Power Wagon Registry

So my 2006 115K mile PW has always been solid engine and drive train wise (electrical, well that is another story) but I have always had a Tic. Sometimes a bit more than others, but never like a bad engine, etc.

So the last two months my Check engine light has come on, and I took it to two different auto parts stores to get a reader put on it. Both said Misfire in # 8 cyl. So I replaced Spark plugs, nothing they were original.. . So I replaced the Coil. No change. So now it is time for Yearly inspection and Check engine light is not helping get that done, so I took it to Dodge dealer. They have done we well before (I am sure others have had issues) next day the guy calls and said, it is nothing electrical. His best mechanic said it has to be internal. Heart drops, and I am Pissed . They gave an estimate of 3K to dig in and see if it is a Cam, lifters, Valves. Compression was within tol but on the low side.
Today they confirmed, it is two bad cam lobes, and two bad valves.

This is just an FYI for those of you that think it may just be a Hemi tic. I think I will be doing a yearly compression test in the future..

Sound like you have a great excuse for a better performance cam now!

You could always be the first of us to drop a Hellcat into a Power Wagon...

I did look up Crate engines as soon as they told me.. but cant afford that... but was my first thought Great minds think alike..

Sow what are you planning on doing, how many miles on your PW?

That blows! I replaced both exhaust manifold gaskets and a couple studs and my hemi noise is gone. Yours is a step up from mine

man that stinks...id do another compresson test and go from there...there are a crap load of 5.7s.....

For that kind of money I'd put the truck on a flatbed to an engine shop. No way I'd pay a dealership $3K to tear down an engine for a diagnosis. That's performance heads and cam type money.

^^^^This. Dealership technicians are not now nor ever will they be engine machinists. Take it somewhere else that does head work on a daily basis.

Colibri wrote:^^^^This. Dealership technicians are not now nor ever will they be engine machinists. Take it somewhere else that does head work on a daily basis.

They will just take it somewhere else & charge you even more to do it for you.

Do not let the dealer do it unless they are only installing a quality motor you purchased after doing your own research and vetting of the place you bought it from. You will be much better off dealing with a shop that does engine building and repairs for sure. A low miles used motor is another option.

Same problem my friend had with his 06! He was still within his warranty so it didn't cost him anything but they only the bare minimum. The cam and 2 lifters were on the invoice and to me that's just ridiculous! Why wouldn't they do all of the lifters while they were in there?! I told him to buy a performance cam and lifters and have them install it since the labor was covered but he just went with the OEM. It fixed the issue but that truck was a full blown LEMON from day 1 so he got rid of it anyway. Good luck with it and yeah, if this is all out of pocket for you I'd look elsewhere to get it done.

ok so I am sick, but this is what I had to do with time and money only 2,750 cost but I asked the guy, so I got all new lifters and new cam.. NO he says. I said I never heard of that. so then I say, did he change the oil. NO, they did not have to. I said, you know he had to take the head off and drain the Water, so how did he know if crap got into the oil? Silence.. I will change it tonight... so,, they have a 2 year or 24K miles warranty on their work, so I am going to drive the shit out of it. if I have issues, we will be in their face. Many years ago, I did All my own engine work, but I also had many friend in that field as well, now I have no buddies in that field, and I an too damn old. we will see where this goes. and please, no I told you so's.... like was said above, I also had to fix Exhaust gasket and Bolts last year as well. in 4 years (Or when this repair breaks), I plan on buying a new truck (Have to pay off the Wifes first) I may not go back to a Dodge. I doubt I ever sell the PW... but will not have another Dodge truck, for I have had just too many issues with this one Mostly Electrical. if all else fails, the PW drive train will find its way under my 1980 CJ7.. and I will part out the rest..

Well, that might be a little harsh IMO but I've had great luck with Dodge. The wife's 03 Durango we had for 10 years and 124k miles and the only thing I ever had to fix on that was the blower motor relay. My 04 Ram 1500 I had for 10 years also and only ever changed the alternator at 70k and front rotors at around 30k but that's because I was towing a snowmobile trailer up and down the mountains of NY state and over heated them. They were crap rotors either way though. My 2010 PW has been just as good so far and I have no complaints. I can tell you that I've watched the guys at work go from one brand to another repeatedly and they all have their issues. Sometime ya just get a real bad one and that's the worst. We spend way too much money on these things to have repeated problems.

Sorry to hear about your troubles Chip. I do all my own work so I don't really have any first hand experience with dealerships, but it sucks that I keep hearing more and more they are just part replacement people (and how expensive they are). I'm sure most of them are really good mechanics and would have liked to put in new lifters, cam, and do an oil change on your truck, but the dealer wouldn't let them. I am okay with only replacing the bad lifters, but depending on how long the bad lifters were scuffing on the cam, it may or may not have needed replaced. On the bright side, you got a 2 year warranty, drive it hard and if it eats a cam then that will trash most of the bearings in the motor so then you would get a fresh one!

so picked it up yesterday and it sounds solid, and runs a bit better, no Tic at all. Hmm, I had that tic for some time.. the comment about No more Dodges, is due to many issues, I have been Dodge man since 1997 with, till then it was ford, all have issues, but this truck has had too may Electrical issue. Cam at 115K is not that bad, but Wipers (Constantly) blinkers (Constantly), trailer lights (Constantly) interior lights (Constantly). Winch in the beginning till I rewired... Hard lockers. Still today, blinking Rear Locker light (If I remove the Black tape...). honestly, I will never sell the PW. and I will keep putting money into it to keep it running, but I will buy a new truck someday, and the options are Way open. the PW will be the work truck.

Funny story, my father in-law has a Dodge 2001 4x4 with winch and basic tires, and he always thinks my PW is way too much for what we really need (He has a winch, I have a winch) but the other day we went to get fire wood (every Jan and Feb), and we had to get a tree that was down in a trail we go up and down this trail weekly and monthly. But this time we loaded his truck to the top with this cut tree, wish I had a Pic. well he started up the hill and you have to make a turn, and he started to spin. so he backed back down and tried again.. still spun. So he backed back down and put it in 4low. Still spun (He was trying to go slow) he then backed back down a gave it some real gas and finally made it but faster than he wanted. I looked at him and said, I never would have spun, with my front and rear lockers.... his look was priceless.. that is why we own PW's... we took my truck on the next load. BUt my short bed does not haul as much, so he said to get back at me... fun times.