[Xelenze]

I have a 2008 R/T that has been misfiring for a few months now, a mechanic has diagnosed the problem as a camshaft failure. The quote for the repair ranged from $1,500-$3,000 (if I recall correctly). I would love to replace the cam and lifters (I'm assuming I must/might as well replace them too) myself/with some help from a family member, but I'm sort of lost on how to go about it.
My first problem is that I'm not sure how to go about tearing down the engine to get to the exactly. I believe I could do the replacement with the block still in the car, which would entail removing the front bumper, then the radiator, then the belt (and all the components running on the belt) then timing chain (making sure to have the arrow pointing up and aligned, dot facing left or right {cant remember which}, and then I could remove the current worn camshaft and lubes up a new one and put it in.

Another problem I face is I don't exactly know how I would replace the lifters. Do I just remove the valve cover and do the ol' switcheroo?

Lastly, the only problem left I can think of is the matter of which camshaft and lifters to chose. I wouldn't mind extra performance, but I'm looking for parts that will give at least equal performance with the stock parts, and preferably equal or better quality that will last many miles. However I also want a good price, looking at a budget of up to $800 or so.

Part of me feels as if I should just have a master mechanic do this, but I also think that myself and a mechanically inclined family member could tackle this task well within a weekend with all the parts and tools needed at our disposal.

Any advice and tips would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[HemiLonestar]

Gotta pull the heads to pull the lifters. As for cam selection, well.......sky's the limit lol. Just be prepared, you can't just throw a cam in and be all good without a tune for it, so that's another added expense.

 

[weaselsmopar]

There is alot to consider when doing an aftermarket cam. You will need a tuner if you want the benefits of the new cam. Also how big of a cam also depends on the parts you will need. But you will need an entire gasket kit also how many miles are on your car you might want to do the timing chain also. I would set a budget of about 1500 to 2 k in parts. But you will have to do almost a complete tear down of the motor to get to the lifters and cam. Also I forgot if your car has MDS you will need a kit to disable MDS as aftermarket cams don't work with the mds system. Gl

 

[HemiLonestar]

Also I forgot if your car has MDS you will need a kit to disable MDS as aftermarket cams don't work with the mds system. Gl

Incorrect. Had a company try to tell me this. You are limited on cam lift but that doesn't exclude all aftermarket cams. Inertia has several they've tuned to work with MDS no problem. Think about it, there are 470-485hp (depending on year) 392's running around since 2011 that use MDS AND are 12sec cars.

 

[weaselsmopar]

My bad but I bet it makes the motor sound like it's been castrated if you any kind of exhaust. I heard a 392 when the mds kicked it and it sounded just horrible.

 

[Ol*Geezer2018]

I doubt an older RT has enuf value to overcome the $$ you will be putting in for this repair....I'd trade it in on a newer [used] one, it's just a misfire, right?......IMO...or gamble on an engine from a junk yd.. Unless yours is in great condition and low miles...