how do i figure out if my intake plenum on my truck is bad? i have a 97 ram 1500 with a 318 in it and i get like 12-14 mpg in it

 

Pull your TB off and look down there. If there is oil in it your plenum gasket is bad.

 

If it says Dodge on the side of a 1997, and a previous owner did not fix the gasket, then it is blown. The only question is, to what degree is it blown?

You can get a lot more info about the subject by searching the forum here, but there are pretty much three possible solutions:

APS Precision
Hughes Engines
Make your own plate out of a sheet of aluminum, drill the appropriate holes for the bolts, and use new bolts.

With any of the above solutions, I'd recommend nabbing a Felpro gasket from an auto parts store. One of the best gaskets around, far better than the cheapies.

 

Is there a preference between the APS or the Hughes? I see most guys on here with the Hughes plenum fix.

 

hughes is cheaper I think.

 

Price is about the same I think.... maybe a buck or three difference. I got the hughes plate. Its on the manifold, just gotta get the manifold on the truck now..... (broken bolts, and scheduling conflicts. )

 

if you like getting everything you ordered, you may want to go with APS... Hughes, has, uh... difficulties packing complete orders- due to an 'open bar policy' during work hours I'm told, and it sounds about right based on my last (and I mean LAST) shipment from them.. just a heads up bro...

 

I got a Hughes plate that seemed perfect to me, but drewactual is correct. Recently, they seem to not only be sending incomplete kits, but defective parts as well. I recall more than one person here on the forum who got a warped plate. Even one or two that ordered the very expensive Hughes FI Airgap and got a unit with defects, and then had problems with Hughes customer service trying to get a replacement.

For the plenum fix kit, I wouldn't worry to much, but I would think thoroughly before ordering anything relatively expensive.