Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Banks Twin Ram? Expert help please!

[SRath]

I have an opportunity to purchase a Banks Twin Ram intake for my '96 12-valve at a price I can actually afford. At least the seller and I think it is for a 2nd gen 12-valve. Hopefully someone here knows more about them than I do?



He had two of them, never used either, and sold one already. They have only one difference between them and that is the one I'm considering has a flange near the Y that looks like it may be for some type of EGR valve or ???



Other than that, they are identical. I don't need any EGR so I figure I can just bolt on a block-off plate and the manifold will work fine. I also don't believe Banks even offered a Twin Ram for the 24-valve engine, did they? So this must be for a 12-valve?



Can anyone tell me if I am correct in thinking this before I spend money for the intake? I should mention he has sent me a photo of it, but I do not have it physically in front of me. I am also sure he would provide any info he could if I knew what to ask.



Thanks! Scott

 

[SRath]

Hopefully I got this photo resized so you can see the flange I'm talking about as well as the intake manifold.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Yes I'm pretty sure Banks only did the Twin Ram for 12-valve and yes that looks like an EGR version.

 

[chuckwilson]

Buy it, your #6 cyl. will thank you!!!!!! And yes block of the egr port or cut it off & have the hole welded shut.

 

[SRath]

Thanks for the replies, guys!



What you see in the photo is all he has, so I will need some gaskets and another (?)heater grid it looks like to me. I figure the Cummins dealer should be good for the gaskets, but should I look for a used heater grid or are they fairly cheap?



Will I also need a second heater grid relay or can the original relay power two grids? How should I do this?



Do you know of anything else I will need or need to do?



Also, would the blockoff plate I make be a good place to put a fitting for a boost gauge?



Thanks again! Scott

 

[jtwcummins]

The heater grids transfered from the orig manifold on my 97. Twin Ram had insulators for the install. This was on a 12v 97. Mine also had a port for boost gauge on the plate. Your pic only shows 1 for the IAT, had another for the gauge. I have been told boost gauge should be as low as possible on the manifold, but it should work on EGR port.

 

[Shadrach]

The long bottom gasket is a stock Cummins part but the other two are different. He is missing the two adapters that go between these two parts. The stock heater has two "ribbons" in it and you take them out and install one in each of the missing adapters. If you live in a warm enough place you might not need the air heaters, but I believe you will need the spacers for height. If I'm wrong someone will correct me. :-laf Shadrach

 

[SRath]

Shadrach, I think you are right.



I found a stock advertising photo of a complete Twin Ram system and it does show two spacer plates as well as a bunch of bolts and gaskets as being part of the system. The bolts and gaskets don't worry me, but now I wonder if I can get the spacers separately or not from Banks and what those will cost...



He shipped the intake to me today, too. Darn it! I think I might have found another of those "good deals" that I am so good at getting myself into...



Thanks for the heads-up, though!

 

[bigdaddydieseldan]

I have an opportunity to purchase a Banks Twin Ram intake for my '96 12-valve at a price I can actually afford. At least the seller and I think it is for a 2nd gen 12-valve. Hopefully someone here knows more about them than I do?



He had two of them, never used either, and sold one already. They have only one difference between them and that is the one I'm considering has a flange near the Y that looks like it may be for some type of EGR valve or ???



Other than that, they are identical. I don't need any EGR so I figure I can just bolt on a block-off plate and the manifold will work fine. I also don't believe Banks even offered a Twin Ram for the 24-valve engine, did they? So this must be for a 12-valve?



Can anyone tell me if I am correct in thinking this before I spend money for the intake? I should mention he has sent me a photo of it, but I do not have it physically in front of me. I am also sure he would provide any info he could if I knew what to ask.



Thanks! Scott

Banks only made the twinram intake manifold for the 12 valve only the one that you are showing in the picture is the california emissions twimram with the stupid a** egr like you said just block it off and buy it Oo. Oo. Oo.

Your truck will thank you for the improved breathing Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[Reb.B]

Too much work, don't get enough out of it, Joe D. did 799. 9 with his stock manifold. Use 49 state manifold and u'll be fine. Also everytime you want to work on truck its a hassle to get it all off again.

 

[Reb.B]

Oh, and the most important reason not to install it, It says "Banks" on it.

 

[SRath]

Looking at how far forward the stock intake enters the plenum, not even in the middle between cylinders three and four like you might expect for reasonable balance, I don't see how it could possibly flow as evenly to all cylinders as the Twin Ram.



As far as Banks products go; I have little experience. Gale Banks, on the other hand, has decades of proven, award winning experience. Yes, his products are expensive, which is why I don't have any, but that doesn't mean they aren't good. Banks has done much for the diesel aftermarket and truck owners. Diesel pickups were low-powered slugs until he took it to a new level. That stimulated good, healthy competition. And we can thank him for that, too.



I do appreciate your opinion, though, Reb, and if I had to pay retail I might agree on the cost vs. benefit. But I'm getting a good price (though the spacers might change that), so even a small improvement could be cost effective. Especially given today's fuel prices!

 

[Reb.B]

the air going into your motor is under pressure not under a vacuum, #6 is getting air

 

[KYOUNG]

Jim Fulmer makes 850+ hp, had his head ported and flowed and found that the stock manifold will fow more than the head so why bother other than cool factor... ...

Banks Intake=wasted Dollars!!!

 

[Hammer]

Jim Fulmer makes 850+ hp, had his head ported and flowed and found that the stock manifold will fow more than the head so why bother other than cool factor...

If you look at your comment you answered the question yourself,cooling. The Twin Ram is a expensive toy when bought at retail price,but,if one can be had at a good price its a worthy addition to your truck. Its does what its supposed to do by evening out the egts between the front 3 and rear 3 cylinders. As for its claim to any added HP,that I did not find but I wasn't looking for it when I added mine.



I will agree with Reb though its a PIA to take on and off when you need to do anything on that side of the motor. However,there are other things we add which cause as much of a headache and to me its just an inconvience. The Twin Ram is no more a PIA than the stupid place Cummins and Dodge placed the factory fuel filters at.



Scott. .

I do not have a good side shot of the Twin Ram on my truck but I will take a picture of it tommorrow for you. I also have the instructions for installing it here so PM me a email address and I will send them to you,maybe it will help you. If you have any other questions I will do what I can to help. Yours is missing some parts and all are still available from Banks. The one I have on my truck came off the former TDR truck built by Scott Dagelish called "Two Timer". The current owner went a different direction with the truck and I purchased all the chrome goodies from them. Here is a shot of it on my truck for you and I will get you a better one if you need it. Sorry for the slow response and missing this thread,I was busy with my clubs show and have been very busy... ... ... . Andy

 

[DPashko]

heres a shot of mine. performance wise no gain, it may balance cylinder temps. and it is a bit of pain to remove if you love to tinker... but it looks cool and you'll always get comments on it!! haha!! But, you are missing some piece and probably pay through the nose from Banks!!

 

[Reb.B]

I don't think it will balance anything. Here is why i think this. The time it will balance is at an idle, but after boost is made, then there is even pressure all over the intake runners. If you installed a boost gauge on each side of the head and it was different, then maybe i could see this. I'm not trying to say buy it or don't, I am just thinking out loud and trying to put sense to this, whether banks made it or somebody else. It boost was lower on the back two or three cylinders, then the motor was craving more than it was getting, but if air is pushed it a plenum, and it has pressure all over, then it shouldn't matter where the manifold was placed. I think that the worst thing you can have happen is turbulence, or the wrong "kind" of turbulence. Maybe the twin ram will make more turbulence, and hurt the flow of air into the cylinders, just some thoughts, not trying to beat a dead horse.

 

[biggy238]

the air going into your motor is under pressure not under a vacuum, #6 is getting air

If this is true, why do most of the big power guys run pyro's on all 6 cylinders? It's not the pressure. It's the velocity/flow. pressure is only a measure of resistance of flow, not an indicator of whether or not #1 and #6 a breathing well.

 

[Reb.B]

You can be overfueled in one cylinder, or valve clearance could be off, lots of things can cause one cylinder to run hot. Also, you would need to do a dyno before and after to see if the twin ram helped velocity or hurt it.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

air flow does make a difference, even when everything is pressurized... if one cylinder is only getting 80% of the air that another cylinder is getting, when the air is pressurized, it's still going to get less air than the other