock 5.7ltr Hemi crate ?

Or you add a centrifugal supercharger
or a roots blower like Dennis H did

OR rebuild what you have
& bump up the cam & heads, tune & exhaust
all the typical stuff, & still get it to pass smog
(but maybe easier & cheaper to buy a crate deal)

I/We don't have annual smog checks up here "yet"
so it's not a big worry (until I want to sell)
but mines also not a Hemi,
it a 99 Dodge Dakota 4x4 SLT, not a Ram
just a measly Magnum 318/5.2ltr, has 60k on it now
but is still compliant thou, it could pass if need be
visual & sniffer
most if not all the parts installed
come with a (Calif.) C.A.R.B. certification too
* it has 1.7:1 HS rockers (1.6:1 stock)
* a Hypertech tune
(I can go back to stock tune or bump it up for better fuel too)
* Flowmasters 3" cat back exhaust
(I have some bolt on, Chrome Edelbrock shorty headers for it too,
someday I may even install them, I used my Summit Bucks to buy them
before they expired)
* an AEM swirl spacer under the TB,
bigger 4" air-tube inlet & air-box kit, with a gauze cone type filter

It woke it up big time just them lil' changes
especially driving up here at elevation
on the flatlands like down there in the valley,
it was 'just OK' without all the added stuff...
It needed it up here...
I have slightly larger tires too 32"x11" vs 31"x10.5 factory
so far so good, some 50k+ on all them mods
it gets better mileage than OE too

Next for me is a gear change...
( 3.91:1 maybe 4.10:1 someday)
probably go to 33"x10" tires too, if I go to the 4.10:1's...
My only real gripe after the mods
(probably mostly is from bigger tires, but work great in the snow)
I don't like how it hunts for gears, between 3rd & OD, between 35-40
so I drive with OD off, until I'm on flatter areas,
or slower or faster than those speeds, where it's just fine...

Yours a gear change &/or converter too,
can make a huge difference also...

 

[Triplegreen500]

I was also gonna say procharger. Do it in stages - put the procharger on the existing motor. Have fun, see how long it lives. If you like it...buy or build another stock 5.7, keep the procharger on it...and enjoy. But if the original motor has served you so well for so long....why mess with success?

If you don't want to go blower...keep the existing engine, swap the gears, and see how you like that.

 

[Kern Dog]

A supercharger on this 360,000 engine would be like a 90 year old man smoking a bunch of meth!

 

[F4R/T]

Overhaul both in stock form, cheaper to keep her than replace her... Chrysler does offer reman engines and trans that I’ve had good luck with. Those trucks are easy to R&I the driveline from , just be sure to have an AC machine to drain the refrigerant . Plus it’s a bonus you won’t have to mess with that new refrigerant at 100$ per pound. You may also consider new ac compressor as it’s mounted low on lh corner and easy to deal with when apart . If the body/ frame is good fix it! Providing you still like to drive it. 5-10k is cheaper than a 60k truck and no payments! With this economy looking like a repeat of 08 I wouldn’t buy a new anything... IMO, good luck!

 

[moparedtn]

It’s true! The lifters are don’t get ENOUGH oil. If ya had a groove ground into the lifter body, like a banana groove on the rocker stands (bbm) the rollers would get enough oil and then the cam wouldn’t eat them.

Funny, there's tons of them running around out there with tons of miles on 'em (including mine)
that don't seem to know that.

 

[5.7 hemi]

It’s a fact that Gen 3 Hemi’s eat cams and lifters. I was asked to help a young Sailor fix his “ticking” problem. So I pulled the pass side head, pulled the lifters and found a ground down roller on #6. Misfire wouldn’t go away when I swapped coil packs and plugs with other cylinders. Bore scoped the cam, had a groove, so I told the young guy the cam needed to be replaced to as well. He cheaped out, after he drove it around the block, the “tick” was back. He traded off the truck for Ferd.

 

[F4R/T]

I’ll admit I’ve changed many cam and lifter sets. It’s usually high idle hour and lower maintenance vehicles. Trucks that were in fleet with little to no oil changes, run low on oil and excessive hours. Most failures for me were 7-10k hours (total). Blocks and heads were good on all but one . I wouldn’t stay away from one because of it GMs precious LS engines also have the issue! Ford just has the timing chain phaser/ tensioner failures. The timing chain will get sloppy enough to chew holes thru the rocker cover.. I’ve dealt with them fix em and move along. Hemis are very well built engines, I’ve operated one with the rocker covers off, observed plenty of oil moving around... It’s the roller that fails if it was lack of oil to the lifter , the lifter would be froze in the bore...IMO

 

[Kern Dog]

Sitting and idling didn’t get me 360,000 miles!
I’ve been to Arizona twice, the Oregon border once, Fort Bragg CA 25+ times, Southern CA 20 times, commuted to jobs 120 miles away 5 days a week and used it as an everyday driver since November 2007.
I think low oil pressure from idling won’t be a problem. The freeway driving at 1800-2200 rpms surely keep plenty of oil moving.

 

[Runcharger]

This one has 360,000 on it? I guess no one told it that it's supposed to have lifter issues.
I agree, the truck owes you nothing, Put another stock engine back in it and boost it for fun.

 

[moparedtn]

I’ll admit I’ve changed many cam and lifter sets. It’s usually high idle hour and lower maintenance vehicles. Trucks that were in fleet with little to no oil changes, run low on oil and excessive hours. Most failures for me were 7-10k hours (total). Blocks and heads were good on all but one . I wouldn’t stay away from one because of it GMs precious LS engines also have the issue! Ford just has the timing chain phaser/ tensioner failures. The timing chain will get sloppy enough to chew holes thru the rocker cover.. I’ve dealt with them fix em and move along. Hemis are very well built engines, I’ve operated one with the rocker covers off, observed plenty of oil moving around... It’s the roller that fails if it was lack of oil to the lifter , the lifter would be froze in the bore...IMO

Agreed. My own research into the situation indicates a less than 5% failure rate of all hemi's in the lifters -
and yes, some particular years were more susceptible (meaning, more of them with VVT, then lesser numbers of MDS units, then finally non-MDS the least) - and it has everything to do usually with maintenance and the type/brand of oil used.
They're making hemi's with twice the HP any of mine have based on the same basic architecture, for heavens sake...
and yes, GM has had tons of issues with their MDS engines for the exact same reasons.

What I HAVE learned from all this research is simple really:
Oil changes with any MDS engine (GM, Dodge, whoever) really should be gauged on operating hours, not miles -
and for heavens' sake, don't go by that silly thing on the car that "tells you when the oil needs changed".
If you do, you're going to be late...

I've had a total of (5) hemi vehicles here over the years - and of course, my Ram is 17 years old, bought new, lots of
miles on it. Our '12 Charger now has 80k miles on it as well (and of course, it IS an MDS engine).
Company rigs, personally owned rigs, doesn't matter to me - I am a stickler for regular oil changes on all of them,
BEFORE any reminders pop up on the dash, and they all get Mobil1 pure synthetic in the viscosity Dodge says to
use (Mopar filters or Wix filters, too).
Zero issues, ever.
Don't really care what anyone else says. My experience with them has been such and honestly, I've never had
anyone I know or worked with have an issue with one.
Good enough for me.

 

[F4R/T]

Ed you’re spot on! I tracked them when I worked for the fleet company... Hours are what matter miles is chassis wear. IMO

 

[67charger383]

A 6.1 out of a jeep SRT-8

 

[Kern Dog]

Buy a crate engine and start over. Clean swap and most come with a warranty. Just my opinion.

Here is one option:

https://www.powertrainproducts.net/Dodge-5-7-Engine-Hemi-2003-2007-W-EGR-p/1363.htm?msclkid=9264d454988c12121cdeb4a58f35dc8f&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SC - Shopping Desktop High Intent&utm_term=4577060749779364&utm_content=All Products

They are in Maryland.....across the country but the shipping is free. $660 for a core charge? Ooooof! I wanted to keep this one to use in a future project.

 

[F4R/T]

Not a horrible price, it just depends on the quality of the overhaul, and part quality.

 

[DeltaV]

A supercharger on this 360,000 engine would be like a 90 year old man smoking a bunch of meth!

Go with NOS then.

 

[Hey-O]

Here is one option:

https://www.powertrainproducts.net/Dodge-5-7-Engine-Hemi-2003-2007-W-EGR-p/1363.htm?msclkid=9264d454988c12121cdeb4a58f35dc8f&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SC - Shopping Desktop High Intent&utm_term=4577060749779364&utm_content=All Products

They are in Maryland.....across the country but the shipping is free. $660 for a core charge? Ooooof! I wanted to keep this one to use in a future project.

That's a fair price to me and a good way to go in my opinion.

 

[Kern Dog]

W

A rebuilt 5.7 with Eagle heads and a 6.1 intake will do wonders!!

Will that pass CA emission testing?

 

[5.7 hemi]

Yes

As long as you don’t use the 6.1 intake, dead giveaway.