I finally got around to installing the new Hughes plenum pan. Everything was coming apart fairly easy. I pulled the bolt on the intake and noticed that I only had 10. I knew there should be 12. I reached back as far as I could, but only found 10. I found two empty holes that I figured bolt should have been in. I put a bolt in each hole to see and it only went in about a 1/4 inch. When I went to pull the intake off it was hung up on something in the back. After wrestling with it I finally got it out. Turns out someone had pulled the intake at some point in previous ownership and snapped the two rear intake bolts. I have what amounts to two studs sticking out of heads. I am amazed that the intake didn't leak. I assume someone snapped them when they were reinstalling and was too lazy to pull it back off and fix it. I can't believe that the intake didn't leak. Now I have to try to get the bolts out. I hope that I can use a stud extractor to get them out. My luck is they cross threaded them.

I know there has been speculation that the oe bolts were too long and that is why the pan didn't seal. That was not the case with mine. The pan was sealed around the bolt holes, but was leaking in between the bolts. If the bolts bottomed out then it wouldn't have sealed around the bolt holes. I think it is just a poor design.

 

can you lift the intake up off the 2 broken bolts. if so, then clamp vise grips on them for removal. those bolts are sort of brittle and break easy when reused. that's why your not supposed to reuse them. the should come out easy with vise grips. they are probably not cross threaded.

edit - a reinstall tip is to cut the heads off 4 of the old bolts. place th gaskets. thread them in a few rounds on the corners. these become lineup studs. lift the intake up and drop it down over the 4 studs. start the other bolts. remove the studs and replace with bolts. no gasket slip..

 

That is a solid tip. I have been thinking about how to wrestle the intake in while keeping two gaskets in place. I only have two hands.

 

Well the gaskets have tabs to help keep them in place. But that tip DV gave just makes it a much more full proof install.

 

I got the two bolts out using double nuts. Both came out very easy so they must have snapped on the install. Looking at the manifold gaskets they had the chrysler stamp on them. My guess is that a Dodge tech must have been lazy and used air and snapped them off and figured no one would notice. The gasket had obviously been replaced, but it was still leaking.

Now all seems well. I got it all back together and reconnected. The only issue I had was the schrader valve on the test port on the fuel rail stuck open. I had to pull the valve core and replaced it. It started right up.

My new issue may be my radiator. The fan fell off when I was tearing down and bounced off the radiator. I notice after a day that there was a wet spot near where it hit. So it looks like a trip to the radiator shop.