I had that happen on my 02 Grand Cherokee wth the 4.7. Rear bolt on drivers side broke, same sounds/symptoms as you. Took it to a Jeep dealer and they advied that it was fairly common and they have done several. 2 hours and $200 later, all fixed. Most of that $200is labor.

 

This is a very common problem with the 4.7l engine, mainifolds studs breaking off. I have fixed lots, do to the factI work at a dealership. The 500$ quote sounds a bit high, it takes me 2 to 2.5hrs to due one side depending on how hard the stud is to get out. You have to know what you are doing to due this or you can damage you cylinder heads. It should cost around 350$ with new studs, gasket and heat sheild if required.The 100$inspection fee is a bit high I would charge about 40$ to do this.Some of you guys are scared of the dealership because of the high labour cost, and you think we are out to get you. Well for the most part our labour rate isn't much higher than the indepent shops. Unless it's eletrical diag and repair, we are more. But most of these shops can't fix this stuff and that is why we charge this. Also I see it all the time people try to save money at these shops, then it's brough to me to be fixed correctly and now it's cost them hundreds more than if they would have come to us in the first place. I'm not saying all dealers are legit, this one you are talking about may not be. But just remember alot of these small shops aren'tlegit either. Chrysler sends me on training all the timeto keep up on the latest stuff. This keeps me on top of the game.

 

Hmmmm That is covered under warranty.You 7 year 100K mile warranty.WHen I blew my passanger side Head gasket on my 02 I had a 2 broken bolts.The Service guy told me it was covered,(the headgasket replacement,new exhaust manifold,gaskets,and bolts)They put em on and all that came out of my pocket was 100 Bux which is one HELLUVA DEAL!.

 

I took my 2005 Ram 2500 in for a scheduled service and found out that my manifold bolts were sheard. Only a $420 bill to fix the problem, and a weekend without my truck because they don't have the parts. It sounds like this is common enough problem that they could be looking at recall. I was told that this would have coverd under my 70000 mile power train warrenty but I have 80000 miles, just my luck.

 

I would have to agree about the teck messing up. I also agree that if you are going to fix one side that you should do the other. You wouldnt only replace 4 plugs and leave the other 4. Its just good practice that if one half is broke that you fix the other just the same. There are some nice exaust bolt kits out there that will never loosen but I dont know the name off the top of my head. I will call the shop I get my parts from and see if there is a kit for your truck and repost later. Sorry to here the problem.

 

best thing to do is remove the manifold by heating the nuts w/ a propane torch. after the manifold is removed, plug the exhaust port w/ a shop rag or somthing. then weld a nut to the end of the stud, if you have a welder or now someone who does. hit the nut head on a couple good times and then work the stud loose with a wrench. ive done this many times. good luck.

 

I've got the same problem with my 2005 Ram 1500 SLT, 4.7L. Starts off w/ticking then warms up, and the ticking diminshes. However lately, the sound has gotten much, much louder. Got underneath, found a broken manifold bolt and a blown gasket. I need to find out what size bolts / studs I need to replace all the bolts / studs on both driver / passenger sides. Can anyone help with the sizes? I've read several forum posts (this and other forums) and I'm not sure what sizes to get.

 

Very common, they make this cheap a$$ set of extractors you can order online or get at Lowe's called Grab-Bits, all of about $20 a set, will get them broke off bolts out like a charm. Been there, done that.

As far as the sized, can't remember off the top of my head, pull a good'n and go match it up. Tip, get Grade 5 bolts. Grade 8s are harder and can snap, Grade 5s give...

 

HammerZ71

Some years back, Nissan had an issue with with broken exhaust studs on their 3.0 engine. We stocked replacement studs that were a higher grade without any additional issues. Our thought was that the studs would stretch and then snap, so we went to a stronger item. That was our reasoning, but I understand your thought. An additional step, make sure the manifold is not warped or it will not seal. Most of the situations I saw had no warpage.

 

You know it's funny, but I used to be a Grade 8 bolt nut, used to replace everything with Grade 8s. But I've snapped a few and I honestly don't remember ever breaking a Grade 5...