I was driving my 2013 Ram 1500 (5.7) on a two-hour road trip, and for the first
hour and 15 minutes, everything was fine. No weird engine noises, no
shaking, no display issues, nothing. I was approaching a red light, and I had
my cruise control on but not set, and as soon as I started braking, the cruise
control turned itself off and wouldn’t turn back on. I stopped at a red light,
and my truck was still running, not making any odd noises or anything. Once
the light turned green, I tried to accelerate and nothing happened. I tried a
couple more times, still nothing. I turned the truck off in an attempt to restart
it, and it wouldn’t turn back on. The engine wasn’t turning over when I tried
to crank it, all you could hear was a whining/clicking noise. It hasn’t run
since, and the mechanic says it’s a cylinder issue, but I’m not so sure. Need
opinions on this! The truck has 116k miles on it and has never had any
kind of mechanical trouble before and has been serviced regularly.
My first thought, from your description, is the engine seizing up. Have you checked the oil level?
I hope I’m wrong and it’s something cheap and simple.
It had actually just had an oil change two weeks prior. I didn’t even think about that, maybe they didn’t fill it enough when it was changed?
Did he say why he suspects this? Can they get it to crank?
Without any warning lights I would be more inclined to suspect an electrical issue.
@Purebred no, he didn’t give any kind of explanation. I’m pretty sure they can’t get it to crank because they had to take the engine apart before they could tell me that much. And that’s what I was thinking too, I’ve had one person say it might be a sensor but the mechanic wouldn’t tell me if they’ve checked the sensors or not.
If the had to disassemble the engine that is bad news. Amazing it failed as you described. I wish you luck.
@Purebred thank you!
For someone here to make a judgement on this you would need to show us the cylinder, someone must have a camera?
Shoot. I have AAA premium and 200 mi tow. No way I would let a shop 2 hrs from home hold you hostage. Is shop saying $$$ repair? I would have it towed home before I went with repair. How much is 2hr tow?
@Cavell it is actually at a local shop! I paid to have it towed back local so it wouldn’t be too far away! However, they are trying to charge me between 6-9k to repair it!! That’s why I made this post - to see if anyone had any other ideas for what it might be so I could take it somewhere else if needed!
Ok, you need exact issue for motor replacement. Obviously. What is broke.
Did they check oil level?
I don’t even think they know. They just said “something with the 2nd cylinder” and that’s all they’d say about it. I’m not sure yet what all they’ve done, they’ve been incredibly vague about it all, I don’t even know if they’ve checked the sensors, which is the first thing I asked them to do.
A website can say many things. Do this, do that
Will motor crank? No? Why not
Can yo turn over motor with breaker bar?
Motor stalled. No crank.
Vs motor stalled and cranks a lot.
2 different avenues to go
Shop won’t tell you what’s wrong? But will install new motor? Ha
Seems like they are planning to replace the engine. You need to ask the repair shop what failed and what the repair consists of, you won’t find that information on the internet.
Go to the shop and get a written estimate, the information should be on the estimate. This will also give you the opportunity to see the damage for yourself.
If a malfunctioning sensor caused damage to one of the cylinders it is too late to just replace the sensor.
@Nevada_545 Ok thank you! I know I won’t find a definite answer or detailed info about the problem on the internet, I was just looking for other opinions on if the cylinder issue sounds sensible considering what happened and to see if anyone else has had something similar happen!
[quote=“ab310, post:15, topic:174412”]
to see if anyone else has had something similar happen!
[/quote
The chance that anyone else had this issue or if they did will see this thread is almost zero . Without seeing the shop estimate listing what was wrong and what they want to do a reasonable reply is impossible . If you can’t get solid answers from the shop then have it taken some where else.
Is such a thing even possible on a NA gasoline engine? I don’t think so. On a turbocharged engine, sure, a bad tune or faulty sensor readings could cause mechanical damage.
Cyl issue could be a broken valve spring. Common on hemi motors. No crank? Could be another issue.
I am not a mechanic but my gut is telling me you’re on the right track.
$6-9k, especially the upper end, is a lot of money to sink into a seven+ year old truck with 116k. Even if you replace the engine, everything else will still have 116k on it. I’d be thinking very hard about my options. It’s not my money but I’d be thinking about a used engine and trading it in ASAP.
I gave you “thumbs up”, but I disagree that it is necessary to “trad[e] it in ASAP” if you decide to have a working used engine installed. This is a recent model truck, and there will be plenty of junkyard engines available from similar trucks which were totalled out due to side or rear accidents, which will have no mechanical damage. It should be possible to have a low mileage used engine installed for $3k or so, with a warranty.
If you are truly interested in getting rid of the truck, then I would just sell or trade it as it sits. I would put no money into repairs on a vehicle which you are planning to sell or trade, because you generally don’t get that money back.