Blown boots are some of the most common concerns in all of diesel. Just about everyone has delt with one, and when it happens, it’s always during a high stress situation. You’re towing heavy up a grade, you hear a loud pop, all your power goes away, black smoke billows out the exhaust, EGT’s spike and you’re left struggling to get off the road before someone rear ends you. The first thought always goes to the worst case scenario: did I just blow up my engine? More often than not, it’s a blown boot.

For 7.3L Powerstroke owners, the fix here isn’t as easy as swapping in new boots. There’s an extra step most don’t think about until it’s too late. Let’s dive in.

It’s safe to say that turbo boot upgrades, or intercooler boot upgrades (if you’ve got an intercooler) are very high up on the list of modifications for any diesel owner. They’re cheap and easy, plus they do a ton for your confidence in your vehicle’s ability to get the job done.

Which moves us to the next issue. Over torquing the boot clamps. We’re all guilty of it to some degree, we get those new boots installed and no one wants to deal with another stranded situation from a blown boot again, so we crank down on those clamps with all our might. What’s a little extra force going to hurt, right? For 7.3L owners, it damages the factory sheet metal plenums.

The 7.3L stamped steel plenums. The 7.3L Powerstroke came from the factory with dinky stamped steel intake plenums. There’s not much to them in terms of strength. So when the boot clamps are tightened, often times even just past factory specs, the stamped steel plenums can collapse. When they collapse, they create a massive boost leak. The boot will likely stay on, but since the plenum now has bent inward like a taco, the boost leaks out the gap.

So we need a stronger plenum right? While that does now exist in the form of our billet plenums, back in 2010 when we created the plenum reinforcing insert, new plenums weren’t a thing. For those that don’t need full billet plenums or are on a tighter budget, plenum reinforcing inserts are the answer.

Riffraff Diesel Plenum Reinforcing Inserts are made from billet 7075 aluminum and are placed inside the factory stamped steel plenums giving them added strength. Now you can clamp down in those boots as much as you like without worrying about crushing the factory plenums. These inserts can be used on perfect unbent plenums as well as used to fix already damaged ones. The plenum insert material and construction was chosen and designed to induce minimal restrictions on the intake path. Afterall, we are adding a sleeve inside the intake plenum effectively reducing it’s size. After over a decade of real world use and testing, these inserts make zero measurable difference on air flow, performance or EGT’s. Plus, installation is quick and easy using only simple hand tools.

Check out the Riffraff Diesel Plenum Reinforcing Inserts and some other related items here:

Plenum Reinforcing Inserts 1999.5-2003

Plenum Reinforcing Inserts 1994-early 1999

Riffraff Diesel Plenum Y Boot Set (94-97)

Plenum CAC Boot Kit - Early 99

Plenum CAC Boot Kit - 99.5-03

Riffraff Diesel Billet Intake Manifold Plenums 1994-2003

***Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. We share our knowledge and experience, but we are not liable for any damages, injuries, or losses that may occur as a result of using this information. Situations are rarely cut and dry in the automotive world. Your situation will likely be somewhat different than what we describe here.  Use your best judgment and always consult a qualified professional for automotive repairs and modifications. Your safety is your responsibility.