Truth be told, no engine on earth is perfect. The best thing you can do to prevent any RAM 6.4 Hemi Problems is to know the most common problems the engine might experience. That way, you can expect these problems before they randomly show up.
That’s precisely what we’ve got here. We’ve got some of the most common issues and fixes found on the Hemi 6.4.
All of these issues have been reported by countless Ram owners, so you’ll most likely find a similar one.
Contents
Ram 6.4 Hemi Life Expectancy
If you’ve recently got a 6.4 Hemi or have an older version, you’re probably wondering just how much you can get out of it.
These engines are powerful. They’re by far one of the best in the market if you want a reliable motor.
The 6.4 Hemi is way ahead of the game compared to the older generations. Performance and reliability are two things that have positioned this engine among the best.
That said, with proper maintenance, you should easily be able to get 300,000 miles out of it.
When in doubt, go to your car and pull out the owner’s manual. You’ll find everything you need to know about the engine.
Any manual carefully explains what needs to be changed and inspected.
The people that wrote the manual also designed and built the car. They probably know a thing or two about the 6.4 Hemi.
Keep it by your side, and the truck will be by your side for many years to come.
Top 7 Common Founds On The Ram 6.4 Hemi
If your engine is acting up, there are several reasons why this might happen. Let’s take a look at the top RAM 6.4 Hemi problems:
1. Ticking Sound
It’s almost like Chrysler still can’t get rid of the annoying tick sound found on the Hemi. The Hemi 6.4 is not the only engine that runs into the issue.
Previous generations also face this problem, and it’s still quite confusing as to what could be the culprit.
We’ve seen hundreds of complaints about this problem and how often drivers are told that this issue is nothing to worry about.
And while that could be the case for you, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little bit of troubleshooting and find out what’s wrong with it.
First, make sure you’re using the right oil. Drivers have pointed out that the oil often causes the ticking sound.
For instance, the sound can only be replicated when the vehicle starts up and shortly goes away.
Second, it could be the lifters. This problem is often found on the Hemi 5.7 but has made its way onto the Hemi 6.4.
When you have a lifter failure, the bad one will beat the camshaft. This is a severe problem and must be taken care of immediately.
Finally, here’s a little tip: shoot a video when the sound kicks in. Sometimes, dealers are unable to replicate the same sound.
So, they’ll have a much easier time tracking down the issue if you can at least show them proof.
2. Truck Can’t Pick a Gear
Dodge ram problems can be pretty mysterious sometimes. You’ll spend thousands of dollars fixing a problem only to find out it was a $10 fix all along.
And that’s precisely this problem. Ram owners have reported that their truck will shift, and then it’ll downshift, and so on.
In other words, the truck can’t make up its mind. At the same time, drivers that have reported that this issue can get so bad that the car will downshift two gears.
Naturally, one would assume that it’s the transmission. In fact, dealers might also suggest so.
But there’s a high chance it’s the throttle bell crank. If you’re not quite sure where that is, here’s how you can find it on your own:
- Pop the hood of the vehicle. Once you have access to it, find the throttle body. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the cable at some point goes behind a piece of plastic.
- Behind that piece of plastic, you’ll find the throttle bell crank.
If there’s something wrong with the throttle bell crank, your truck will shift and downshift randomly.
You should also know that the throttle body might be worn too. So, watch out for that.
3. MDS Throwing Up Codes
The MDS is one of those things that you either hate or love. You’ll find hundreds of threads online talking about how this system revolutionized the industry.
Still, there’s also a significantly large amount of people talking about how much they wish they would’ve never made that thing.
That said, the problem this time is that the truck throws up the following codes:
- P3402
- P3442
- P3450
Drivers have also reported that they can still drive the truck just fine, but they keep getting those weird codes.
If your truck is acting up whenever the MDS kicks in, please shift into sixth gear to stop the MDS from running.
If that doesn’t work, put the vehicle into tow mode. That’ll disable the MDS temporarily.
If that’s the root of the problem, you might want to get a Diablo tuner to disable the MDS permanently.
You should also try to disconnect the battery for a couple of minutes. After disconnecting the battery, you should not get the codes shown above.
But if you get them again, you’re better off taking the car to the dealer.
4. Ram 6.4 Hemi Transmission Problems
You’d be shocked to find out how much damage a transmission can do to your vehicle if you don’t take care of it immediately.
Furthermore, replacing a transmission can be more expensive than the engine itself.
A healthy transmission should run smoothly. For example, shifting gears should feel smooth, you shouldn’t have any trouble when doing so.
And, you shouldn’t hear any grinding noise when going down the road.
A possible solution to any problem you’ve experienced is to check the tranny fluid levels. If the fluid levels are low, you might have a leak somewhere.
Since you’re at it, ensure that the transmission fluid color does not look old burned out. The fluid should be pink/red and should not look old and gross.
Some of your fluid might look brown, but that’s normal if you’ve never changed it before. But if it looks brown and burned, you must change it immediately.
You might also notice that fluid looks malt. This generally means that some water got inside the system.
And if you haven’t driven the car for too long, you’ll probably be OK after replacing the fluid.
5. Truck Stalls
Just another day, you’re going down the road, and then your engine randomly stalls. And now you’re there trying to figure out why this happened.
Don’t worry. It’s not your fault — this is pretty common on the Ram 6.4 Hemi.
And it feels like the truck jerks back and forth a couple of times. Sometimes, the vehicle might not even start on your first try.
You might need to turn the ignition key a few more times to run the car.
Typically, this issue is related to some wires. The cables probably got corroded, which causes all these weird issues.
If you look at the fender and the vacuum pump, you’ll probably find damaged wires. Cleaning the corroded wires might fix the problem.
But this issue goes even more profound as the wires might not be the only problem.
You should also make sure that the battery is connected correctly. It would also be a great idea to inspect the power distribution center.
Yeah, that’s a lot of information for a single problem. However, there are many reasons why your vehicle stalls.
This includes lack of fuel, a dead battery, a dirty air filter, and so on.
When troubleshooting, make sure to start off with the easy stuff. You’ll spend a lot of time, but it’s best to rule out every possible scenario.
6. Engine Bogging Down
One of the most annoying Ram 6.4 Hemi common problems we’ve seen is that the vehicle idles rough, and sometimes the car just dies.
This is pretty concerning and must be fixed immediately.
While there could be hundreds of reasons why the engine is performing poorly, we suggest checking the PCM.
Here’s a small summary of the most common symptoms of a damaged PCM:
- The car will not start at all.
- The engine performs poorly
- The vehicle will stall
- The check engine light will come on
If you’ve experienced all of these symptoms, consider taking the car to a professional. They’ll most likely have to flash the PCM to fix this issue.
7. Exhaust Leak
One of the most notorious problems with Ram 6.4 Hemi is the infamous Hemi tick. But that is not to be confused with the exhaust leak.
Usually, the Hemi tick is related to a broken lifter. In this case, however, you could have an exhaust leak.
It would help if you looked for multiple symptoms together before you get the car looked into.
A single symptom is always a great start. However, multiple signs will help you know what’s wrong with the truck when tracking down an issue.
With that being said, here’s a small list of symptoms of an exhaust leak:
- The gas pedal should never vibrate when the vehicle is in motion. Generally speaking, this problem is caused by an exhaust leak.
- If you have an exhaust leak, your truck will use more fuel than it usually does.
- The check engine light is usually a pretty good indicator of an exhaust leak.
An exhaust leak is a serious problem, and you should get it fixed immediately.
Once you’ve solved the leak, your truck should have more low-end torque, the idle will be smoother, and you won’t hear the obnoxious sound coming from the exhaust.
Luckily, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get it fixed. In fact, sealing an exhaust leak is pretty inexpensively.
You can do this at home by using exhaust putty. This sealer will permanently repair any holes found in the exhaust.
That said, If you don’t know what an exhaust leak sounds like, here’s an excellent video that recreates the sound:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there anything about this engine you’d like to know? Well, here are four commonly asked questions about it:
Is the Ram 6.4 Hemi a good engine?
Yes, the Ram 6.4 Hemi is an excellent engine. Of course, you’ll find plenty of online threads talking about common issues and whatnot.
But here’s the thing, plenty of people get these engines, so of course, you’ll find a couple of drivers running into issues.
Is the 6.4 Hemi good for towing?
There are better options for towing. Don’t get me wrong, the 6.4 Hemi is still an excellent engine for towing, but you can only do so much.
Does the 6.4 Hemi have lifter issues?
Previous generations had lifter issues. But this problem does not seem to be as bad on the 6.4 Hemi as the previous Hemi engines.
Is the Hemi tick bad?
It depends on how loud the sound is. If you genuinely suspect that the noise is terrible, get a stethoscope and put it on the engine. That way, you’ll determine where it’s coming from. It could be the engine or the exhaust.
Conclusion
RAM 6.4 Hemi Problems are pretty common, and you might be able to fix them all on your own.
However, if you tried any of these DIY repairs on your own and still can’t seem to get the car back on the streets, then it’s time to take the vehicle to a professional.
They know the car better than most people. So, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot.
Also, don’t forget that you should record a video of whatever issue you ran into in case the dealer can’t replicate the problem.