"Josh" <josh@omg-stfu.com> wrote:
: Apparently my girlfriend's 98 Ram (318) has a blown plenum gasket. I've
: never pulled an intake manifold off of a Mopar before, is there anything I
: need to know?
Feel free to use my MPI intake install guide:
http://www.steigerperformance.com/docs/MPIIntakeManifoldInstallationGuide.pdf
Its oriented towards installing an MPI, but documents the procedure
of removing the stock manifold, and of course, re-installing the
stock manifold is going to be similar to installing the MPI. Its
a pretty straightforward process, I don't really anticipate any
surprises for you. You'll want to get a new intake gasket and bolt
kit (4897383AC), and you should probably purchase a coolant bypass
hose (H0063735) while you're at it, they're only $5 or so and that's
worth not having to tear into the motor again a couple of years down
the road. You can probably leave the thermostat housing attached to
the intake manifold to save yourself from having to buy a new t-stat
gasket; its not a big expense but might save you a couple of minutes. :-)
I include some 5/16-18 dowels in my MPI install kit for
locating the manifold on the block, which helps to make sure it
sits down in the right place the first time so you don't have to
wiggle it around and disturb the gaskets and RTV, but since you
won't be re-using the stock bolts, you can just cut the heads off
of some of them and use 'em for that. Its not a requirement or
anything, but does help to install the intake.
: As long as we're r&r-ing the manifold, what would it cost to upgrade to a
: MPI? What's the going rate for those, and what kind of install kit is
: needed? What are the pros/cons of changing manifolds? (besides price)
The cost is more expensive than it used to be, unfortunately. IIRC,
Mopar Performance really jacked up the cost of the manifolds a couple
of years ago. I don't know what the current going rate is, but you
could run the part numbers at Summit Racing or Mancini Racing's web
site aught to have the prices too. If you go with the 4bbl manifold,
you're basically on your own as far as an install kit goes (that's why
I created the install kits in the first place). If you use the 2bbl
manifold, Mopar Performance has an install kit for that one. If you
were to install the manifold on a street driven Ram, the 2bbl would
probably be the better choice due to its better midrange performance.
However, now that the prices are so much higher than they used to be,
I honestly don't see much bang for the buck in this area anymore,
especially on a heavy truck like a Ram. If it were my truck I'd just
R&R the beer barrel. You'd have to check around for the best and latest
prices, but I think that swapping to the MPI manifold would cost you
somewhere in the neighborhood of $450-500 when its all said and done.
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger --- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| 67 Dodge Coronet, 70 Plymouth Barracuda, 76 Peugeot TSA |
| 78 Dodge B100, 90 Dodge Dakota Convertible, 92 Dodge Ram 4x4 |
| 96 Dodge Dakota, 96 Suzuki Intruder 1400, 96 Kolb FireFly |
| 99 Jeep Cherokee 4x4, 2001 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD |
`--------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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