04 Ram 1500 4.7, exhaust bolt coolant leak

[Balaban04]

So I just picked up this Ram a week ago, noticed the front exhaust manifold bolt on the drivers side wasn't tightened down and the manifold was damp with coolant in that area. I'd noticed a small drip puddle under the truck every day. So I tightened it down and it didnt help. So I pulled the bolt out and applied arp thread sealant and reinstalled it. Now it is really leaking. Are those bolt known to leak coolant? Do those bolts thread into the water jackets?

 

[Fast69Mopar]

So I just picked up this Ram a week ago, noticed the front exhaust manifold bolt on the drivers side wasn't tightened down and the manifold was damp with coolant in that area. I'd noticed a small drip puddle under the truck every day. So I tightened it down and it didnt help. So I pulled the bolt out and applied arp thread sealant and reinstalled it. Now it is really leaking. Are those bolt known to leak coolant? Do those bolts thread into the water jackets?

Since you have a coolant leak from somewhere the first thing I would do is get your hands on a cooling system pressure tester. Pressurize the cooling system while the engine is cold so you can identify the leak. Remove the bolt from the exhaust manifold and see if coolant is coming out of that particular hole.

If for some reason you only have coolant coming from that bolt hole in the cylinder head it would be safe to assume that the bolt is in a water jacket and it's cracked.

I personally have never seen a 4.7 leak coolant from an exhaust bolt hole. Do your due diligence and pressure test the system and you will locate the leak. My guess is is may be coming from somewhere else.

If you do not have your own cooling system pressure tester you can rent one from your local parts store.

Let us know what you find.

 

[MayerMR]

I just finished rebuilding a 4.7L and there is a passage in the Haynes Manual, page 2A-12, paragraph 16 that reads, "...if you're working on a right-side exhaust manifold on a 4.7L engine, refill the cooling system". I can infer from this that the 4.7L has at least one bolt that runs through a water jacket. So that's a good sign that you may just have an issue with this bolt/gasket.

That said, on page 0-5 of the same manual, it states that, "References to the left or right side of the vehicle assume you are sitting in the driver's seat, facing forward".

So unfortunately, you refer to the driver's side, which would mean the left side of the engine, or that of the passenger side. I truly don't know if the water jacket would be mirrored on both sides, but it would seem that is likely that it would be - I simply don't know.

Regardless, Fast69Mopar gave you some good advice. Rather than throwing money or wasting time - I would do what he suggests. I'd also check your oil and look for milky oil - aka, water mixing with the oil.

Good news though, is that if you do have a problem, you may be able to get away with just buying a remanned head and replacing that head only - if there is indeed a crack on the interior.