Help with Dodge Ram 1500

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with V8 engine. All of a sudden, a loud noise that sounds like a plane’s propeller is coming from the engine. Thump, thump, thump.



I have been taking excellent care of my truck but, about 2 years ago, I had trouble with the engine. It took several dealerships to discover that the “rucker arm had fallen off.” No one knew why. I have only owned Fords before this. Are these engine problems common with this model?



Any idea what might be causing my latest problem? It runs fine, but the noise is louder as the speed increases.



Thanks for your help!

2

Sorry to hear about your ram. www.Dodgeforum.com is a helpful place to post and search. Have you checked the basics, such as normal oil level and the inside of the oil cap for sludge ?
Unfortunately, I did not had good experience with Dodge. Do not get me wrong, I love my Dodge, but my engine felt apart in 4 years, cracked heads, timing chain and water pump to keep the list small. In a real bad joke, after you replace the bad “original” parts it runs better.

3

Have a REAL mechanic take a look at it…318-360 V8’s are pretty reliable and don’t go "whump whump whump…There is no such thing as a “rucker arm”, especially in a dodge V8.

Oh, you probably meant “Rocker arm”. They don’t “fall off” very often…

4

The 318 and 360 were already replaced by the 4.7L V8 and the new 5.7L “Hemi” V8’s by 2004. If a rocker arm had somehow fallen off, the ECU should be throwing all kinds of codes. It could just be something like a blade on the cooling fan getting broken and causing the fan to become unbalanced.

5

Thanks for the advice. Sorry about my spelling! I did end up taking it to a real mechanic who went into the engine and re-attached the rocker arm. (The dealerships were worthless. They kept talking about “breaking the engine seal.”) I am just wondering if it is happening again. I like my ram, have had few major problems with it, and don’t want to give it up.

I have 4.7L V8. The faster I travel, the sound increases in speed and sound. I hope it is not inside the engine. Maybe it is just the fan?

6

I will try posing there, but I like Click and Clack the best. I like my Ram and do not want to go back to Ford. Alot of the Ford engines look like they are made of plastic these days. I guess it is to improve fuel consumption?