The problem is simple: the stock RAM 6.7L grid heater uses a stud through the intake, and when that hardware fails, the engine can ingest the broken pieces. That is not a theory. It is a real failure point that can damage pistons and valves. Our Banks Monster-Ram Intake and Killer Grid Heater Upgrade is built to solve that at the source. It replaces the stock grid heater with a high-flow intake plate and coil-heater approach, so the failure-prone hardware is no longer sitting in the engine’s air path. At the same time, it opens up the inlet path instead of choking it with the stock restriction. That means you are not just removing a known risk. You are also giving the engine a cleaner, less restricted intake path for better breathing and stronger throttle response.
A 2013 Ram 2500 came into the shop after a failure of the factory intake air heater. The problem was traced to a known weakness in the original design: the electrical connection uses a post that passes through the heater assembly. In this case, that post failed, and the lower remnants of the stud were pulled into the engine through the intake.
The ingested hardware caused internal damage, although the outcome was less severe than it could have been. The broken piece lodged in the top of the number six piston rather than causing widespread destruction throughout the engine. As a result, the failure damaged two intake valves, but the engine avoided a more catastrophic event.
While evaluating repair options, the shop learned about Banks' updated Monster-Ram intake. That led them to examine one of the first units available. The interest was driven by the need to eliminate the failure mode associated with the stock heater design while also improving the intake path.
On inspection, the Monster-Ram intake made a strong impression because it uses a spiral cylindrical heating element rather than the factory-style arrangement with the problematic post through the intake air stream. According to the shop's experience, this style of heater element has been used in other brands without developing the same kind of failure. The redesign therefore addresses the original weakness at its source.
The Banks design also improves the intake layout by opening up the full intake passage and moving the grid-heater function out of the restrictive configuration found in the stock system. That change not only removes the failed component style from the airflow path, but also creates a cleaner and less obstructed route for incoming air.
After measuring and examining the part in detail, the shop was notably impressed with the execution of the design. Their conclusion was that the Monster-Ram intake was one of the most thoughtfully engineered products Banks had produced for addressing this specific Ram intake-heater problem, both by preventing the original stud-failure scenario and by improving the intake's overall configuration.