My Hemi is ticking loudly when cold, should I be worried?

Arnoldbuckle

I've got a 2014 RAM 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and over the past few months the ticking noise on cold start has gone from barely noticeable to pretty loud. It lasts for maybe 30 seconds then quiets down, but lately it's been taking longer to go away. I know the Hemi tick is a common topic but I'm worried this might be the beginning of the dreaded camshaft and lifter failure. I've been using Pennzoil Ultra 5W-20 and Mopar filters, changing every 7k km. A friend suggested doing a camshaft inspection with a borescope to check for lobe wear. I need to find a shop that can properly diagnose this without immediately quoting me for an engine rebuild. I've been looking for Expert Engine Repair Mussafah that has experience with the Hemi tick and can do things like an oil pressure test, borescope inspection, and maybe even send an oil sample to a lab. Has anyone here caught the tick early and avoided major damage by replacing just the lifters or using a different oil? Also wondering if switching to a high mileage oil with more ZDDP would help. The truck has 150k km on it and I really don't wanna lose it. Any advice or shop recommendations in Mussafah would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Everardhyssop

Tick taking progressively longer to clear after cold start is the warning sign worth taking seriously on a Hemi at 150k km. Normal valvetrain noise clears quickly and consistently, noise that takes longer each week suggests either oil pressure delay reaching the lifters or actual lifter bore wear developing.

Ewartscatchard

Oil analysis from a lab sample is genuinely the most informative first step here. Elevated iron and copper levels in the oil tell you whether metal is coming off internal surfaces before a borescope or teardown confirms where. That result either gives you peace of mind or tells you exactly how urgent the inspection needs to be.

Ezekielpobjoy

Switching to a higher ZDDP content oil is something many Hemi owners do at this mileage and it genuinely helps protect camshaft lobes under cold start conditions. Staying with 5W-20 but moving to a brand with higher zinc content is worth trying before assuming mechanical intervention is necessary.

Felix Smedley

Oil pressure test at the gallery feeding the cam and lifter bores specifically is more useful than a general pressure reading. Low pressure at that point during cold startup is what causes the extended tick and can sometimes be addressed with a different viscosity rather than internal repairs.

Fergusonbuttle

Catching lifter wear early before a lobe goes completely flat is the difference between replacing lifters and replacing a camshaft along with them. A borescope inspection now while the noise is still intermittent gives you options that disappear once the damage progresses further.