you may have already metioned this but did you ever do the vacuum test where you connect the vacuum guage to the breather line and plug the PVC port and pvc valve (before you did the plenum repair this last time)? Or did you only check the amount of vacuum that was in the intake?

I am just wondering how accurate the vacuum test is that is described in the TSB for checking the plenums

 

Cavities were black, the resistor was still white (a few had a small black ring forming right at the bend down into the cavity, and almost all of the electrodes had a white powder film on them.

 

If the plenum is leaking at the gasket area, the gases that would normally escape thru the PCV would never build up as they would be sucked into the engine vacuum thru the plenum leak. The engine vac should be strong enough (on a stock cam at idle, anyway) to cause a vacuum thru the PCV as well. Now, the pintle may stop the reverse flow of air, but if you removed it you should most definitely have suction ther if the plenum is leaking.

 

Makes sense. My truck has started a light tick when you are accelerating right around the 2500 rpm mark. Even if you have it in neutral and rev the engine you can hear a ticking sound around this mark. I am not exactly sure if it is a spark knock or coming from something else. I have the hughes kit installed in the plenum and it passed the vacuum test, and there is only a light amount of oil residue in the bottom of the intake (no puddles). The area where the plenum pan meets the intake looks a little wet (in the gasket area) but there are no puddles in the bottom. I have been following your ordeal hoping you may discover something! My truck has good power, but the gas mileage has got a little worse lately along with the tick. I thought for sure the plenum was acting up, but now I am not sure. I may tear it down when the weather gets a little warmer and double check everything. I am running the Superchips but I reset the truck to stock and am still hearing the same tick (and this is with running 93 octane). Mine could possible be an exhaust leak starting, I just don't know! Good luck with finding the solution to your problem.

 

I'll bet you have lifter tick, caused by a sticky lifter.

 

The last 4 Dodge magnum engine trucks I've had all had the "magnum tick". A friend had a 96 Durango with the "tick".
The tick comes and goes. When it is happening it is really noticable while waiting in drive thru for fast food because the tick bounces off the wall. I believe the tick I'm talking about is valve tick from a sticky lifter since it doesn't happen all the time.

 

Wouldn't you hear a sticky lifter at idle? You can only hear this when the engine is turning around 2500 rpm.

 

Only at 2500? And is it reproduceable?

That's not lifter tick, sorry for mis-diagonsing. Start a new thread so the answer doesn't get lost in this one.

 

Will do. THanks!!

 

2 more misfires yesterday, wonder if I've been dealing with a head crack that's been getting progressively worse.