Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

Alright Im going to start from the top. I have a 2003 Dodge Neon SXT, with the Hahn Racecraft Stage 2 turbo kit, and the Port Fueler. I have had the kit on now for a year, or about 20,000 miles. Everything was running well, except I stripped out the threads in the Head for the exhaust manifold.

On Firday night a couple of buddies and myself pulled the head and tapped out the stripped threads, and put an insert in place. We put the head back, and I installed a AEM adjustable Cam gear. We timed the car according the Haynes Manual. I started the car everything was running great, no codes no sounds. When I drove the car out of the garage everything was well. When I gave the car gas and the turbo built up pressure, the car made a funny tapping or clicking. It was faint, but you could hear it. And then the car shut down, and would not start.

The car threw three codes:

P0016- Camshaft postion out of phase with crankshaft
P0068- Manifold absolute pressure sensor signal doesnt match throttle postion sensor signal
P0244- Rationality error detected for intermittent loss of camshaft postion sensor circut

On Saturday morning, I pulled off the negative battery terminal, and I went and inspected the cam gear. The Cam gear looked to be in good condition, and it didnt jump off its setting. And the belt is brand new, just installed it, and that looks to be in good shape and tight. I reinstalled the negative, and went to start the car. The cranked 3 times and BOOM! Oil, fuel and antifreeze slung everywhere, and I founnd that the intake manifold blew up.

If anyone has any idea on what could have caused this PLEASE HELP. I have no idea what happened. When we put everything back together we followed the HAynes manual. I cant figure it out?

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

wow.... dude i'd say that your camshaft wasn't in the right position first of all... its an SXT so im sure you are using the plastic intake manifold.... if you are boosting above 12psi that would def. cause the intake manifold to burst... if there was a blockage in the oil, coolant, or any other lines that could also have caused this to happen.... i would also say that on the timing belt... one or more of the pullies weren't lined up correctly (should be a section in the Haynes about the timing marks), other than that i really can't figure out why it would blow up like that on you.... anyways.... check all of the oil lines, specially the ones going to and from the turbo, also check coolant lines to and from the block and radiator as well as to the coolant overflow bottle... might as well do a full collant flush while you are at it... b/c you def. got the oil and coolant mixed b/c of that.

so change the oil, and coolant after checking all of the lines, check the TB and intake pipes to make sure theres nothing blocking the flow of air... make sure all of your sensors are connected correctly and go from there....

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

This is going to sound silly. Im more than positive in fact I would bet my pay check, that I installed the head gasket on correctly. Could it be a possiblity that it was put on incorrectly? Im so stumped. Im not boosting more than 8 psi, and I have had the turbo on for about 20,000 miles. I have had it backfire once and a while through the intake. As soon as I turned the key, it was almost instant, the manifold blew up. Im going to investigate the timing before I get a new manifold.

If there is anybody that might have an idea please tell me what you think.

Thank you very much!

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

well as izero said, if boost reaches over 12psi the stock plastic manifold WILL do that... how much boost were u running??? did u rev the car at all? how much boost if so? i would say that the manifold is a boost issue....


and if u did jump time..... i hope it did not jump to bador urvalves are f'd

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

if you want to boost psi like that, you should get like an indy intake manifold or something. if you were boosting the setup hahns suggested(8psi for stock 2.0) then maybe the cam was moved during cam gear install. and , if you timed the car according to the haynes manual, how was that accomplished? with a turbo and adjustable cam gear, the timing specs would be different. i still think your cam got moved during cam gear install and some valves that were supposed to be open were closed causing too much air to build up into the manifold. hope this helps

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

Im not boosting more than 8 psi. I havent played with the turbo at all. I will most definitly have to take a look at the timing next time I get a chance. Its raining here and my car is in the parking lot at work.

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

I hope you know a certain someone who ran 16psi on that intake manny is LOLing his ass off at you guys

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

who would that someone be???? graphite??? he ran on a stock block and never got to 16psi.... graphite got to like 244with a stock bottom end...

unless u r talking about someone else?????

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

ummm.... u dont have to play with the turbo to adjust boost... but the wastegate u do in order to adjust boost?????????? what is ur psi set at??? what does ur gauge say u r running???

RE: Intake Manifold Blew up. Please help.
 

I ran 16spi for 4 days straight unintentionally… My A/F ratios were fine so I kept it there.I returned it to 10psi when a cold front came through and the air got denser. My A/F started to lean out so i returned it to 10psi. The power you mention is true. That is what I made at 10psi. There is also a thread on n eons.org where a dodge engineer advised the plastic intake manifold is pressure tested to 100psi. The plastic intake manifold will not blow up at 12psi. I have proven that along with word from the engineers.

And adionik is right, this thread does make me lmao.