i just got my 1999 dodge and i still have no idea on what to put on it first to help. ive got ideas from people saying i should get a cold air intake, a hughes engine plenum fix ( which i dont even know what that is), or a superchip? any other ideas that might help. thank you!

 

well, im assuming you are having problems with your truck if you are asking these questions. so im just going to try and explain what you were just asking about. don't let people tell you what you NEED to do (just gonna blow a lot of money) however, it is good to do your own maintenance and then once your truck is running fine, then tune it the way you want.


1) a CAI is something i havent done, and will probably never do. they are really expensive and IMO, the effects don't really pay for the price of a CAI. however, there are tons of debates on this. also debates on brands as well. you can listen to what some people prefer from this forum. i would search for CAI on this forum.

2) a hughes plenum kit fixes the issue of oil loss and leaking into the intake. hughes obviously is the brand and people on here use hughes or APS kits. if you have pinging, oil loss then you might need to do the plenum kit. from my understanding, the intake manifold is aluminum and the gasket and pan that dodge comes with is ****ty. the pan is steel sandwhiched between two aluminum pieces. with all the temperature change and difference, it screws with the gasket causing oil loss, etc. i plan on doing my plenum fix this summer and using hughes and all hughes hardware. this a hefty job IMO since i've only done the basic fixups. however, people on here are really helpful most of the time and there are some great DIY. put all this together, basic tools, have a haynes manual, beer, copenhagen, and a friend and you'll be set to knock a lot of stuff out of the way.

3) i believe the chip you are talking about is for getting rid of the "deathflash". if not, ignore the following...after doing the plenum fix, most people add a chip that fixes the deathflash. and the DF is what dodge did to half *** and cheaply "fix" the plenum issuse. well once you fix your plenum, the DF is still functioning, however there is nothing for it to fix therefore it causes a lot of issues. the chip overrides this. so in a nutshell thats it.

other posters will put in their 2cents, just try to be open minded and learn as much as you can. i didn't know anything about dodge trucks especially the plenum, etc last year. after being on here and participating in threads it just started to develop. also having a manual around will help. i learn something new everyday myself.

 

before you bother adding gofast stuff to it you should really look into the plenum issue first. It's the main power robber on the truck atm, and it's 99.5% likely that you have a bad one. The other .5 is the off chance that the previous owner knew a LOT about the truck and this issue, and has fixed it properly. Do a search for the plenum, and take your airbox off and look down the TB for oil. If you have a magnetic pickup tool, stick it down there and see if it sticks to the plate on the bottom. If it sticks, it's the steel pan and needs attention.

Start with that and go from there. You came to the right place for help, welcome to DF!

 

never knew about that little trick magnum. can you pick up one of those tools at AZ? if so what would you recommend (brand, size, light or no light, etc)

 

it doesn't have to be fancy, just a telescoping pickup tool.... As long as it has a magnet on the end and is long enough to reach, you're set. and parts store would have them. It'll stick to the steel pan, but not aluminum as it's not magnetic, so that would be a quick way to tell what type of plate is on there. My guess is steel... just sayin

something like this....

 

ok im gonna have to ask where all of this is located in the truck? haha as you can tell im REALLY new to this.

 

ok first take off your airbox, the big black box on top of your engine that houses the air filter. Then you'll see your throttle body (TB). hold open the butterflies and look down in the 2 holes you'll have there. the plenum plate is actually the bottom of the intake, it's bolted on under there. Just look straight down in there with a flashlight and look for any oil or sludge.... As for the magnet, you just stick it in there down to the bottom plate and see if it sticks. Although, if you see oil, then you wouldn't even need to do the magnet trick, because you'll know for sure that it wasn't replaced...