Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.A 6.4-Liter Hemi With Plenty of Life LeftThe Hemi V8 is very popular for good reasons. It's simple to wrench on, pops up in everything from muscle cars to burly Ram trucks, and you'll never run out of parts or advice. But not every Hemi gets to cruise through life trouble-free. The 6.4-liter version, in particular, has its fair share of gripes – think valvetrain headaches and lubrication woes.For this teardown from I Do Cars, the subject is a 6.4-liter Hemi V8. This engine came from a 2-year-old Ram 2500. But here's the kicker: a Mopar remanufactured tag confirmed that this wasn't the untouched factory gem it pretended to be.But Something Is Very WrongThere was a challenge when cranking over the engine. Pulling the spark plugs didn't show anything dramatic, but once the intake came off, things got weird – moisture, rust, and even a rogue bolt hiding in an intake port.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt only got uglier under the valve covers. The oil looked like gray sludge, packed with what the presenter dubbed 'forbidden glitter.' Several push rods were crying out for lubrication. Pop the heads off, and you find corrosion, deep vertical scars in the cylinder bores, and a piston that had clearly tried to high-five its cylinder head.Then came the oil pan, and things didn't get any prettier. The pickup screen was clogged with metal shavings, and the pan itself was filled with a thick, silvery sludge – most likely what was left of the connecting-rod bearings.I Do Cars/YouTubeThe Hemi's Usual Suspect Is Surprisingly InnocentWith all that metal floating around, you'd bet the Hemi's infamous lifters were to blame. Shockingly, they checked out just fine. Every lifter was still usable, showing none of the usual carnage that sends metal shrapnel through the engine and wipes out the camshaft. Instead, the real culprit looked to be a connecting-rod bearing failure.Several rod bearings were chewed up, with the worst pair mangled and half-rolled over. The crankshaft got off lighter than you'd expect, though at least one journal will need some serious machine work. The oil pump didn't escape either, taking a beating from all the debris.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe block isn't headed for the junkyard just yet. The bores are worn and corroded enough to need machining – maybe even oversized pistons – but it's still considered salvageable.I Do Cars/YouTubeWhat This Teardown Tells UsNobody knows exactly what killed the bearings. Maybe it was lousy maintenance – the bargain-bin oil filter is a clue. Or maybe something went sideways during the last rebuild, since this is a remanufactured engine. The presenter did notice some head bolts acting odd during removal, but he's quick to say that's just a theory.The real takeaway? Even an engine that looks complete can hide a wallet-busting disaster. This time, the Hemi dodged the usual lifter apocalypse. Instead, a bearing failure sent metal shrapnel through the oiling system and took out a bunch of other parts along the way.Luckily, there's still a decent haul left – heads, intake manifold, timing cover, maybe even the camshaft. This engine's rough, but it's not ready for the crusher just yet.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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