Lots of good info there. As I said before, all my prior cars were a different brand so this was great for someone like me, thanks. I didn't know that the rollers are known to go bad in these.
This is one of the more interesting vids I've found on the roller issue, including some comments of interest underneath.
Here is a different in-depth video, by a Dodge mechanic, who discusses the camshaft/lifter problems. While he doesn't entirely dismiss the arguments posed in the UTG videos, he attributes most of the problems to the MDS system on the 5.7 HEMIs. He also discusses why factories do not always retool to correct a problem and, instead, choose the less expensive warranty repair option.
I saw this after I deactivated my MDS with my HP Tuner. The contradiction with his theory is that the lifter failure is reportedly much more frequent in hemi vehicles that idle a great deal ie police during which time the MDS is activated.
I think that there's plenty of oil in the area. Oil is also coming out of the needle bearings (surface tension). That's why Dodge hasn't radically changed the engine design for 20+ years. Our engines are not relying on "splash" at all, like the ones from the 50s and early 60s. The oil comes down the lifter from the camshaft and lifter oil galley which in turn lubricates the needle bearings and cam lobes. It is my opinion that, if you use full synthetic oil, and change it per the owner's manual recommendation, your engine will have a long life.
It's quite possible the issue is largely related to insufficient oil level and or oil change frequency. Failures are also less common in mostly highway driven vehicles where the rpm remain up there as opposed to city driven with more idling at stops.
