How My RAM 1500’s Failing MDS Valve Lifters Were Fixed with Encore Automotive Genuine OE Parts

How My RAM 1500’s Failing MDS Valve Lifters Were Fixed with Encore Automotive Genuine OE Parts

BySatisfied Customer

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after years of driving my Dodge RAM 1500 4WD with the 5.7L Hemi, it’s that this truck is a true workhorse. I rely on it every single day for my landscaping business here in the Los Angeles area – hauling interlocking pavers, trees, shrubs, and sometimes towing trailers weighing 10,000 pounds!

So when my Hemi started acting up a couple of months ago, I knew I was in trouble.

The First Signs of Trouble: A Ticking Noise

I take care of my truck really well – with regular oil changes and following maintenance schedules as closely as my busy days allow. But just as my RAM’s clock hit 120,000 miles, I started noticing a faint ticking noise coming from the engine bay. It wasn’t constant at first, but over a few weeks, it got louder. Then came the rough idle, a few misfires, and finally, the Check Engine Light (CEL) staring me in the face on a Friday afternoon right before a long weekend!

That’s when I called my brother, who just so happens to be a mechanic. He told me to bring the truck to his shop in Burbank right away so we could take a look.

The Diagnosis: Classic Valve Lifter Failure on a Hemi 5.7 with MDS

After a quick test drive and a few minutes under the hood, my brother didn’t need a scan tool to know what we were dealing with.

“Yep,” he said, “your valve lifters are failing”

For anyone not familiar, the MDS (Multi-Displacement System) is Dodge’s fuel-saving technology that shuts off half the cylinders when the truck’s cruising. It’s great for efficiency – but that precision requires perfectly engineered lifters with micro-tolerances for oil control and hydraulic response. Once the lifters start to wear, you get the telltale ticking sound, rough idle, and loss of power.

The Dealer Dilemma: High Price and Long Wait

Aftermarket “OE-style” lifters often fail to deliver the reliability you expect – they can collapse prematurely, stick, or even damage the camshaft lobes. Rather than risk it with imitation parts, we knew the only real solution was to go straight to the source: genuine lifters, built by the same factory that designed and assembled the engine itself.

So, we picked up the phone and started calling a few Dodge dealers across Los Angeles to track down the factory lifters.

Here’s what we found:

     

      • The set of lifters cost around $600 – I needed 4 sets, 2 MDS, and 2 non-MDS

      • None of the dealers had the MDS sets in stock

      • The parts were only available on the East Coast

      • Delivery time was 4 to 7 business days – and no expedited shipping option

      • The long weekend meant no way to get those in by even the next weekend, so that we could work on the truck together

    A week or likely two without my truck? Not happening. I depend on that RAM every day to get jobs done.

    The Encore Automotive Solution — Genuine OE Parts, Ready to Go

    That’s when my brother suggested something that I had no idea was an option.

    He said, “Let’s check if Encore Automotive has the valve lifters for your truck. I’ve used their stuff before – they only sell factory-original Genuine OE parts, and AutoZone usually carries them.”

    We looked it up online, and sure enough, the Pasadena AutoZone store on Colorado Boulevard carried the Encore Automotive Genuine OE valve lifter set in stock.

    Fifteen minutes later, I was there. I asked the clerk for two sets of Encore Automotive’s VL-D20001 (for the front bank) and two sets of VL-D20002 (for the rear bank) lifters. Each set comes with 2 MDS lifters and 2 regular lifters. A couple of minutes later, he handed me four dark blue retail boxes. I opened one of the boxes and immediately noticed production line identifiers, a telltale sign that I was holding a set of genuine OE lifters in my hands

    I grabbed the Encore valve lifters and picked up a camshaft (Melling MC1411) because I had a hunch that my camshaft likely needed replacing, too. AutoZone had that in stock too, so I didn’t bother calling the local dealers again to check if they had the MDS camshaft in stock. I headed back to my brother’s shop in Burbank.

    The Repair: Very Long Day, Huge Savings

    The next day, my brother and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work. If you’ve ever done lifters on a Hemi 5.7, you know it’s a difficult, time-consuming job – almost two full days’ work. And, while you are there, you need to look for anything else that needs to be replaced. We had already agreed that we’d be changing the camshaft, damaged or not, so that was on the while-there to-do list.

    With two sets of hands, some good music in the shop, and a bit of luck – nothing else was damaged or suspect inside the engine – we got everything done in about 12 hours.

    Between us, not only did we save around $3,500 in labor, but the Encore Automotive Genuine OE MDS and non-MDS valve lifters were a perfect fit. No issues with alignment, no weird noises, no rework needed. The Melling camshaft was also a great piece, so I am glad AutoZone had that in stock, too.

    When we fired up the engine that evening, it was like a brand-new truck again – no ticking, no misfires, and smooth power all the way through the rev range.

    Back on the Road – and Back to Work

    By next Tuesday, right after the long holiday, I was hauling pavers again across the Valley, and my RAM ran flawlessly. The Hemi sounded quiet and strong – just the way it should.

    If it wasn’t for my brother’s know-how and his experience with Encore Automotive Genuine OE parts, I’d still be waiting for special-order dealer parts to show up from across the country.

    Why I’ll Stick with Encore Automotive Genuine OE Parts

    Here’s what I learned through all this:

       

        • Encore Automotive only sells Genuine OE parts – the same factory originals automakers use.

        • They’re available at major retailers like AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA, and Advance Auto Parts, meaning you don’t need to wait on a dealer order.

        • They save serious money – often 30–60% less than comparable genuine OE parts.

        • The fit and quality are identical to what came in the truck from the factory.

      When you rely on your vehicle for work every day, that kind of reliability matters.

      Final Thoughts: Don’t Cheap Out – and Don’t Overpay

      If you drive a Dodge RAM 1500 4WD with a 5.7L Hemi, or any other model equipped with the 5.7L Hemi V8 engine, and you get stuck in traffic or idle your truck often, sooner or later, you’ll start hearing that ticking noise. Don’t ignore it – it’s probably your valve lifters starting to go, a known defect with that engine design.

      And when it’s time to replace them, skip the long dealer wait and high markup. Grab a Genuine OE Valve Lifter Set from Encore Automotive, available at all major auto parts retailers nationwide.

      Because when your truck is your livelihood, you can’t afford downtime – and Encore Genuine OE parts will get you back on the road faster, for less, with factory-level reliability.

      Quick Recap

         

          • Truck: Dodge RAM 1500 4WD Hemi 5.7L

          • Mileage: 120,342 miles

          • Problem: Failing MDS valve lifters (tick, misfire, CEL)

          • Dealer Price/Wait: $600+ per set, 4–7 business days

          • Encore Solution: 2 Genuine OE sets of VL20001, and 2 Genuine OR sets of VL20002 – under $300 per set sold at AutoZone

          • Result: Smooth, quiet engine, back to work the next business day

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