RAM 1500 5.7L Hemi Engine **HEAVY MECHANIC REVIEW** | Pros vs Cons

I review the RAM 1500 5.7L Hemi v8 engine as a heavy duty mechanic. I go over the pros and cons of this 5.7L hemi. I talk about fuel economy, Power numbers, reliability and longevity. I also discuss issues like the HEMI TICK and exhaust manifold leaks and how to potentially avoid them.

Old North Co Discount Code - "GETTY10"

What I Use:

Towing Gear:

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I finally got my hands on the famous 5.7L hemi in the ram 1500 pick up truck line up. in this video I wanted to try and talk about the pros and cons with this engine. I used to own one so I tried my best to not be that biased.

pro 1 - bottom end strength
- these hemi engines are very strong units and can take tons of abuse which is person for a pick up truck

pro 2 - Power output
- the 5.7L hemi is putting out tons of power with a relatively simple design which I really like. usually simplicity adds up to reliability

pro 3 - Fuel Economy
- this engine is secretly a little fuel efficient. you would think for a large displacement v8 engine that you would not be able to get good fuel economy but these engine are pretty efficient.

pro 4 - sound
- these 5.7L engines sound wonderful and hopefully you guys heard the clips of my old truck.

Now no engine is perfect and this 5.7L hemi has a couple very well known problem with it and for whatever reason they are very popularized but I when through them and gave my opinion about these issues and how to potentially avoid them if you do own a 5.7L hemi.

Con 1 - Exhaust Manifold Leaks
- the rear exhasut manifold studs break for whatever reason and this leads to exhaust leaks coming from the manifold resulting in a very annoying ticking sound.

Con 2 - Hemi lifter failure or the HEMI TICK
- these is by far the most notable issues on these engine and I go into some pretty good detail in the video about why this issues happens and how to potentially avoid this issues.

Overall I really like the 5.7L hemi and think that for most people these engines will serve them very well and keep you happy.

Hope you liked the video!

#RAM1500 #HEMI #RAM

[benkiist]

I’ve never been a huge ram guy but my dad picked one up in 2019. It was cheap. 2017 5.7 hemi with 180000km at the time. It now has 365000 km on the original engine and transmission. No ticks essentially and runs amazing! It’s had a few things go on it, but as to be expected. Been a really solid truck otherwise.

[rambo]

I drove Chevy's and Ford's for years .. I finally tried RAM.
I bought a 2020 RAM 1500 5.7 HEMI bighorn extended cab sport 4x4 with a 3.92 rear gear ratio. After 6 months of owning this truck
I wouldn't own a ford or Chevy as long as I live!
The power is amazing!?
The style, the set up is incredible. Pulls like a 12 pack of Clydesdales and hauls ass like a scraped ape if you get into that pedal! I'm 54 years old and have owned A lot of trucks over the years and It's one of the best pickups I've ever owned.

[blueduster]

I’ve worked for Mopar for 20+yrs. I’ve been through several classes on the “cam issue”. Failure rate of the lifters is under 1% out of nearly 1.8 million made since 2009. That’s Rams and Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep.
Personally on number 7. First six all made it to at least 140k before being sold. Two were over 200.

[davidtownsend]

Great video and great comments! Original owner of a 2018 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi with limited slip and 3.92 gears. Just turned 50K with no issues so far. 1385 total engine hours with 72 hours idle. Change oil every 5, 000. As far as mileage goes, city mpg sucks as expected, but highway regularly exceeds 20 mpg. More than acceptable. Sounds like the lifters were upgraded in '17 so fingers crossed. Love the truck so far.

[bquade]

Loving my RAM trucks for 24 yrs now. 5.7 hemi, yeah baby👍👍

[TDub_ADV]

I have owned a 5.7 hemi in a 2019 as well as more than one 6.2l GM. Fuel economy wise they were around the same. I did have the 3.982 gears in my RAM so it was a gas eater but boy could it tow.... The RAM was significantly more reliable in the 65k i had it i never had engine problems of any kind.

One thing i would add to your list of "pros" is on a modern RAM, the 8 speed ZF transmission. That transmission is probably the best one in a half ton right now. Smooth, crisp shifts and never hunts for gears. Sure its not a direct part of the engine but its a big part of what makes the package great.

[bradh]

From everything I'm seeing, I think the exhaust manifold bolts and fuel filters in these Rams are pretty minor issues compared to the valve issues in the GM trucks and the cam phaser issues in the Fords.

[jeremycassell]

I actually just picked up a 19 ram 1500 classic after years of owning fords and so far I’m loving it!

[tomwiles]

A year ago I bought a 2022 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi. I change the oil every 3, 000 to 5, 000 miles or every six months, whichever comes first. I'm not a big engine sound guy, however I must admit I DO like the 5.7 Hemi exhaust sound!

[vr]

My 2020 Ram 1500 Classic Tradesman 5.7 Hemi quad cab 2wd has been great so far after 43, 000 miles. No real issues, runs smooth, easy to mod/maintain, and it’s paid off. Easy to get over 23 mpg highway with it with how I have it set up. Pulls our 7, 000 lbs horse trailer just fine. Just a good all around do it all work truck with enough grunt to have fun.

[tonywestvirginia]

I bought a new 2009 Ram 1500. Lifter failure at 247K. At the time (2018) the cam/lifters were hard to find. I replaced the the engine from a wrecked one w/40K cheaper than the parts to repair it. Still have and drive it a few days a week.I like the truck and the Hemi!

[austinkeen]

As 2021 Ram owner, I have to say that it is easily of one the trucks of all time.

[brendenmoldy]

Newer Ram owner and long time GM fan, but wow i love my Ram. Very affordable and that Hemi sounds amazing! Recommend to all my friends who are in the market for a truck.

[dalechaloukian]

I had a 2012 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.7L. Very reliable after 8 years and 90k miles. Only issue is I had to replace the thermostat on the cooling system. However, my gas mileage sucked as I had the limited slip with the 3.92 gears. 13 mpg around town and 17 on the highway. Gas costs was killing me out here in komifornia so I sold it. Now I regret that decision.

[selfcarefordudes]

165k on our 11 year old Hemi, still running great. 20 mpg on the highway. Love these Hemis 🙌

[danhambly]

Superb! I drive a 06 Hemi in a Jeep Commander in the UK and love it! All your points are Spot on! The 5.7 is just simple and beautiful. Quality Oil changes at 5k miles (no matter what!) and no overheating and your 5.7 should go on forever! Brilliant Video! Dan UK

[jaylee]

Ive owned the Ford 5.0 and the Hemi. There was always a throttle lag in the Ford that just killed the buzz in the f150. The Hemi's response however was immediate and it let you know you were driving something special. That drivetrain is the best Ive ever owned by far.

[stuartstuart]

We have a 2012 Ram 5.7L with 160, 000 miles without an engine failure. From what I have read, there is about a 5% failure rate and most of these failures are high idle time vehicles like law enforcement. Of the various theories of the reason for failures, I think the needle bearings are the main suspect. I change the synthetic oil on our truck every 5000 miles to eliminate the sticky lifter as a potential problem. Our exhaust manifold leaks. Apparently the cure is to machine down the warped manifold flat again. If you reinstall the warped manifold, you’ll just keep getting failures. This truck has ample power, is comfortable to drive on long trips, handles nicely and even with the stock muffler, has the most satisfying sound. We have multiple vehicles and the Ram is by far our favorite to drive on road trips.

[dalehunt]

Its all about oil changes. I changed my oil every 3k miles. Now they recommend anywhere from 6-12k miles crazy. Relatively speaking doing your own oil change is cheap and a good guarantee it will be well worth it in the long run.

[BP-]

115, 000 miles on a 2019. No tick, no issues, but I take care of it and keep up with the maintenance. I always drive in tow mode or manually set it to 8th gear so the cylinders don’t shut off. Helps save the brakes as well. Great engine.