The real problem is the factory grid heater hardware. Over time, heat cycles and a 30 Hz idle vibration can loosen the fastener. Once it backs off, it starts arcing, superheats the hardware, and melts the nut and bolt. From there, gravity does the rest. The bolt drops into the intake manifold, works its way to cylinder #6, and can get hammered through the valve, piston, and head. That is how a cheap fastener turns into a very expensive engine failure. Our Banks Monster-Ram Intake and Killer Grid Heater Upgrade fixes that by removing the stock grid heater from the intake path entirely. In its place, we use a high-flow intake plate and a coil-heater strategy, so there is no grid-heater bolt hanging in the airstream waiting to fall. At the same time, the inlet path is opened up, which improves engine breathing, throttle response, and fuel economy while giving you peace of mind the stock failure point is gone.
The video centers on a known failure point in certain Ram Cummins trucks: the factory grid heater bolt. The presenters describe it as a small, inexpensive fastener with the potential to destroy an engine if it comes loose and enters the intake stream. Their example is a customer truck brought in before catastrophic failure occurred, illustrating how a seemingly minor hardware issue can turn into a major engine replacement.
The truck shown is a 2016 Ram with about 107,000 miles. During the inspection, the team notes that a P2609 code was not present, underscoring that this failure risk may exist even without that diagnostic trouble code. Once they begin examining the intake side, they immediately notice that the expected bolt is missing. The concern is no longer theoretical: part of the grid heater hardware has already failed and disappeared from its original location.
With the bolt no longer visible where it should be, the team inspects the intake path near cylinder 6. They use a magnet to search inside and eventually recover the missing piece. The discovery confirms that the hardware had already broken free and was sitting in a position where it could soon have been ingested by the engine. Their reaction makes clear how close the truck was to a much more expensive outcome.
The explanation given is that the grid heater connection loosens over time from vibration and repeated heat cycles. As the joint elongates or the retaining nut backs off by even a thread or two, electrical arcing begins. The presenters compare it to an arc welder: the poor connection creates intense localized heat, which superheats the hardware. That heat then melts the nut and bolt material.
Because the assembly is mounted upside down in service, the molten or weakened hardware can separate and drop downward into the intake manifold. From there, the loose metal can travel toward cylinder 6, pass through the valve, and be struck by the piston. At that point, the bolt effectively becomes shrapnel inside the combustion chamber, damaging the piston, head, and related components.
In this case, the recovered bolt had not yet been swallowed by the engine. The team tells the owner he was likely only hours away from losing the engine entirely. Their estimate for the consequence is severe: roughly $30,000 for a complete new Cummins engine. The recovered fastener is presented as the exact piece that was about to fall into cylinder 6 and be beaten up between the piston and the head.
That near miss is the core lesson of the inspection. The truck had already progressed beyond a loose-fastener condition and into an active failure state, yet the engine was saved because the problem was caught before ingestion occurred.
The proposed fix is the Banks Monster-Ram intake system. The presenters emphasize that it includes a billet high-flow intake plate and eliminates the factory grid heater from the intake path. In their configuration, there is no grid heater hardware suspended over the manifold opening, so there is no bolt available to break loose and fall into the engine.
Instead of the factory arrangement, Banks uses a coil heater that threads into the top of the Monster-Ram. The video shows this heater being installed, presenting it as a safer alternative to the stock design while maintaining the required intake-heating function.
The video also compares the factory horn inlet with the Monster-Ram inlet. The stock opening is shown as notably restricted, with the presenter remarking that there is barely enough room for two fingers in the opening. By contrast, the Monster-Ram inlet is presented as substantially more open and free flowing.
This airflow comparison is used to support the claim that the replacement is not only a preventive measure against grid heater bolt failure, but also an intake improvement. The larger, less obstructed passage is positioned as part of the system's overall functional advantage.
The closing argument is that this is not a one-in-a-million problem, but a real risk that has already cost many owners engines. The presenters frame continued use of the factory setup as a form of Russian roulette they would not want to play. Their recommendation is the 50-state emissions-legal Banks Monster-Ram as a way to remove the failure point while also improving intake performance.
According to the video, the claimed benefits include peace of mind, extended turbo life, improved throttle response, and better fuel economy. The central technical takeaway, however, is simpler: replacing the factory grid heater arrangement removes the loose-bolt ingestion hazard that nearly destroyed this 2016 Ram's Cummins engine.
