So my friend has an issue.

He has a 2006 ram 3500 cummins with a 6 speed transmission. While driving down the highway last week all he started getting a really bad miss, then a bunch of loud clanging from the engine.

He got the truck into a local shop up in Wasilla that night. They pulled the valve cover off and found a valve spring missing. It's just gone. The valve dropped into the cylinder and got gobbled up by the mighty cummins.

So at this point, it would appear he needs a rebuild at the very least. Shop said the head is past rebuild able. The piston is toast as well as the turbo. Very bad deal all around.

If he were to find another motor, what should he look for? Some shops have told him he has to find a motor specifically for a truck with a manual transmission. Is this true?

Thanks for any info!!! I have some pictures I will post up of the damage a little later.

Here are a couple pictures. Pretty nasty.

No difference what tranny hangs off the back a long block from any 3rd gen CR will work.

As W&F said any long block from a HPCR will work, but if he gets an 03-04 block he will need different injector nozzles. 

 

03-04 SO blocks don't have as good of piston coolers, so I would steer clear. 

 

There was a valve difference in 06-07, and valve seats are stronger in 04.5-07. 

 

He will have to use his wiring harness. 

 

The easiest/best would be to find a 04.5-07, or 06-07... unless he is looking for better pistons than an 03-04 HO block with 03-04 nozzles is the way to go. 

That's some serious carnage.

 

Question to the 3rd Gen gurus what is the cause of this failure?

Emissions means higher EGT's, and higher EGT's can be hard on valve seats. 

 

How did the owner use his truck?

It's past any kind of warrantee but maybe Cummins will admit some responsibility and at least help out with a very good price to your buddy. Can't hurt to try anyhow but go down there with the pics and talk to them don't just call out of the blue.

Emissions means higher EGT's, and higher EGT's can be hard on valve seats. 

 

How did the owner use his truck?

 

See, answers like this make this site so worth it. Call me not very engine educated but at least I'm impressed. Thanks AH.

Emissions means higher EGT's, and higher EGT's can be hard on valve seats. 

 

How did the owner use his truck?

 

Now if this something EGT gauge could of prevented or is it a designed weakness of the engine that was resolved later in time?

Valve adjustment not being kept up on can have a play in this as well, could have been a bad spring retainer or bad spring many many things to cause this and I would not suspect egts or emissions to be one of them, like I have posted before, if it is made of iron it can and will fail over time, just impossible to know when. I have seen this happen on engines of other makes with very low hours on them.

It depends on if the truck was stock or not.

 

Stock EGT's can hit 1450° or 1500°, but an EGT gauge wouldn't help, unless you want to restrict power. 

 

The 04.5-07's all have improve valve seats, and the 06-07's use different valves with a much lash on the exhaust side. 

 

It happens, but it is not a common failure. 

 

It could also have been a regular old mechanical failure, but they seem to be more prone to happen in the later HPCR's with higher EGTs... but again not common. 

Holy replies!!!!

Well I can tell you this. My friend does not haul/tow much if at all. He does have an edge CTS programmer in it though.

He said at the time this happened, he was just was cruising down the highway nice and easy. He purchased the truck about 10k miles ago so it is still relatively new to him. It only has about 120k miles on it overall. He did not know the original owner at all.

Wait, hang on a sec..... I just learned that the original owner had this engine rebuilt already once for overheating it multiple times. I guess that might have something to do with the EGT's then?

If there was anyway to find out who rebuilt it last time.... I will get him to start working on that.

Overheating and EGTs don't always occur at the same time.

It's quite hard to overheat a 5.9, especially a HPCR as it has a HUGE cooling system that is even larger than the '15 Aisin 385/865 motor rated at 37,500 GCWR Max.

The valve seat could be from overheating thou, depending on what all was done on the rebuild.

Edge products are also known to run hotter than needed on HPCRs.

Most here suggest Smarty programmer over Edge for CR Cummins trucks.

Overheating and EGTs don't always occur at the same time.

It's quite hard to overheat a 5.9, especially a HPCR as it has a HUGE cooling system that is even larger than the '15 Aisin 385/865 motor rated at 37,500 GCWR Max.

The valve seat could be from overheating thou, depending on what all was done on the rebuild.

Edge products are also known to run hotter than needed on HPCRs.

 

Edge does run hotter.  Ran the Juice w/Attitude for several years.  Best mileage was at the upper levels, but I couldn't tow with it there.

 

 

Most here suggest Smarty programmer over Edge for CR Cummins trucks.

 

For good reason!!!  John can say better than I;  but the adjustability and customization are great.  And I just have the "Revo" tune.

I wish Smarty was that way for the 24V trucks. O.o

Have you ever tried a Smarty Michael?

I didn't mind the smarty on my 02 stacked with the hot comp but when I went to the HRVP44 it put it over the top and I lost my slow speed drivability, things were way too touchy even on the lowest settings of smarty. Thing loped so bad and throttle was so touchy I couldn't hardly drive it around town from light to light but man did the silver 62 light fast.

Have you ever tried a Smarty Michael?

 

Yeah... I wasn't impressed. Great low end and then very flat up top. I rather have the UDC but not available for 24V. That's how I got my high idle flash was Bob Wagner sent me his programmer for about a week.

Aren't you over fueled on the top end anyhow?

Does the smarty have less power than you have air?

UDC for 24V's will be great.

My 04.5 failed the exact same way.  I assumed it was high EGT. My synopsis was exh valves melted, valve heads came off, one embeded in piston and the other was in the Turbo (mostly).  Valve springs were still intact in mine, but rockers damaged.  I had my Edge chip set on level 3 pulling my 32' camper up a hill at 120km/hr trying to pass someone, my mistake.