Hi, looking for anyone who has done this on a 1999 Ram 1500 conversion van and can give me some pointers.

I have removed all 12 bolts (a real pain to remove everything in order to get to them all) and the chamber is now loose...but
The chamber won't lift over the distributor and for the life of me I can't seem to remove that.
There's also a bypass hose at the front and I can't see any way I'm going to be able to reconnect that (assuming I can disconnect it in the first place)

any input is very welcome at this point

 

Update. I did manage to get it out...sometimes you just have to be a man about it and pull harder.
The reason for wanting to do this was because the van failed California Smog and after reading tons of stories, it was suggested that the first place to look was the plenum intake gasket which case fail. I removed the throttle body and poked an endoscope down and saw some oil, not a huge amount but some.

here's the underside of the plenum plate, and you can see where the gasket has failed (and/or not installed correctly) and there's oil build up
New one will be installed over the weekend after a good clean...then there's the task of trying to put it back together...that bypass hose at the front is going to be a real pain (again, if you have tips, please let me know).
Then re-smog...if it fails again...O2 sensors, and then new cat maybe

 

Replace the bypass hose at the front, it will never been any easier than it is right now. Install it on the intake before you set it in place. Doesn't hurt to cut the heads off a couple of the original bolts, to use as guides to set the intake down on.

Also, if you aren't replacing the plate itself, and are just doing the gasket, you want to shorten the bolts that hold the plate on. They tend to bottom in the holes before proper clamping force on the gasket is reached, and you end up with a blown out gasket.....

 

Most of the work you can do from inside with the dog house removed. Other stuff, you come at it from the front. When I did my plenum, I replaced the water pump and timing chain while I was at it. You might want to remove the grill and radiator to do this.

 

you dont want to do this job with the AC comp and Alt on the motor...youll never get the gaskets right

 

The alternator is out and I had to loosen the AC compressor enough to move it slightly, but I wasn't planning on removing it since that way I don't have to deal with the refrigerant

 

nice job - that's it

Im almost done with this job +++ and Ill take a pic of it if you want of how I have "the compressor out of the way" ROFL

 

You've got that right. I took the bracket off and left them on it and moved it to the side.



Here is the engine torn down and getting ready to go back together. The a/c line is flexible and you don't have to discharge it. Just don't kink it.

 

way cool...double roller

 

The aftermarket double roller was about the same as the factory single roller so why not? The harmonic balancer was starting to come apart so it got replaced too. Basically, the heads didn't come off or the exhaust manifolds, but everything else on top and the front of the engine came off. I didn't mess with the distributor but it got new a cap and rotor along with other tune up parts.

I went back with new plugs, wires can and rotor along with the oil sending unit (that was my oil consumption until the plenum blew), new injectors, timing chain set, balancer and so on. I also had to deal with broken intake bolts (got 2 out and had to helicoil a third). All new hoses, especially the bypass that was about to blow, new serpentine belt and anything else that looked worn got dealt with. My original time line was 3 weeks working in the evening. Dealing with the bolts it turned into more like 2 or 3 months. Except for a low idle I haven't tracked down yet when you first start it (I suspect my home made gasket has a slight leak) and an occasional purge cycle code, this truck purrs and runs better than much newer ones. I've put 3000 miles on it and haven't used a quart yet.

I did find an old, flattened can of beer and some oil soaked cigarette butts in the intake valley under the plenum. That was the ticking the truck had when I got it.