2012 Dodge Caravan Engine Noise

If the gear it's in has no effect I'd be leaning towards it being in either the engine itself or the vacuum lines....was the mechanic able to determine whether it was in the upper or lower part of the engine?

He felt it was in the area of the rocker arms. We had the though of the cam bearings being bad. Is that what you mean by the engine itself? Are there any other issues that the vacuum lines could cause? As in, are there other symptoms that would point us in that direction?

By engine itself I was simply referring to it not being a transmission issue....vacuum lines can cause a number of issues from hard shifting to rough idling, no start situations, issues with the brakes....just to name a small number of issues that could be caused