About to Give Up on Warm Air / Plenum
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Clayton MI
It's a lot like the plenum.... Which, since you are going to have the intake off again anyway, you need to re-do. Do NOT use ANY sealer on the plenum gasket. Clean the surfaces, and then use JUST the gasket.
Once the intake is off, just pull the valve covers, rockers, and pushrods, and then the heads. Keep track of what goes where. It's important.
Stock heads are prone to cracking. They are just a crappy design. Deck castings are too thin. Solution for that: New Heads. You *may* be able to repair a cracked head... but, by the time all is said and done, you will spend almost as much as you would had you simply replaced it in the beginning. My take on it is: If you have to pull them anyway, REPLACE THEM. You can get a pair of brand new, BETTER casting heads, shipped to your door, for around 600 bucks. No waiting weeks for the machine shop to turn them around for you...... (if you even HAVE a machine shop within driving distance.....)
Once the intake is off, just pull the valve covers, rockers, and pushrods, and then the heads. Keep track of what goes where. It's important.
Stock heads are prone to cracking. They are just a crappy design. Deck castings are too thin. Solution for that: New Heads. You *may* be able to repair a cracked head... but, by the time all is said and done, you will spend almost as much as you would had you simply replaced it in the beginning. My take on it is: If you have to pull them anyway, REPLACE THEM. You can get a pair of brand new, BETTER casting heads, shipped to your door, for around 600 bucks. No waiting weeks for the machine shop to turn them around for you...... (if you even HAVE a machine shop within driving distance.....)
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Joined: Jun 2009
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From: up north
Bricklayer/stone mason . My family are quite involved in Masons , I just never joined .
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Professional
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 106
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From: Smyrna, GA
It's a lot like the plenum.... Which, since you are going to have the intake off again anyway, you need to re-do. Do NOT use ANY sealer on the plenum gasket. Clean the surfaces, and then use JUST the gasket.
Once the intake is off, just pull the valve covers, rockers, and pushrods, and then the heads. Keep track of what goes where. It's important.
Stock heads are prone to cracking. They are just a crappy design. Deck castings are too thin. Solution for that: New Heads. You *may* be able to repair a cracked head... but, by the time all is said and done, you will spend almost as much as you would had you simply replaced it in the beginning. My take on it is: If you have to pull them anyway, REPLACE THEM. You can get a pair of brand new, BETTER casting heads, shipped to your door, for around 600 bucks. No waiting weeks for the machine shop to turn them around for you...... (if you even HAVE a machine shop within driving distance.....)
Once the intake is off, just pull the valve covers, rockers, and pushrods, and then the heads. Keep track of what goes where. It's important.
Stock heads are prone to cracking. They are just a crappy design. Deck castings are too thin. Solution for that: New Heads. You *may* be able to repair a cracked head... but, by the time all is said and done, you will spend almost as much as you would had you simply replaced it in the beginning. My take on it is: If you have to pull them anyway, REPLACE THEM. You can get a pair of brand new, BETTER casting heads, shipped to your door, for around 600 bucks. No waiting weeks for the machine shop to turn them around for you...... (if you even HAVE a machine shop within driving distance.....)
I've already spent as much for routine maintenance on this truck as I purchased the whole thing for. Paint, windshield, plenum, rear end, 5th wheel, etc. While I'm deep in this fix, is there anything else I can look at to see if it also needs replacing, or will soon? Anything major that might happen....i don't want to have to remove the intake a 3rd time if I can help it.
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Professional
Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Smyrna, GA
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Ram-5-2L-5-9L-Durang-Dakota-Exhaust-Header-/181603301704?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a48667948&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pacesetter-H...db4341&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-1995-1996-1997-1998-1999-2000-2001-2002-Dodge-Ram-1500-2500-3500-Headers-V8-/351034207514?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item51bb44ed1a&vxp=mtr
I can't tell what to look for and which to stay away from, or if I should use the cylinder head exchange place. Granted, with a stay-at-home wife and 2 kids under 4 years old, the budget is small but I need to get my truck running well and keep it that way. A new truck is NOT in my future.
Thanks for your input.
I got shorties off an ebay member before. There was actually a thread comparing the ebay shorties to the pacesetter shorties. Not sure who created it though. It's been awhile.
But I had a cracked weld on the header after a few months. They shipped me a replacement for free and I shipped the cracked one back. I made the mistake of using ebay gaskets the 2nd time and the driver side is leaking.
I think the guy on ebay is ewordstrade or something like that. I'm not 100% sure.
But I had a cracked weld on the header after a few months. They shipped me a replacement for free and I shipped the cracked one back. I made the mistake of using ebay gaskets the 2nd time and the driver side is leaking.
I think the guy on ebay is ewordstrade or something like that. I'm not 100% sure.