The same 'ol bolt song and dance

[Carlgr]

Hi everyone. Sorry in advance, this is a topic that has been beaten but here I go, asking for some more clarification re: manifold bolts. I've been reading this forum for hours now about this prolific flaw and I've just confused myself with what I exactly need to fix the problem (if I decide my mediocre skills are good enough to try). I can't stand the thought of giving money to the stealership.

Anyway, 2014 Dodge Ram 5.7 Sport. Manifold bolts are gone on both sides now I think. I'm looking for a concise list of what I NEED to do the job right. At first, I thought all I need was new bolts.
From reading the forums, I think I'm wrong.

So I need bolts. New gaskets? New manifold all together? Switch it out to headers?

I also don't have access to a welder for the nut weld trick for the bolts so I would appreciate any tips from weekend warriors who actually did this with success. I'm being quoted 1200-1500 bucks (CAD) and I can't work with that.

Appreciate any and all replies (and sorry to all you long time members who are probably sick of reading about this issue!)

 

[CheechDogg.0n37s]

I personally would replace the manifolds with shorty headers with some remflex gaskets and what ever the shorty headers bolts it comes with should be fine ... I wouldn't do stage 8 bolts but others do and it's fine ..

As to getting them out without a welder, maybe see if you can rent one from a rental place or buy a cheap one .. you can use an extraction tool but it's pretty risky if you don't know what you are doing and you could possibly drill through the head ...

Not a hard job at all, @the_goodguy07 and I replaced his manifolds with the AFE shorties and remflex gaskets I believe we used and the bolts the shorties came with ... it took us a few hours, the hardest part was getting to some of the bolts in the inside middle ones ...

No need to apologize, I for one don't get sick of this question being asked by newcomers , feel free to ask any and all questions you have ..

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

I replaced the bolts on my 11 by replacement of the manifolds with stock manifolds and stock bolts. I didn't use a welder and I did drill the bolt and use an extractor. It was slow and nerve wracking. I did not have any issues and I have no exhaust leaks on this truck. My other truck currently has a leak and it is getting headers as replacement to manifolds. The 11 is a tow vehicle, with 150k miles the other is not.

 

[EdGs]

First, get an idea what you're up against.

See if you heat shields are loose. If they are, it is usually the 2 rearmost bolts that break.

Feel underneath the corners of the shield. If you can feel the body of the bolt still attached to the heat shield (it will be about an inch long), the bolt is likely broken flush with the cylinder head. Tricky, but not impossible to remove, welder method is best.

If you only feel what appears to be a bolt head under the corner of the heat shield, then you likely have a stub sticking out, and much easier to remove as you can grab it once the manifolds have been removed.

You will have to also pop the oil dipstick tube from the block. There are 2 bolts that hold the tube. On 4wd vehicles, the lower bolt is harder to remove.

With the mounting bolts removed, you can lightly clamp a pair of small vise-grips to the tube near the base, and tap it upward to remove it from the block.

Then you have to decide if you will reuse the manifolds. They must be sanded or machined flat, and new gaskets (remflex is highly recommended here), plus new hardware as well.

I used everbuilt hardware and fel-pro gaskets on my '15. That was 30k miles ago. So far, so good.

You can also replace the exhaust manifolds with shorty headers and the included hardware, and new gaskets of course.

Don't get discouraged. Broken exhaust bolts are very common, so many of us have been there and done that (some, more than once).

Good luck with your repairs, may they go smoothly.

 

[GTyankee]

I think that it is very strange that the bolts that break are always the bolts that hold the heat shield in place.

I am not a metallurgist, so i wonder why the heat shield causes the bolt to break

I also think that the heat shield should be fastened in place using a different fastener

 

[GTyankee]

There is a Youtube video made buy South Main Auto

Removing Broken Exhaust Manifold Bolts - Hemi Dodge Ram

In this video I show you how to remove 4 broken exhaust manifold bolts in this 2010 Ram with a 5.7 hemi with out a drill.Wanna see the manifold installation?...

www.youtube.com

& the 2nd part

Installing Exhaust Manifolds - Hemi Dodge Ram

This is the follow up video to "Removing Broken Exhaust Manifold Bolts - Hemi Dodge Ram " see it here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDlk7B-PRAA&list=UUtAGz...

www.youtube.com

 

[jws123]

If the bolts are broken flush best and only way is to get them out with a welder dont know if Canada has harbor freight or anything like it but they sell really cheap welders that will work.

 

[EdGs]

I think that it is very strange that the bolts that break are always the bolts that hold the heat shield in place.

I am not a metallurgist, so i wonder why the heat shield causes the bolt to break

I also think that the heat shield should be fastened in place using a different fastener

The back of the manifold does seem to be where the bolts always break. Maybe that is where the most heat is, because every cylinder in the bank passes by it.

The shield does not play a part, IMO. It is only held on by small nuts.

The manifolds on my '15 broke only the rearmost bolt on both sides, and both were broken just under the head of the stud as well. Once the manifolds were off, I just grabbed the broken studs with vise-grips and unscrewed them. Easy-peasy. Lucked out.

Sanded the warped manifolds the best I could, and am now 30k miles down the road with no issues so far.

As far as why the OE exhaust manifolds warp so easily, I wonder if they weren't properly normalized at manufacture. It seems that once the warped manifolds are resurfaced, they are good-to-go.

JMO, as I am not familiar with how the manifolds are manufactured, but in my own experience with the machinists and toolmakers at my work, they have said that metals will sometimes deform after heating, and sometimes even after machining, as the stresses are affected in different areas of the part.

 

[Daniel Ortiz]

Oh lord, please let me share @EdGs fate when my exhaust manifold bolts go.

 

[Dinky]

how many miles do you have on it?

 

[EdGs]

Oh lord, please let me share @EdGs fate when my exhaust manifold bolts go.

Mine were actually broken for quite some time before I fixed them, maybe 30k miles (or more).

I finally got tired of it sounding like ****, and got off my ass and fixed it.

The repair wasn't even that bad. I dicked around for about 2 hours trying to get the driver side manifold out before I removed the oil dipstick tube from the block.

Even hear the sound on other peoples' Rams from time to time as they start up or go by me in a parking lot.

 

[Daniel Ortiz]

@EdGs I have a 4x4, so the dipstick isn't coming off the engine if it's up to me. I've heard the driver side manifold can be wiggled up and out from the top if you kind of bend the oil dipstick a little. We'll see. Otherwise I understand it's engine-lifting time to take the dipstick off of a 4x4. Ugh.

I'm also planning on re-planing my old manifolds when it happens. They are essentially free heat-cycle-treated parts once you bring them into plane again, and highly unlikely to warp enough again to pop a new set of studs. I hear a lot of people use sanders. I'm not sure about that. I'd rather take it to a machine shop, but it's nice to see it's that simple.

 

[EdGs]

@EdGs I have a 4x4, so the dipstick isn't coming off the engine if it's up to me. I've heard the driver side manifold can be wiggled up and out from the top if you kind of bend the oil dipstick a little. We'll see. Otherwise I understand it's engine-lifting time to take the dipstick off of a 4x4. Ugh.

I'm also planning on re-planing my old manifolds when it happens. They are essentially free heat-cycle-treated parts once you bring them into plane again, and highly unlikely to warp enough again to pop a new set of studs. I hear a lot of people use sanders. I'm not sure about that. I'd rather take it to a machine shop, but it's nice to see it's that simple.

I've heard the dipstick tubes on 4x4's are a PITA to get out.

I could not get my manifold out through the top. No way, no how. Tried for two hours, at least. Ended up scraping my refrigerant lines a bit before I decided to pull the dipstick tube.

Once the tube was out, tipped the manifold down in the back, and out through the bottom she came. Took 10 seconds. No ****.

Perhaps you will have bettet luck going out through the top. I hope so. I wish you the best.

I used the belt sander method on the manifolds, and it took a while. I did not get all the warp/twist out. If I kept at it, I could have gotten it all out. I wasn't in a position to have them planed. Would've been nice, but so far, so good.

 

[blackbetty14]

Shorties and ARP SS bolt kit with a remflex gasket. New manifolds, gaskets and bolts will do the same thing. Or if your cheap, plane the warped stock manifolds and install with flexflex gaskets and new hardware.

If you don't have a welded get one or make friends with someone who has one, welding in that area is going to be tough plus you have to get a decent weld which its hard to weld 90* or upside down as the weld will dip out/off.

I didn't need to remove my dipstick for anything to put my shorties in. I did take out the steering knuckle to get the shortie in on the driver side. Mine is a 2018 4x4 1500.

 

[EdGs]

.....I didn't need to remove my dipstick for anything to put my shorties in. I did take out the steering knuckle to get the shortie in on the driver side. Mine is a 2018 4x4 1500.

I didn't do anything to the steering knuckle on my '15.



I huffed and I puffed, but that SOB was not coming out.

Not sure if removing the dipstick tube was the lesser of the evils. I usually take the long way around the lake, though....lol

 

[blackbetty14]

Manifold comes out through the bottom back side. It turns/rotates and then slides down and out from the bottom. The heatshield/gasket needs to come off.

Dipstick on the 4x4 is a PITA, its bolted down under the motor mount. I needed to remove the steering knuckle to get the new aftermarket header up into position. You can see a scratch on the front primary tune on the first pic thats where the Steering knuckle hit.

 

[Dusty]

@EdGs I have a 4x4, so the dipstick isn't coming off the engine if it's up to me. I've heard the driver side manifold can be wiggled up and out from the top if you kind of bend the oil dipstick a little. We'll see. Otherwise I understand it's engine-lifting time to take the dipstick off of a 4x4. Ugh.

I'm also planning on re-planing my old manifolds when it happens. They are essentially free heat-cycle-treated parts once you bring them into plane again, and highly unlikely to warp enough again to pop a new set of studs. I hear a lot of people use sanders. I'm not sure about that. I'd rather take it to a machine shop, but it's nice to see it's that simple.

Agree. Old manifolds are nice and seasoned.

I've seen folks sand the manifolds on a table-type belt sander. They do a fair job of knocking down the high spots, but most don't have access to a table belt sander.

Machine cutting does a nicer job.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 067978 miles.

 

[Carlgr]

Hi all. Sorry for the late response, and THANK YOU for all the knowledge being shared. This forum is superb! Thank you.
Truck has 160,000 km's / 100,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, when I bought it (new to me), I noticed a "tick" and when I went to the stealership (2 days after purchase) to report it they said something might be wrong with the camshaft and it was replaced only as a "goodwill" gesture as it's not covered under warranty. That was a problem but it wasn't THE problem. When I picked it up, I drove it for a while, but tick was still there. So, I went back and told them. They said it could be a number of things, all of which will require $$ to diagnose and they will not put any more goodwill into the truck. All the while, it was the bolts. Pissed at the dealer for fleecing me, pissed at myself for falling for it.

However, the responses here have got me on the right path so....thank you again. Time to watch those videos that were posted!

 

[EdGs]

Hi all. Sorry for the late response, and THANK YOU for all the knowledge being shared. This forum is superb! Thank you.
Truck has 160,000 km's / 100,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, when I bought it (new to me), I noticed a "tick" and when I went to the stealership (2 days after purchase) to report it they said something might be wrong with the camshaft and it was replaced only as a "goodwill" gesture as it's not covered under warranty. That was a problem but it wasn't THE problem. When I picked it up, I drove it for a while, but tick was still there. So, I went back and told them. They said it could be a number of things, all of which will require $$ to diagnose and they will not put any more goodwill into the truck. All the while, it was the bolts. Pissed at the dealer for fleecing me, pissed at myself for falling for it.

However, the responses here have got me on the right path so....thank you again. Time to watch those videos that were posted!

I wonder if the dealership even replaced your camshaft at all.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they didn't, but told you they did.

 

[Daniel Ortiz]

@EdGs , "goodwill" indeed! That would be evil.