Checked my plenum today.....need some advice
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From: NH
"Yours is blown too. Don't kid yourself into thinking it's not, like I did when I first joined DF. 
"
Oh jeez, not you again ...
You know, Mrs. Z thought she'd found "Mr. Right" until she found out his first name was "Always". hehe
OK, you're probably right, but as the guy on "Mythbusters" likes to say, "I reject your reality and replace it with my own".
Fine, I'll do the plenum fix/kegger mod (gonna splurge on a Roto-zip since my Dremel isn't really up to the task, and I already have all the gaskets). Yes, I'm going to get an aluminum plate. :P
If I'm wrong, and my engine runs much better, since I'm incapable of admitting I'm wrong about anything I'll of course drive off the nearest cliff and you won't have to deal with my foolishness any longer. If it doesn't improve anything, you have to start a thread called "John D was right and I was wrong". That alone will more than make up for any time that I might end up wasting on the job. Deal?
"Oh jeez, not you again ...
You know, Mrs. Z thought she'd found "Mr. Right" until she found out his first name was "Always". hehe
OK, you're probably right, but as the guy on "Mythbusters" likes to say, "I reject your reality and replace it with my own".
Fine, I'll do the plenum fix/kegger mod (gonna splurge on a Roto-zip since my Dremel isn't really up to the task, and I already have all the gaskets). Yes, I'm going to get an aluminum plate. :P
If I'm wrong, and my engine runs much better, since I'm incapable of admitting I'm wrong about anything I'll of course drive off the nearest cliff and you won't have to deal with my foolishness any longer. If it doesn't improve anything, you have to start a thread called "John D was right and I was wrong". That alone will more than make up for any time that I might end up wasting on the job. Deal?
LOL, you know you have a Magnum and theres no way around the inevitable.
Your cheating.
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From: Livonia,MI
That's what my intake looks like at 160K miles, and my engine runs great. How is yours running? If it is also running great, your plenum might be fine, and you can make something else a priority.
That residue could just be the normal result of an intake sucking in oily vapor through the crankcase ventilation system.
As others have said, the best way to get a good look is to take off the throttle body, which isn't very difficult. Your plenum plate probably looks the worst right there in the area right below the TB, since that's where the oil particles from the crankcase would seem to want to end up. If the other areas look better, or at least no worse, you might just be fine. I keep hearing that "pooling" oil is usually present with a truly blown plenum gasket, and that just looks fairly normal to me.
Again, before you pull your intake apart (unless you truly have nothing better to do), is your engine exhibiting any of the symptoms of a blown plenum gasket?
(Bring it on, boys - I'm wearing my asbestos long-johns).
That residue could just be the normal result of an intake sucking in oily vapor through the crankcase ventilation system.
As others have said, the best way to get a good look is to take off the throttle body, which isn't very difficult. Your plenum plate probably looks the worst right there in the area right below the TB, since that's where the oil particles from the crankcase would seem to want to end up. If the other areas look better, or at least no worse, you might just be fine. I keep hearing that "pooling" oil is usually present with a truly blown plenum gasket, and that just looks fairly normal to me.
Again, before you pull your intake apart (unless you truly have nothing better to do), is your engine exhibiting any of the symptoms of a blown plenum gasket?
(Bring it on, boys - I'm wearing my asbestos long-johns).
haha i know, but my engine runs perfect, does not show any signs of a bad plenum. my dad said its prolly just normal buildup so i sprayed some carb cleaner down there to clean it up. doing the plenum fix seems hard only because i wont not know how everything would go back on, lol
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Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Austin, TX
On mine, the PO knew nothing about it. He wondered why he had a clogged cat....
I have never had a clogged cat, and I have as many as 260,000 on one vehicle, and over 100,000 on five others. Been driving since before cats were mandated, and never lost a cat.
If you wait until a cat is clogged to address thie reality, it will only cost more money, and from what I have read, may lead to cracked heads - hence even more money.
If it is not a probelem, then that is great. But it may be inevitable. Keeping a close eye on this would be time well spent.
I have never had a clogged cat, and I have as many as 260,000 on one vehicle, and over 100,000 on five others. Been driving since before cats were mandated, and never lost a cat.
If you wait until a cat is clogged to address thie reality, it will only cost more money, and from what I have read, may lead to cracked heads - hence even more money.
If it is not a probelem, then that is great. But it may be inevitable. Keeping a close eye on this would be time well spent.
"my engine runs perfect, does not show any signs of a bad plenum. my dad said its prolly just normal buildup ..."
Your Dad sounds like a very, very wise man.
I'm putting this one in the "W" column.
Here, this is me and the OP kicking the can (or is that a little keg?) down the road:
***
"Keeping a close eye on this would be time well spent".
Agree totally, and I am going to do mine. With something that fails so commonly, it's basically (as I see it) a "must do" for any Magnum with over 100K. Kinda like changing a timing belt before it breaks and causes more damage. Also a great time to replace the timing gears and chain, injector o-rings, intake manifold gaskets, and water pump. There's also a lot to be said for doing it as planned, preventive maintenance instead of during the dead of winter and/or when you really need your truck, like when you're in the middle of an important money-making project, or on a long trip.
There, does that get me out of the doghouse?
Your Dad sounds like a very, very wise man.
I'm putting this one in the "W" column.
Here, this is me and the OP kicking the can (or is that a little keg?) down the road:
***
"Keeping a close eye on this would be time well spent".
Agree totally, and I am going to do mine. With something that fails so commonly, it's basically (as I see it) a "must do" for any Magnum with over 100K. Kinda like changing a timing belt before it breaks and causes more damage. Also a great time to replace the timing gears and chain, injector o-rings, intake manifold gaskets, and water pump. There's also a lot to be said for doing it as planned, preventive maintenance instead of during the dead of winter and/or when you really need your truck, like when you're in the middle of an important money-making project, or on a long trip.
There, does that get me out of the doghouse?
Last edited by John D in CT; Oct 15, 2011 at 06:26 PM.
Last edited by John D in CT; Oct 15, 2011 at 06:33 PM.
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From: Livonia,MI
I'm from Michigan and about 15 min away from the D, i happen to be a die hard tigers fan. We got this series. Tigers all the way baby!
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From: Ft Campbell, KY/TN
FWIW, my truck's plenum plate was so clean you could eat off it. That was at 50K miles. And my oil was squeaky clean. I guess that is what happens when you change the oil with mobil 1 Synthetic every 3 months OR 3K miles.
The more you run your oil, the more the PCV system will emit those vapors. The object is to change the oil before the vapors get there. SInce our trucks run so richly, they will change the composition of the oil much faster.
I also use lucas oil stabilizer.
The more you run your oil, the more the PCV system will emit those vapors. The object is to change the oil before the vapors get there. SInce our trucks run so richly, they will change the composition of the oil much faster.
I also use lucas oil stabilizer.