Well, my 360 is a 1998 and it still used the steel plate... and the gasket is as blown as you can get. When I tore apart the intake to do the kegger mod on it, it was slam full of oil. I would assume if they didn't fix it after 6 years of making the magnum engines, that they probably never did (but I could be wrong).

 

Ya my 5.9 is from a 2000 Dakota RT and it still had the steel plate. But it was still in good shape. But I have replaced the gasket to make sure it's good. Never had a problem with my old 5.2 or my new 5.9

 

I think, after a little more research, that the plate was steel through 2003. Wonder what the reason was for using steel in the first place. An oversight?

 

This is just my opinion, but I think the gaskets are only susceptible to being blown out while the engine is getting up to temperature. The two metals have a different heat expansion rate, but once they are done expanding the gasket should be fine. So if you're the type of person who cranks up their truck and 2 minutes later you have the pedal pegged chances are you'll blow the gasket out, but if you let the motor warm up first it may never give you a problem.

 

Lol, they stopped making the magnum engines in 2003. As for using steel, I wonder the same thing myself... any half way competent engineer should know the two metals have different heat expansion rates.

 

It's their way of getting you to go back to them. You pay for them to fix it. Unless it repaired mostly under warranty. Was it ever a recall or a TSB? I would think it was.

And it was not only the expansion rate that causes it, it's also the compression rate when it cools. Aluminum cools faster but the intake has more mass to cool. The steel plate has less mass but cools slower but is also directly above the engine which has more heat. So one can cool faster than the other and cause a gap in the gasket area.

 

You know, now that you say that it actually makes a lot more sense. I always thought it was the expansion rate, but now that I think about it, even if it expanding at different rates, it's still expanding which means it's pushing tighter against the gasket. BUT, like you said, when it cools, it compresses at different rates. This just came to my mind... when the engine is cooling, it doesn't really matter if there is a gap or not, cause there is no pressure or vacuum in the intake, BUT, if it's half way cooled, and you hop back in your truck and crank it up, and hit the road, then there is pressure or vacuum in the intake (help me out here, I can't remember which one it is) at the same time that the plenum isn't sealed well. That must be what causes them to blow out. Does anyone agree with me here or am I just thinking too far into this?

 

lol, it is vacuum, hence the vacuum line plugged into the intake, lol. its cool though. i never had a problem withmy v6 and it had 181,000 on it. and i used to start it up and bounce it off the limiter in the school parking lot, ahh to be 16 again..... but it does make sense what you guys are saying, i do concur.

 

what your saying does make sense, however, i dont know how a lot of an engine does work, so i dont know if you right or not, but like i said, it makes sense

now on another note, my IAC is completely back to normal and when i drove it today, i stomped on it, and it actually went somewhere.... and fast. my trucks gunna make for some new found fun now lol