Exhaust Manifolds | Warped

[cleetussnow]

First time poster...Bolts failed on the right side manifold, 8k miles out of warranty. This is my first RAM (2017 2500 5.7). I'll be going through these threads to see what the best solution is to make a permanent repair but off the top of my head OEM parts are not going back on it.

I'm considering doing the other side (Gasket and bolts) before another bolt sheers/snaps. The downside to that is I now want to move on from this truck and this can simply be someone elses problem. There is a limited supply of new vehicles from any of the other manufacturers or RAM and that is putting a damper on my plans.

I'm not happy (and no one is of course) that this is a known problem and there are no recalls. I've also not heard of any upgrade so any Hemi is suspect as of the 2022 model year.

 

[EdGs]

First time poster...Bolts failed on the right side manifold, 8k miles out of warranty. This is my first RAM (2017 2500 5.7). I'll be going through these threads to see what the best solution is to make a permanent repair but off the top of my head OEM parts are not going back on it.

I'm considering doing the other side (Gasket and bolts) before another bolt sheers/snaps. The downside to that is I now want to move on from this truck and this can simply be someone elses problem. There is a limited supply of new vehicles from any of the other manufacturers or RAM and that is putting a damper on my plans.

I'm not happy (and no one is of course) that this is a known problem and there are no recalls. I've also not heard of any upgrade so any Hemi is suspect as of the 2022 model year.

Yes, it sucks to have the manifold bolts fail, but it's not the end of the world.

Passenger side manifold is definately the easier side to deal with.

Which bolts are broken? Usually it is the bolts that the heat shield attaches to. If you feel underneath the corner of the shield and cannot feel any of the body of the bolt, they are broken under the head and are easy to remove.

If broken flush with the cylinder head, they are harder to remove, but a nut can be welded to the stud to allow for removal.

Once your manifold is removed, belt sand it flat or have a machine shop mill it flat, and you wont have a problem with it.

Lots of us have been there, and done that. May your repairs go smoothly.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Once your manifold are removed, throw them straight in the trash and buy Headers.

Never put OEM junk back on these trucks if you want them to last.

 

[Citcope]

I’m currently sitting at a Ram dealer getting my second (passenger side) manifold replaced with in 6months. This really does suck. What would cause the manifold to do this? I have been pulling a travel trailer so I am thinking from the heat of the engine working to pull the trailer has caused the manifold to warp again.

Question, who would one go see to get headers put on so this won’t happen again? Right now we are on the fence to go trade this pos in for a Cummins….. but we have this truck almost paid off.

 

[Citcope]

I’m currently sitting at a Ram dealer getting my second (passenger side) manifold replaced with in 6months. This really does suck. What would cause the manifold to do this? I have been pulling a travel trailer so I am thinking from the heat of the engine working to pull the trailer has caused the manifold to warp again.

Question, who would one go see to get headers put on so this won’t happen again? Right now we are on the fence to go trade this pos in for a Cummins….. but we have this truck almost paid off.

SMH well that’s 1500 that I was not expecting to pay. Passenger side manifold is warped and broken manifold bolts that need extracting. I will get more info later once I get the invoice.

 

[EdGs]

SMH well that’s 1500 that I was not expecting to pay. Passenger side manifold is warped and broken manifold bolts that need extracting. I will get more info later once I get the invoice.

And, when the dealer puts another 'new' OE manifold on it, that one will also warp the same as the 2 before it.

If the manifolds are sanded/milled flat after they've already warped, they will not warp again.

 

[Octane]

And, when the dealer puts another 'new' OE manifold on it, that one will also warp the same as the 2 before it.

If the manifolds are sanded/milled flat after they've already warped, they will not warp again.

"Heat cycle seasoned" and planed flat usually will work well.I agree.The shop needs to fix it correctly,not just toss a part on to get it out the door

 

[Edward Miller]

On my 2012 Ram 1500 the passenger side lost 2 manifold bolts resulting in a ticking sound/exhaust leak at start up at about 55K miles. I replaced all the manifold bolts and checked the exhaust manifold for straightness and it was fine and the repair now has 35K miles on it. About 5K miles later (60K on truck) the driver side exhaust manifold lost 2 bolts also, again creating the ticking/exhaust leak sound at start up. Again I replaced all the manifold bolts BUT also had to replace the driver side exhaust manifold as it was warped like a banana, verified with my machine straight edge tool. A buddy of mine has a repair shop and on average he sees 1 Hemi a month, mostly trucks with exhaust leaks due to broken manifold bolts, sometimes the manifold is fine, sometimes it is warped. Do not reuse old exhaust manifold bolts unless you want to do the repair again in a short period of time.

 

[Citcope]

Well the first shop rethreaded one of the end bolts and placed a bigger bolt in to “help” ensure that it wouldn’t break again…. And here we are broke again. So we are thinking the first shop messed up that thread hole and re-threaded it and put in a bigger bolt. I hope that is not the case cause the dealer said it would possibly be 3k-4K more in repairs. Smh

 

[EdGs]

Did they show you this 'rethreaded' bolt? I hate to think like this, but makes me wonder if this dealer might have messed up extracting the broken bolts and trying to blame the first shop.

Please forgive me for thinking that way, it's just how my brain works sometimes.

3-4k more in repairs says to me they are replacing one or both cylinder heads for whatever reason.

If the dealer can document the boo-boo by the first shop, maybe you might have some recourse? Maybe a tough road, but who knows?

Sorry you are having so much grief over this. Hang in there.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

I’m currently sitting at a Ram dealer getting my second (passenger side) manifold replaced with in 6months. This really does suck. What would cause the manifold to do this? I have been pulling a travel trailer so I am thinking from the heat of the engine working to pull the trailer has caused the manifold to warp again.

Question, who would one go see to get headers put on so this won’t happen again? Right now we are on the fence to go trade this pos in for a Cummins….. but we have this truck almost paid off.

The problem is the stock manifolds will warp due to the thin flange on the manifolds that gets bolted against the head. A newly replaced manifold will warp and you will have the same issue again. Thats why it is so common and you hear a lot about people having the same issue again later on.

Quality headers whether they be shorties or long tubes will use a 3/8" thick steel flange that will NOT warp! We never hear of any customers having this issue after having headers installed. We can get you set up with headers. Message me if you would like a quote on a set.

 

[kjingram]

Anyone replace the OEM manifolds with the Dorman? Just completed my manifold replacement this past weekend and wondering if they'll have the same issues? I debated machining the old manifolds down and reusing, but read conflicting information that the thinner manifold after milling might be more prone to warping in the future. 2015 with 120,000 on the odometer. I will say, if you try the Dorman manifolds, buy a different gasket or at least enlarge one of the holes on the gasket (it seemed milled too small to easily start the bolt, same on both sides I think second cylinder back on the pass side, 3rd cylinder back on the drivers). Has anyone else run into the stainless steel bolts FCA started putting in for cylinders 7 and 8? If you're not a welder (I'm not) and have to drill, good luck those SS bolts are hard. I highly recommend the Lisle kit from Amazon. Probably the best $110 I've spent in a while. I had 4 broken bolts (cyl 7 and 8, of course) broken off flush and son decided to snap the top bolt left side when removing. I don't think I could've drilled that one out without the Lisle kit. Loosened the A/C compressor to allow the lines to slide forward slightly, and it helped. Also, didn't have to remove the dipstick tube but it probably would've made the job easier overall.

 

[Redfox458]

About a year ago I spent $950 at my local shop to have both manifolds resurfaced and new OEM manifold gaskets and bolt kits installed. They said I had one bolt broken on the driver's side. Fast forward to now, my truck is going back to the same shop (because of their warranty). I've put 4,800 miles on the truck and already has another broken bolt using FCA's "improved" bolt kit. Since then I've been researching header brands and other options to completely fix this issue. A ceramic coating company near me suggests that I buy new OEM manifolds and have them ceramic coated. Has anybody tried to ceramic coat the cast manifolds? Would this reduce the heat enough to prevent more warping and bolt breakage?

If I have to go the header route, I'd prefer a shorty header because I don't really want to go through the work and money to use a programmer to delete the cats. I've also noticed that there aren't a ton of "good" brands out there that make shorty headers. I have seen too many bad reviews for JBA and BBK that make me want to stay away from those brands. I like Kook - but I just can't afford those, even AFE look good but are beyond my budget, at least for now.

Thoughts?

 

[Hemi395]

About a year ago I spent $950 at my local shop to have both manifolds resurfaced and new OEM manifold gaskets and bolt kits installed. They said I had one bolt broken on the driver's side. Fast forward to now, my truck is going back to the same shop (because of their warranty). I've put 4,800 miles on the truck and already has another broken bolt using FCA's "improved" bolt kit. Since then I've been researching header brands and other options to completely fix this issue. A ceramic coating company near me suggests that I buy new OEM manifolds and have them ceramic coated. Has anybody tried to ceramic coat the cast manifolds? Would this reduce the heat enough to prevent more warping and bolt breakage?

If I have to go the header route, I'd prefer a shorty header because I don't really want to go through the work and money to use a programmer to delete the cats. I've also noticed that there aren't a ton of "good" brands out there that make shorty headers. I have seen too many bad reviews for JBA and BBK that make me want to stay away from those brands. I like Kook - but I just can't afford those, even AFE look good but are beyond my budget, at least for now.

Thoughts?

Well thats disappointing, I just replaced my JBA shorties that were leaking with new oem manifolds and the new oem bolts in June.

I honestly don't see how a ceramic coating would prevent them from warping in the future....

 

[Redfox458]

Well thats disappointing, I just replaced my JBA shorties that were leaking with new oem manifolds and the new oem bolts in June.

I honestly don't see how a ceramic coating would prevent them from warping in the future....

I don't know either - but the ceramic coating place was trying to say that the coating pushes more heat down the tube instead of just warming up the manifold (as much). Part of it just sounds like they want business and are willing to ceramic coat anything they can get their hands on.

Hopefully you have better luck with the OEM manifolds than I have, but if mine break bolts again I think I'll have my eyes set on a pair of AFE or Kooks shorty headers and have them ceramic coated, some remflex gaskets, and maybe even some ARP bolts.

 

[EdGs]

Anyone replace the OEM manifolds with the Dorman? Just completed my manifold replacement this past weekend and wondering if they'll have the same issues? I debated machining the old manifolds down and reusing, but read conflicting information that the thinner manifold after milling might be more prone to warping in the future. 2015 with 120,000 on the odometer. I will say, if you try the Dorman manifolds, buy a different gasket or at least enlarge one of the holes on the gasket (it seemed milled too small to easily start the bolt, same on both sides I think second cylinder back on the pass side, 3rd cylinder back on the drivers). Has anyone else run into the stainless steel bolts FCA started putting in for cylinders 7 and 8? If you're not a welder (I'm not) and have to drill, good luck those SS bolts are hard. I highly recommend the Lisle kit from Amazon. Probably the best $110 I've spent in a while. I had 4 broken bolts (cyl 7 and 8, of course) broken off flush and son decided to snap the top bolt left side when removing. I don't think I could've drilled that one out without the Lisle kit. Loosened the A/C compressor to allow the lines to slide forward slightly, and it helped. Also, didn't have to remove the dipstick tube but it probably would've made the job easier overall.

I replaced exhaust manifold bolts and gaskets on my '15 at 110k miles. Both rear upper bolts were snapped under the head, so they were super-easy to remove.

I belt-sanded the manifolds as flat as I could. Both manifolds were warped and slightly twisted at the rear cylinder. Used Everbuilt hardware and Fel-Pro gaskets from Amazon. Torqued to factory spec (18 ft-lbs?)

That was 17k miles ago. So far, so good

 

[Octane]

I've owned maybe fifty vehicles in almost fifty years and never had to replace a cracked exhaust manifold.I've had manifold studs rust off at the pipe.I remember those 250 chevy engines would crack manifolds but never owned one
Of course we never had chinesium parts either...America wasn't crazy to deal with our enemies back then

 

[cleetussnow]

Update on my situation:

I took the truck to the dealership on the advice of Ram Cares in case they can help with the situation and costs. They said make an appointment and go from there. The appointment was for this morning and the dealer just called and said both sides, left and right, had broken bolts. Not surprising. I asked if the bolts had snapped or corroded and they said corroded, and OK lets see the bolts. So I asked if I have them put stainless steel bolts on and they said 'we don't have those here.' Seems like a logical fix to me if they were in fact corroded.

The dealer quote was 1,500 which is consistent with others on here. I am waiting to hear back from Ram Cares and see if there is something to be done, but I have not heard anything back.

My rationale for going to the dealer is basically gambling that Ram Cares will come up with something to help on the costs, and that there is a 2 year warranty on the repair, and I don't really plan to have the truck past 2 years. The old bolts lasted 65K miles, so I suppose I could reasonably expect at least 50K anyway with the replacements (not super logical but my thoughts aren't always so). I was hoping to get 150K out of the truck but I fear there are other time bombs that are ticking as well as this known time bomb. Might be well short of 150k before it becomes someone else's.

So it's probably not going to be the best repair money can buy, but it will be the economical one for me given my situation and plans.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I've owned maybe fifty vehicles in almost fifty years and never had to replace a cracked exhaust manifold.I've had manifold studs rust off at the pipe.I remember those 250 chevy engines would crack manifolds but never owned one
Of course we never had chinesium parts either...America wasn't crazy to deal with our enemies back then

"chinesium".....perfect!

 

[HEMIMANN]

@cleetussnow - yeah, but the issue is if you go get another vehicle, you'll have a whole new set of time bombs. If you can get these fixed, they're done. That's why I tend to keep vehicles after I fix their bugs.

The two other known issues are the valve lifter failures and transmission valve body failure. If your oil change strategy is good, I wouldn't worry too much about lifters. Transmission is a nice-to-have, not a real mission disabler.