Check your intake manifold bolts

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Wild one

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Still haven't found a YouTube video on this.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here,and say if you need a video to torque the intake bolts,you probably shouldn't be working on your truck.Just my 02 though. Red posted the torque sequence,and i gave you the size of socket you needed,plus gave you a good tip of where the bolts are ,it's up to you to go look at the manifold from there.
 
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Wild one

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Just to change this thread up a bit,has anybody used the Fel Pro intake gaskets ,they're alot cheaper then buying them from Ma Mopar.

 

huntergreen

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I'm gonna go out on a limb here,and say if you need a video to torque the intake bolts,you probably shouldn't be working on your truck.Just my 02 though. Red posted the torque sequence,and i gave you the size of socket you needed,plus gave you a good tip of where the bolts are ,it's up to you to go look at the manifold from there.
Very little I can do anymore. Don’t have the skills or correct diagnostic tools. That being said, I can torque bolts if needed. Lol again thanks for the advice and diagram for proper sequence.
 

grizzstang

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Maybe it's time to check these again.

I torqued mine a couple of times a few years ago and I figured I would leave them alone after that.

I didn't want to risk cracking the intake but if that is not really a concern and some are doing it every year with no issues, I will have to take a look at them.
 

RedSRT4Me

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Sorry to be the heterodox again, but while the theory is good I'm not so sure the expansion/contraction of the intake manifold is causing the intake bolts to turn (loosen).

The gasket used in this application is a elastic rubber-like compound O-ring. Over time they lose some of their elasticity due to heat. This results in loss of elastic pressure with resulting loss of force against any two components being sealed. Like a lot of intake manifolds these days, new ones almost always come with new O-ring seals.

I've asked techs if they've ever found an intake seal that cause a problem on a Hemi, and the answer has always been "no". Of course, it doesn't mean it can't happen. But I suspect periodic retightening is only bringing the intake surface closer to the cylinder head and eventually the intake surface will be in full contact with the head. This could cause the intake to crack.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 3 June 2018. Now at 82990 miles

I agree I don't think it's contraction, my research leads to vibration as the root cause.

37's, Driveshaft needs u joints and carrier bearing and the list goes on.

I do know when we have 50° F swing days from cold to hot in Arizona contraction is playing some role, but only after vibration does the dirty work.

So as the intake manifold loosens up ever so slightly here is what happens:

Misfire at idle only when cold
P0300
P0304
P0307
P0308

From those codes alone you can tell which cyls were loose so I already knew they would not be tight again.

P-219B also popped which is course for me is definitely telling me the IM is leaking.

So I went through with 105 inlbs torque sequence. No dice they loosened up

Couple days later did 110inlbs in sequence. Same result.

Scratching my head maybe those square gaskets have gone bad? Looked up online saying IM torque is 10ftlbs which equates to 120inlbs.

Retorqued the IM in sequence and all problems are fixed. 120 is the magic number that worked for me.

From a power difference I was loosing up to 50ftlbs of torque between 2500-3000rpms with 30% throttle. Reviewed some data fixing this issue. I was shocked and it's a noticeable seat of the pants difference now.
 

Daw14

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I just checked my 2014 with 27,000 miles on it and they were as loose as could be. Thanks for the heads up. Everyone needs to check and retighten theirs.
 

dennish

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Just checked my 2019 5.7. Couldn't believe how much I had to tighten the bolts. One question though, how do you get a decent grip on #9 without stripping the head. With a 6" extension and a torque ***** it's hard to steady.
 

Shawn Burns

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Thanks for this! I did my pre-towing season maintenance weekend recently and I decided to add this to my list. I own a 2016 Rebel with 55k miles. I'll bet each bolt had 1 ft/lb. I'm surprised I didn't get a code. They are now 108 inch/lbs. I'll check these once per year
 

joesstripclub

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I checked these this past weekend. Most of the bolts needed tightened. I didn't use a torque wrench, but I bet I got a quarter to half turn on most. What was a bit concerning was 3 bolts that didn't move at all. I had the ratchet set backwards at first so had to go back over a couple, but those bolts wouldn't turn in either direction. At least they weren't loose but I worry if I ever have to remove them. Hopefully they just have some thread sealant on them but maybe there is already some corrosion set in.

I can definitely tell I got some torque back though. The truck seems to hold 8th to a little slower speeds before it down shifts. Interested to see if it makes a difference towing.
 

ic3man5

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I tightened mine last night. I went to 130in-lbs (10.83ft-lbs) as I figured 10in-lbs won't be enough to crack the plastic and since they always loosen up this is my attempt to keep them tight. If they loosen up by next oil change I'm going to use high temp thread locker. There is a noticeable increase in power throughout the entire curve, the transmission is shifting better, and there are no power surges anymore (like a weak 2-stroke powerband).

Some data logging information:

No logging for this but my truck originally gave a code P219 a month or so ago. This is how I came across the intake manifold bolt issue (There isn't much out there on this). I've been dealing with knock/retard since I bought the truck a couple years ago. I assumed it was the knock sensors being extra sensitive.

Before anything done:
1681565183376.png

Intake Manifold bolts tightened to 130in-lbs (Passenger side had spark plugs replaced and gapped normally at 0.040"):
1681565216935.png

Replaced all spark plugs and gapped at 0.045" (There seems to be conflicting information everywhere on spark plug gapping, but from the deep dive I've done 0.045" seems to be the sweet spot - They are pre-gapped to 0.040):
1681565264879.png

The knock retard on the last one actually seems legit knock, might be from bad gas or the fact that I have techron concentrate fuel system cleaner in the gas right now. Most of the spark plugs were gapped at 0.040" that I pulled out but a couple were 0.043" or 0.035". My theory is from factory they are using the stock gap of 0.040" and not checking them.
 

Adamcr68

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This hasn't been talked about for awhile,but check your intake manifold bolts.They call for 108 in-lbs or roughly 9 ft-lbs of torque,and they should be checked at least yearly,as they do loosen up. I've been doing mine at least twice a year on all 3 of of my hemi equipped vehicles.They should be checked and torqued when the engine is cold.I just use my calibrated hand and a 1/4" drive rachet / 6" extension and 5/16's socket and just give them a twist by hand,but if you don't trust your hand,an inch lb torque wrench should be used.There's 10 of them on 5.7's and 6.4's. I've done them enough,i know the torque sequence ,but if you don't know the sequence it's easy enough to look up
Checked mine today, I don’t have a small torque wrench but followed your advice with the 1/4” drive. Most were tight but did get a couple that turned 3/4 to 1 turn to feel as tight as the rest. I decided to leave the engine cover off. Thanks for the tip Wildone!
 
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