Ram 1500 Quad Cab Slt 4.7L V8

• Automatic transmission
• 95,000 miles

STAY AWAY FROM DODGE SMALLER V8, 4.7 - my dodge has always been super reliable, I've never had any engine issues before. only other continual problem I've had has been the airconditioning. anyway, I'm going up a hill on the highway. i was not accelerating hard at all. i just went slightly faster to get up the hill. all of a sudden, my rpm went really high and made that noise as though you were pressing on your gas really hard as though to rev your engine hard. as soon as the rpm went high, my oil pressure completely dropped. my check gauge light came on immediately. within 20 seconds, i lost all power to my engine, lost power steering, and i drifted to the side of the hwy. THERE WAS NO NOISE. no clanging, no rattling, no knocking. one second I'm driving, the next all power is gone. the truck would not turn over nor did it try. my interior and exterior lights still worked. had to tow to the closest shop 30 miles. i was in the middle of no where in northern Arizona. they tested the alternator, fine. starter was fine. however, the battery while in my truck was dead and wouldn't register on their testing equipment. when they took the battery out, it tested fine. they put a new battery in, and again, it didn't register on their equipment. this stumped all the mechanics. someone suggested maybe the oil pump went out, dropping my oil pressure, then triggering an automatic shutoff of the engine. someone suggested a computer failure. they also suggested my bearings went out. they couldn't understand why that would be especially with zero noise when my engine shut off on the hwy. had to tow it 115 miles home. took it to a friend who's been a mechanic 30 years. a rod blew for no reason, and i need an entire engine. not only that, it damaged my engine so badly, that i can't use it as a core. EVERY mechanic and engine shop i called for either a rebuilt / re manufactured / or used engine, said dodge never should've put this smaller v 8 in. every one of them said they're junk. they are also super expensive to replace and even every shop i called was shocked at the price. an engine for the larger v8 5.9 is half the cost. the smaller v 8's are in high demand and that's why they are expensive. they don't sit on the shelf long because people are replacing them. i found a used engine with 58,000 miles on it, with a year warranty and tax for $2400. my friend is installing it on the super cheap side for an additional $400. however, shopping around for rebuilts or remanufactured, every quote but one with them installing it was atleast $4000. i decided to go with the used engine with 58,000 miles. i paid extra for all parts & labor warranty thru a very reputable company with my mechanic friend installing it for a total of $2800. all the mechanics i spoke to said all the rebuilts they've dealt with are garbage and even though engine shops who sell them are giving warranties, they aren't honoring them. they all recommended a used engine with lower mileage if you can find it. i found a network of 10 or so recycle yards in the phx area, and they are on the up and up and they list all their inventory & pricing on-line. i'm having my engine installed tomorrow. again, BEWARE the small v 8. everyone agreed it's a nightmare and junk. go with the bigger v 8 . much more reliable and less then half the cost if anything major goes bad.