32K miles and I have broken exhaust manifold bolts !!

noupf · Dec 7, 2017

So, i hopped in my 2015 sport today, started it up and noticed a bit more engine noise than normal. I hop out and hear a very distinctive ticking noise. Now, I've read plenty about the "hemi tick", but up until now, i've never experienced it ( maybe bc i run pennzoil ultra platinum oils, but until today, its been a relatively quiet motor ). So, I hop back in and slowly pull away. As i give it a little more gas, I can hear the tick increasing. I've heard an exhaust leak / tick before and this is exactly what i am hearing now....... UNREAL !!!

I cant believe i have a 2 year old truck with barely over 30,000 miles and i have bolts snapping off bc of a design flaw that's apparently been an issue for Dodge/Ram for almost 10 years ( based on my readings online ).

My question is this.......Does Ram have real solution for this or am i going to be going back to my dealer 2-3 times over the next 3 years or 65k miles when this **** happens again? Luckily i have the 5 year / 100k warranty before ram shafted their customers with the 5 year 60k warranty change over.

guess i'll be calling my local dealership in the morning. Maybe ill get my melting blacked out projector lenses replaced while im at it.

I know all brands have their issues, but this is unreal with a $55k stickered truck

R.D.J. · Dec 8, 2017

Meh, the Big 3 all have this exact same problem.

Unreasonable to be upset? Not at all. Whomever decided M8 studs were acceptable in aluminum head with a cast manifold, haven’t heard of rust jacking.

Kap1 · Dec 8, 2017

Yep, you'll be going back to the dealership every couple years. They're covered by powertrain warranty. I've done it twice within 70k

zeddy · Dec 8, 2017

My 2005 Nissan titans manifolds (both sides) were replaced at 6k miles. One side had broken bolts along with a crack, the other just had a cracked manifold.

30k miles alter, both replaced again. Passenger side cracked, drivers side starting to crack.

My 1991 Nissan pathfinder had broken bolts and worpped manifolds. If u you ever see an older Nissan pathfinder or truck, listen.

It's not just ram. Nissans are notorious.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

1quick1 · Dec 8, 2017

Kap1 said:
Yep, you'll be going back to the dealership every couple years. They're covered by powertrain warranty. I've done it twice within 70k

good luck...

69GWC · Dec 8, 2017

Where a set of shorty headers come into play. What I plan on doing.

Casper · Dec 8, 2017

noupf said:
So, i hopped in my 2015 sport today, started it up and noticed a bit more engine noise than normal. I hop out and hear a very distinctive ticking noise. Now, I've read plenty about the "hemi tick", but up until now, i've never experienced it ( maybe bc i run pennzoil ultra platinum oils, but until today, its been a relatively quiet motor ). So, I hop back in and slowly pull away. As i give it a little more gas, I can hear the tick increasing. I've heard an exhaust leak / tick before and this is exactly what i am hearing now....... UNREAL !!!

I cant believe i have a 2 year old truck with barely over 30,000 miles and i have bolts snapping off bc of a design flaw that's apparently been an issue for Dodge/Ram for almost 10 years ( based on my readings online ).

My question is this.......Does Ram have real solution for this or am i going to be going back to my dealer 2-3 times over the next 3 years or 65k miles when this **** happens again? Luckily i have the 5 year / 100k warranty before ram shafted their customers with the 5 year 60k warranty change over.

guess i'll be calling my local dealership in the morning. Maybe ill get my melting blacked out projector lenses replaced while im at it.

I know all brands have their issues, but this is unreal with a $55k stickered truck

That's why you have a 5 yr/ 100K miles powertrain warranty.

69GWC · Dec 8, 2017

Problem is after that then the repair is on your dime. Its just something that keeps happening if the same ole parts keep being used.

BigHemiDoinThangs · Dec 8, 2017

Every brand has this problem, just get the dealer to fix it while it's under warranty and then when it happens after it's out of warranty get the manifolds machined and buy quality hardware or go the shorty header route with quality hardware.

noupf · Dec 8, 2017

Casper said:
That's why you have a 5 yr/ 100K miles powertrain warranty.

i guess ram said "**** you" to those who now only have the 5yr/60k warranty they changed to in 2016 huh?

on an even more fun note....my local dealer has a 3 week wait to get me in. Gotta love it.

Murphy Slaw · Dec 8, 2017

Is this weather related heat/cool etc ?

Or just a crapshoot?

I know an old guy who runs around the Country buying small tractors in a 2014 Laramie / 5.7 Hemi who has 130,000 miles and has never heard of this. I just talked to him the other day.

BigHemiDoinThangs · Dec 8, 2017

Murphy Slaw said:
Is this weather related heat/cool etc ?

Or just a crapshoot?

I know an old guy who runs around the Country buying small tractors in a 2014 Laramie / 5.7 Hemi who has 130,000 miles and has never heard of this. I just talked to him the other day.

The heads are Aluminum and the manifolds are cast iron, they heat and cool/expand and contract at different rates causing the bolts to stretch and break. He may have gotten the batch of manifold bolts made tuesday-thursday instead of monday or friday. Weather may play a very small factor in it.

big13 · Dec 12, 2017

I did shorty headers with new bolts form MOE'S, But the stock y-pipe is your restriction. I went with AFE catted y-pipe and have a flo-pro muffler going on.

Stefan N · Dec 13, 2017

where do these stud/bolts break? Is drilling required or is the stud/bolts usually broken off outside the heads so a vise grip of some sort can grab them!??

Is there a better one to put in its place? checked for ARPs but could not find any :O

rwreuter · Dec 13, 2017

Most of the time they break off flush with the head, sometimes you will get lucky and get something to grab ahold of. On my 2011, I had 3 on the left side and 2 on the right, all broke flush.

We mig welded a nut to the stud that was in the head and back them all out. The heads are aluminum, so they dissipate heat extremely well so there is there little risk to damaging the head.

Stefan N · Dec 13, 2017

rwreuter said:
Most of the time they break off flush with the head, sometimes you will get lucky and get something to grab ahold of. On my 2011, I had 3 on the left side and 2 on the right, all broke flush.

We mig welded a nut to the stud that was in the head and back them all out. The heads are aluminum, so they dissipate heat extremely well so there is there little risk to damaging the head.

Ok, thanks for a nice answer!

How about upgrades?

ramportin1 · Dec 13, 2017

R.D.J. said:
Meh, the Big 3 all have this exact same problem.

Unreasonable to be upset? Not at all. Whomever decided M8 studs were acceptable in aluminum head with a cast manifold, haven’t heard of rust jacking.

unbelievable, FINALLY a person that actually knows what hes talking about on this subject lol breath of fresh air

Kap1 · Dec 13, 2017

I had mine done twice within 70k miles, and if the dealer doesn't do a good job from beginning, they'll keep warping and breaking.

The last time dealer was fixing mine, they messed up the head, and I got cylinder misfire code the same day I picked it up after the manifold leak repair. Truck spend 5 weeks at the dealership and they ended up replacing the entire right head... I described it in my other post on cylinder misfire.

I guess the manifolds and head needs to be machined to make sure it's all smooth before they screw it all together, otherwise if they just screw it back together, and the surface is warped then it'll break very quickly once again. Try to tell this to your service advisor...

rwreuter · Dec 13, 2017

Stefan N said:
Ok, thanks for a nice answer!

How about upgrades?

"I was told" and I read that MOPAR has/had redesigned the new stud so they are less susceptible to the expansion and contraction due to heat. Whether or not that is true, I don't know. When I replaced mine at 76k I purchased them from the dealer.

My research before buying new studs and gaskets didn't reveal any aftermarket upgrades that I could find. For Ford, I found titanium but no new and improved for us Ram guys.

In the long run, it might be better to eliminate the issue of the difference of metals rather than put stronger bolts/studs in. I want the studs to break before something else more expensive breaks....make sense?

For me, it will be a wait and see to see how long the replacements last.....at 89k, good so far.

Stefan N · Dec 13, 2017

Thanks!

32K miles and I have broken exhaust manifold bolts !!

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