Leakdown test. Need an air source, and a gauge set. Hook it up, apply the air, and you can read cylinder leakdown, and you can HEAR where it is going. (and even which valve is leaking if it is just a valve problem. If you hear it out both the exhaust, AND the intake, yeah. Time for new heads. A mechanics stethescope helps nail it down, if you have multiple leaks. According to the engineers, anything under 25% leakdown is "ok"..... (but, seems rather excessive to me.....)

I usually run my input pressure at 100 PSI, that way the second gauge is a direct read. Makes it easier on my old brain. (I try not to use it too much....) also, the higher pressure REALLY makes it obvious where the leak(s) are.

 

Dealing with the heads is not as bad as it seams. For the record, I only suspected that the seafoam going straight into it on the top end may have caused a hydrolock situation which can cause pushrods to bend against an immovable source, similar to sucking large amounts of water into a running engine. As for the heads, it could just be a gasket, but the safest & most effect thing to do, is remove the heads, take them to a machine shop to get magnafluxed & planed. This will make certain there are no cracks and the resurfacing will make sure then next set of gaskets will seat optimally. Get new head bolts for safety & torque them down in the proper sequence & know that this is a full day of work, but is not horribly complicated. Basic hand tools & a good torque wrench will see you through. Don't skimp on taking the heads in to the machine shop - this is critical! Even if yours have a crack, they can be repaired with no drop in quality. Let us know what you find!

 

yea i think imma do...i just need to find a source of air b/c i dont own a compressor. i have all the tools...i just ordered like 13 grand worth of snap on tools b4 i graduated b/c i got them half off (paid 6500) =) all the work i did on the truck in the passed 3 weeks i was using tools i had to unwrapped out of the package lol...and since i got a city job with nyc recently im not working in a garage so like i said i have no shop air but maybe ill bring it to dodge to be diagnosed and then do the work myself. i must say it feels good doing the work myself. i cant wait to get this truck going already! nyc got hit with a freak snowstorm the other day and its freaking me out cuz i travel 50miles a day to work at a new job and my rwd camaro just aint gonna cut it in the winter time. ill try to drop it off at the dealership tomorrow and post up what i find out as soon as i do. thx for the suggestions...i posted this on the ramforumz first and no1 was really any help over there. =/

 

Ouch, snow so early, I heard about it. Iowa cant be far away for that. For what it is worth, I do head jobs on mine & others without air tools with no major pain, it just takes a little longer. You seem pretty level headed so far, I have faith in ya man! Oh yes, about the hydrolocking thing, that can cause a slightly weak head gasket to give way too. I have seen it in the shop before.

 

Air tools only make it easier to get things apart. Can't use 'em to put it back together. Gotta use the torque wrench for that.

 

yea and ive read that ppl using seafoam have blown head gaskets many times...and i just meant shop air to do the leak down test...ofcourse no air tools to put things on...except maybe a wheel but i only did that to my school shop cars never my own

i got a bad *** torque wrench...snap on techangle tech wrench...does torque and angle i look for any reason to use it.

 

i called dodge and they told me its a 100 dollars an hour just to diagnose so F that...ill wait till i come around some shop air...**** they may take 2-3 hour diagnosing it! i might as well go out and buy a compressor with that money lol....and a mechanic friend of mine said he wants to take another look at it b4 i give it to the dealer.

actually he just told me to take it to the dealer to have the fuel sync'd then we'll diagnose it ourselves without the fuel sync throwing us off...he works as a mechanic for the city so he dont have a shop i could use the air from either lol

 

Is there a tool rental place around? We have a couple here, and I live in a podunk little town with a rapidly declining population count..... You could prolly rent a compressor for a couple hours that would do the job, for less than an hours labor at the dealer.

 

o yea home depot lol...but my friend said he got 1 i can use...we are gonna reset the fuel sync at the dealer first and take it from there...ill keep ya posted

 

ok...just an update on my situation...i finally gave in and took it to the dealer...they charged me 100 an hr for 3 hours diagnostic and then called me to tell me i needed a new timing chain, iac motor, and throttle cable(i broke a piece of the plastic clip that hooks on to the throttle when i was doing the work but its not completely broke, it still grabs just could possibly slip off)....ok well i told my mechanic friend the news and he told me to tell them that the chain should be good for 120k and the truck got 104k and then the advisor turns around and tells me that i dont "need" it but it is stretched a little(ill do this myself when i get around to it)...and the iac motor they are saying is bad is brand new! i just put it in!!! aftermarket part granted but still...and the cable...well that wouldnt be causing the problems...so basically since he is waiving the first $100 diagnostic fee im $300(2hrs diagnostic and $90 something for the iac) plus the labor to install the new iac in the hole and im pretty certain this isnt gonna solve my problem...the guy told me the mechanic said he thinks even after these parts he feels hes gonna need more time with it...and there is no guarantee that the trucks gonna be running good after he installs the new iac...so basically im paying over $300 for dodge to replace a brand new part i already installed! they wanted 1630 to do the iac, timing chain and throttle cable and i told them to just do the iac and ill do the cable myself and chain too when the time comes...am i being made out to be an *******? cuz thats how im feeling right now...what would you guys do in my situation?