The stock RAM 6.7L Cummins grid heater does two bad things at once: it restricts airflow, and it carries a failure point that can kill the engine. As the factory stud and nut deteriorate, they can break loose, fall into the intake runner, and get pulled into cylinder #6. That kind of ingestion can destroy the piston, valves, and cylinder head. With the Banks Monster-Ram Intake and Killer Grid Heater Upgrade, we replace the factory grid heater with a Banks high-flow billet intake plate. That opens up the intake path for better airflow while removing the stock hardware failure point from the engine’s air path. The result is better breathing and one less reason to lose a 6.7L Cummins to a preventable intake-side failure.
The video focuses on a known failure mode on Ram Cummins engines: factory grid heater hardware can fail and cause severe engine damage.
The concern centers on the grid heater bolt or stud assembly in the intake system. If the hardware overheats, loosens, or breaks apart, metal can be drawn directly into the engine. In the example shown, the stud and nut had visibly melted, with broken pieces reaching cylinder number six.
Once failed grid heater hardware enters the intake stream, it can be pulled into a combustion chamber and cause immediate mechanical damage.
The video shows piston damage from this type of failure, including metal embedded in the piston crown. What begins as a failed intake component can therefore escalate into major internal engine damage.
Banks also identifies the factory grid heater as an airflow restriction.
According to the video, the stock heater significantly restricts airflow into the 6.7L Cummins. That restriction was one of the original reasons Banks developed an alternative intake configuration.
Every 6.7L Monster-Ram includes a Banks high-flow billet intake plate that replaces the factory grid heater.
Removing the stock grid heater eliminates its restriction from the intake path while also removing the hardware associated with the bolt-failure concern.
Banks says the grid heater was originally replaced for performance because of its effect on airflow.
However, eliminating the factory assembly also removes a potential failure point. The modification therefore serves two purposes: improving intake airflow and preventing the original grid heater hardware from entering the engine if it fails.
The damaged components shown in the video illustrate the seriousness of the problem.
The grid heater stud and nut had melted, debris had reached cylinder number six, and metal was embedded in the piston. The example demonstrates how failure of a relatively small intake component can result in significant internal engine damage.
Banks states that the Monster-Ram is the only 50-state emissions-compliant high-performance intake manifold for 2007-current Ram Cummins trucks.
That positions the system as an option for owners looking to improve intake performance and address the factory grid heater design while retaining emissions compliance.
Because every 6.7L Monster-Ram includes the billet intake plate that replaces the factory grid heater, Banks presents the system as both a performance upgrade and a preventive measure.
The central message is that eliminating the factory grid heater removes an intake restriction while also removing hardware that, if it fails and enters the engine, can cause catastrophic damage.
