Yep, local parts houses have to order it in. Dealership has gasket for 42.00. Going to get the bolt kit and of course a new intake valve while I am at it. Anything else I should grab? Thanks a million.

Do I need to replace the valve seal while I am in there?

 

Pics of the carnage. What is that little broken piece?

 

That is the broken spring, the spring retainer and one of the two valve stem locks.

I would pull the head first and check out the piston for damage. Then have the machine shop check the head for damage as you may not be able to simply replace the past and be done with it.

 

I got all the parts I need and then some. One question, how do the valve stem locks go on?

 

LOL.... That is the most fun part.

With the valve in the head, compress the spring with the retainer on top, put the two valve stem locks on the valve and decompress the spring. Those two locks will wedge in the retainer and hold everything together.

 

Update,

Got the intake off (had to pull the TB to get it to clear and come out).

Got the 5 small head bolts out.

OMG The exhaust bolts are ridiculous. The new bolts the parts guy at Dodge gave me are 10mm, the ones installed now are 9mm and very corroded. First one snapped off, second one budged 1/10 of a turn once I got a 12" extension on the ratchet.

How do I get these things out? I need all the tips and tricks I can get. I really appreciate all the help along the way. Still, this is leaps and bounds easier than working on my audi.

 

Sorry. I forgot about having to take the throttle body off.

I used grade 8 bolts when i put exhaust bolts back in and they are 13mm.

You can soak bolts with PB Blaster or some other good oils. What you also can do is take it apart at the socket where the manifold connects to the exhaust pipe itself just before the cat and pull it off and out with the head and work on it on the bench.

Eventually you are going to have to drill out or extract the broken bolts.

 

Any updates?

 

Been raining here most of the day, I got out their and soaked all the bolts real good with PB blaster. I bought some more sockets (1/2" drive 9mm) from Sears and a set of lisle nut/bolt/stud removers in case I need them.

I kind of like the second idea of taking it off at the elbow to get it out of the truck with more room to work on it. At this point I am really hoping the motor did not do what my audi did. The audi is an interference and thanks to a timing jump the valves punched holes in the pistons and I ended up swapping the motor out.

If I end up using a torch to heat the bolts up, do I want to heat up the area around the bolt, the bolt or do that thing where you heat it all up then quench it?

 

I've had many stubborn bolts and never and i had to heat up. I do own a small propane torch from when I did the plumbing in my house but a cheater pipe always worked for me. I have tools need to extract bolts but have rarely had to use them. Sorry I can't answer your question. Been raining here also for the last two days but we need it so bad.