Hughes plenum fix
Hughes plenum fix
so, what i can do is give a quick run down, i dont have pics tho.. mainly cuz i got my mechanic to do it, but i watched.
1. remove the throttle cables from the throttle body and the harnesses for the sensors and then remove the throttle body and all bolts associated with it. (cant remember how many there were...)
2. next, remove the fuel line from the fuel rail (mine was seized on there so we had to remove the whole rail...) and unclip the injector wires.
3. Remove the distributor (making sure to find TDC first and marking the position of the distributor itself and then mark the position of the rotor.)
4. remove the intake bolts and any hoses or lines attached to the intake manifold.
5. remove the intake manifold from the block
6. cover the inside of the engine with a cloth of some sort to prevent debris from entering the engine and clean all of the old gasket from the engine.
7. remove the old plenum plate
8. clean the area where the old plenum gasket sat on the intake manifold.
9. install the new plenum gasket, plate, and then the new bolts provided in the package.
10. clean the area where the old intake gasket sat on the intake manifold.
11. re-insert the distributor (paying attention to where the marks are and lining everything up properly)
12. set the new intake gaskets where they are gunna sit for the rest of their life..
(on the engine)
13. apply a 1/8" of black RTV to the corners of where the intake will sit.
14. re-install the intake manifold and torque the bolts to the specified torque rating.
15. the rest is straight foward, just putting everything you took off before the intake manifold back (reverse of removal)
sorry i dont have any pics, my roomates camera was dead, and it just all kinda happened on the spur of the moment. worst part is, as soon as the IAC stopped acting up from "improper" readings (cause it was compensating for the vacuum leak..), the mechanic took it to make sure the IAC was working properly, and ended up blowing my driver side front brake hose.. what a bitch hey? so now i dont get my truck back til later, and they are doing it for free cuz it happened when they had the truck. better it happened to them and not me tho hey? when i get my truck back, if i have time, im gunna do an oil change on it, and then i will let you know how she runs
1. remove the throttle cables from the throttle body and the harnesses for the sensors and then remove the throttle body and all bolts associated with it. (cant remember how many there were...)
2. next, remove the fuel line from the fuel rail (mine was seized on there so we had to remove the whole rail...) and unclip the injector wires.
3. Remove the distributor (making sure to find TDC first and marking the position of the distributor itself and then mark the position of the rotor.)
4. remove the intake bolts and any hoses or lines attached to the intake manifold.
5. remove the intake manifold from the block
6. cover the inside of the engine with a cloth of some sort to prevent debris from entering the engine and clean all of the old gasket from the engine.
7. remove the old plenum plate
8. clean the area where the old plenum gasket sat on the intake manifold.
9. install the new plenum gasket, plate, and then the new bolts provided in the package.
10. clean the area where the old intake gasket sat on the intake manifold.
11. re-insert the distributor (paying attention to where the marks are and lining everything up properly)
12. set the new intake gaskets where they are gunna sit for the rest of their life..
(on the engine)13. apply a 1/8" of black RTV to the corners of where the intake will sit.
14. re-install the intake manifold and torque the bolts to the specified torque rating.
15. the rest is straight foward, just putting everything you took off before the intake manifold back (reverse of removal)
sorry i dont have any pics, my roomates camera was dead, and it just all kinda happened on the spur of the moment. worst part is, as soon as the IAC stopped acting up from "improper" readings (cause it was compensating for the vacuum leak..), the mechanic took it to make sure the IAC was working properly, and ended up blowing my driver side front brake hose.. what a bitch hey? so now i dont get my truck back til later, and they are doing it for free cuz it happened when they had the truck. better it happened to them and not me tho hey? when i get my truck back, if i have time, im gunna do an oil change on it, and then i will let you know how she runs
runs great! IAC is really acting up tho, not sure if its cause of the massive vacuum leak the blown gasket created, or if the IAC itself is just fubared.. (my mechanic just threw the throttle body out of the way like its a peice of paper....) so im a little mad now, but just goes to show that he will never EVER touch my truck again!
other than that tho, not a drop of oil in the exhaust, no burning oil smell, no more knock, but i still havent gotten my power back, there was a little more power, but i know the truck needs a tune up bad
other than that tho, not a drop of oil in the exhaust, no burning oil smell, no more knock, but i still havent gotten my power back, there was a little more power, but i know the truck needs a tune up bad
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 438
Likes: 0
From: Mandan, ND
haha... yeah.... got that. But he is reporting it like it is a common problem. Just wondering if it was common problem or what symptoms are.
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Champion
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 4,839
Likes: 5
From: Apex, NC
It is a very common problem. The intake is made out of aluminum, and some idiot dodge engineer decided it would be a good idea to make the plenum plate out of steel. Well, steel and aluminum have a different heat expansion rate, making it very easy to blow out that gasket while the engine is warming up... especially if you are heavy on the gas before the engine is up to temp.
The Hughes plenum plate is made out of aluminum, fixing the heat expansion problem of the factory plate.
The symptoms are engine knocking and excessive oil consumption.
The Hughes plenum plate is made out of aluminum, fixing the heat expansion problem of the factory plate.
The symptoms are engine knocking and excessive oil consumption.
$178.02 CDN for all the parts including shipping (this was including the 180 thermostat tho) and $300 to get my mechanic to install it. so $478.02 in total, not bad i guess, the labor on that was like 4 hrs or something like that, and i just didnt do it myself because i knew id have a huge issue with it, and they ended up having to deal with that issue haha (the fuel line being seized to the rail).
and to add on that note 95-318SLT, the hughes plenum plate is 1/4' aluminum as opposed to the stock plate which was paper thin and steel (as you already know). the IAC has fixed itself, now its just on to the computer re-adjusting. the truck itself is running a lot better now, now that its not burning as much oil as it was. now its time to get my oil change done (first thing in the morning after i go get my coffee
)
and to add on that note 95-318SLT, the hughes plenum plate is 1/4' aluminum as opposed to the stock plate which was paper thin and steel (as you already know). the IAC has fixed itself, now its just on to the computer re-adjusting. the truck itself is running a lot better now, now that its not burning as much oil as it was. now its time to get my oil change done (first thing in the morning after i go get my coffee
)
