Finally got my BOM together after getting 2 minutes off of work. If anyone has edits to this let me know. Included the vendor and price in parenthesis for anyone scoping out this job. Just to reiterate this is on a 97 2500 5.9L V8.

Plenum Fix + Related
- Hughes plenum kit with Fel-pro option (Hughes $160) including
- .25" Aluminum plenum plate
- plenum gasket
- intake manifold gaskets
- intake manifold bolts
- throttle body gasket
- bypass hose

- Mopar 5175352AA PCV Valve (RockAuto $6)
- Dorman 42344 PCV grommet (RockAuto $2)

- NGK 23151 Pre-cat O2 sensor (Amazon Prime $36)

Cooling System
- AC Delco 252523 Water Pump (Amazon Prime $50)
- Fel-pro 35540 Water Pump Gasket (RockAuto $1)
- Gates 33009S SS Tstat 195* (RockAuto $4)
- Fel-pro 35064 Tstat housing seal (RockAuto $1)
- Four Seasons 85181 Tstat housing (RockAuto $6)
- Dorman 56399 Water pump inlet tube (Amazon Prime $10)

Timing
- Comp Cams 2103 Double-roller timing set (Amazon Prime $46)
- Fel-pro TCS45999 Timing cover gasket (RockAuto $16)

Misc other preventative
- Fel-pro VS50419R Valve Cover Gasket (RockAuto $19)
- Fel-pro OS34409R Oil Pan Gasket (RockAuto $20)
- Fel-pro 60038 Air cleaner gasket (RockAuto $1)
- NGK 23099 Post-cat O2 sensor (Amazon Prime $38)


Total without fluids = $415 + S&H

 

Timing cover gasket set will come with water pump gaskets as well.

List looks good.

 

I would get one with a lifetime warranty from a local store. if this craps out a day/mile after the warranty your out $50 and you have to buy another.

 

Got it, thanks.

Also, because I <3 testing and data so much, I hooked up a VAC gauge to the crankcase breather hose at operating temp + Idle RPM and it pulled nearly 5 inHg of vacuum. Adds hope to the plenum fix fixing my oil consumption. I am still worried that a lot of it is blowing by the piston rings no easy fix if that is the case.

 

PCV value is another source of oil consumption... even with a good valve, adding a catch can will help keep oil out of the combustion chamber.
With a new Mopar PCV valve, I get about a teaspoon of oil out of the catch can very week, and add ½ a quart of oil about every 6-7 weeks... the difference has to be past the rings, but I don't notice any smoking, and the exhaust isn't wet, so for 185k I'm more than happy with that.

 

Alright, ***** deep in the repair at the moment. Getting the fan off was a major pain in the ***, finally got er off with a little help from Mr. Heat Gun (got the main nut up to about ~150F with plenty of PB plaster plus a good strap wrench on the pully was enough to pop it). Kept going through until service manual tells me to release fuel pressure on the way to removing the intake manifold. Okay. Now it says your vehicle may or may not be equipped with a pressure test port in the fuel rail (just towards the driver from the throttle position sensor. If you have it, the pressure release is as simple as opening that port. If you don't have it, it says to pull the fuel pump relay and then start the vehicle, running it until it stalls. Trouble is, I don't have any frickin coolant in the vehicle because draining it was step two and now they're throwing this **** into step 7. Don't really want to run the thing with no coolant. Any other ways to release fuel pressure besides turning the vehicle on?

 

Just disconnect the fuel line from the rail. (no, you don't have the test port.....) Wrap a rag around it to absorb most of the mess. If the engine has been off for a while, there won't be much residual pressure anyway.

 

Thanks! Got the plenum pan out and cleaned up, old gasket off, but I want to clean the crap out of the intake manifold before it goes back together. Any suggestions on solvents to use? Would brake cleaner be a no-no?

 

Brake cleaner should work, but, it will prolly take quite bit. (expensive) Mineral spirits cuts the stuff nicely. Can pick up a gallon of "paint thinner" at TSC for a few bucks.

 

Mineral spirits it is. Got the valve covers and the timing cover soaking in a 5-gal bucket of the stuff as we speak!

Still a looong ways to go for this repair for me. Because I'm a noob at working on trucks (had never even removed the serpentine belt on this truck before), it takes me a while each new task to figure out the right way to do it. And there's been a few surprises along the way, of course. upper and lower rad hoses won't be reusable despite their midsections looking healthy (so heat-welded on their fittings I had to just cut them), and the PCV hose cracked on removal. more parts to buy. Hopefully by the end of today I can get the timing set on, timing cover on, valve covers on, manifold on! From there it will just be an accessory pump party.

PS has anyone tried to replace the oil pan gasket without fully dropping the oil pan? According to the SM dropping the oil pan involves all kinds of crazy **** I would rather not do.

Thanks,

Nick