Recently I picked up a 17 Ram 4x4 with a 5.7 . Just started to hear the exhaust tick on cold starts passenger side. After reading through the forum it appears this happens quite often. So it looks like I'll need to repair some broken studs and replace or refurbish the manifold.

I was just going to replace the manifold and bolts until I read the new manifolds will just warp again causing the same issue. So I've found two solutions that sound reasonable and would like some feedback . let me know which one you tried and how its worked for you , I enjoy doing the work just hate wasting time. If you tried either one or know a better fix I'd appreciate your input.

• The first one was resurfacing the manifolds that will be pulled off the truck. The opinion was that since they're already out of shape from use and are considered seasoned that milling them flat will restore the mounting surface and they would work better than a new manifold, This would allow them to keep their shape and prevent stress on the bolts in the future.
  
• The second was replacing the manifolds with Headers. I would go with the stainless steel shorty's and wrap them to keep the under hood heat down. Maybe an ARP bolt kit for mounting. Really curious what make of headers have been used and how well they hold up and if this prevented the bolts from breaking in the future.
  

 

Even surfacing the manifolds won't solve the problem. The biggest issue is the design of the manifold, it concentrates all the heat at the back of the manifold, so, the bolts simply can't hold up. Headers are the answer. Fixes the problem permanently. I would be far more tempted to go with coated headers, than doing a wrap though. The wrap tends to hold moisture against the headers, and they rust and fail quicker than if they weren't. The coated headers don't suffer from that, and will last far longer.

 

Just found a cool video on you tube on how to remove busted off manifold bolts.

Best of luck, post your fix and what parts you used. I'm hoping mine last till the spring

 

Hey
thanks for the info. Looks like I’ll be going the header route. Any feed back on brand and fit would be appreciated. Also the Vid was extremely informative.
I’ll also be waiting till warmer weather if I can’t get this into the garage. Tick isn’t that enoying yet goes away after about 2 min. Defiantly will post pics info and vid during the project.