i am sorry if this has been brought up a lot but i am new and i can not figure out the sticky things everyone is talking about, so i thought i would just drop this note to see what i get

i have a 96 dodge ram 1500 with the 5.2 L automatic.\

i was told on another post that i most likely have a blown plenum. so i am going to be getting a new plenum to put in. i was told to order the one on ebay that is made of aluminum.

i was wondering which one (if you know the sellers screen name or page to go to for that) to get.
Also i was wondering which plenum gasket/kit to get for doing this as well.

also someone mentioned something about bolts breaking when you do it. which bolts are those and where should i go to get those.

any expert advise helps
thank you

 

This is the sticky thread you probably heard about: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...um-thread.html , the plenum pan is the issue, the plenum itself is fine.

I would read all 78 pages of that post. Pretty much everything you need is in there. I don't know the name of the eBay seller since I used the hughes kit. Get Felpro or doorman gaskets.

While doing the plenum, it is reccomended that you replace (and I'm not kidding): Thermostat, bypass hose, water pump, timing set, valve cover gaskets, Ignition plugs, wires, cap and rotor....I think that covers it, might also need new O2 sensor depending on how long you've run with a blown pan. Basically there is a bunch of stuff you have to take off anyway for the plenum that makes all these parts easily accessible. If you are reasonably comfortable working on cars I'd say you can do the repair. Took me about 24 hours spread over three days to complete, and the cost for everything (including the stuff you should do while you have everything broken down) was probably $500-$600.

It is pretty likely that one of the bolts holding the IM to the engine will break, good news is they are *usually* in an easy to get to place, and some PB Blaster and vice grips get the stud right out.

 

The Hughes kit is the most complete kit and least expensive when you add in all the gaskets, hoses, bolts, and crap that you will need besides the pan. It comes with FelPro gaskets too. Check it out. I got the ebay pan. It's nice but after I bought all the other stuff I ended up spending more money than the Hughes.

http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/p...p?partid=27091

 

Good to know, I wish I could say I did a cost analysis in my decision to buy the kit, but in reality I was lazy and didn't want to have to order all the parts separately

 

Hughes just recently, not sure when, added all the extra stuff you get with their Plenum Package.

Used to just be the plate, gasket set, and bolts

 

Im thinking the first stickie on this (tech section page) needs to be BOLD letters all the time .

 

here's the cheaper version of the plate, made/sold by a forum member. you'll need to also purchase the felpro gasket, and a set of intake bolts, available from any parts store.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DODGE-JEEP-A...item2ec1fed08b