The 1997 Ram 1500 5.2 I just purchased has almost 193,000 miles on it.
Do you think the plenum has already been fixed or, as other threads suggested, should I just take it apart anyway for the peace of mind?

Is there a way to tell it has been done?

 

use a flashlight and look down the throttle body. if you see oil you need it .mine was missing almost half of the gasket when i took it apart.

 

just get a Hughes or APS Plenum kit, and get it done to save a headache later. 99.9% the previous owner didnt change it....i bought mine with 187K, PO was a mechanic, and mine was never changed

 

Sounds like a plan. Thanks.

 

test it with a stick magnet down the TB. stock plate is steel. hughes/aps plate is aluminum.

 

Magnet... sweet idea!

I don't remember seeing it in any "stickies" but with the amount of times I've seen questions like mine, the magnet trick may be worth adding under the plenum info.

 

I just did mine to find a perfectly intact plenum gasket. Not a drop of oil to bee seen in the intake. I changed the plenum because of all the peer pressure on these Dodge forum sites.

That being said, I'm sure it was the right thing to do. I would have worried about it for the life of the truck had I not put that Hughes plenum on.

Great idea with the magnet. If it has been done, it will be an aluminum plenum. The magnet will not attach. Chances are it's still the original steel.

 

What does one gain by doing the plenum kit? I'm the original owner of my truck and I know its never been done. Looking down the tb I can see oily residue. What would I gain by spending a few hundred dollars and a lot of frustration?

 

A leaking plenum will only get worse. Leads to pinging, (not good) poor fuel economy, (like you would really notice....) and eventually, excessive oil consumption. Once you get to the excessive oil consumption part, you REALLY start having a problem with ping, as all the oil you are burning carbons up the cylinders really well. Not to mention fouled plugs, etc.

My truck pinging like crazy, ate oil like it was going out of style, and did not have the power I thought a V-8 should.... even in that heavy truck. After the plenum repair, (and mine was REALLY blown.....) the truck runs smoother, has more bottom end, uses less oil...... and even shifts better. All in all, worth the approximately 200 bucks I had into that job. (plenum plate, gaskets, cap and rotor, oil and filter, fresh coolant and flush, new upper and lower radiator hoses, thermostat.)

 

I have a 97 ram less than 130k should i check in the tb for oil? and what do i look for?