98 ram 5.2 help needed

I didn't get into lifters or valves. I may have done the timing chain but that was a few years ago so not sure. My personal theory is that the intake is aluminum and the plate for the plenum is steel. Different expansion and contraction rates. Mine the gasket was pushed out between most of the bolts. I did use the hughes kit on mine. Engine at that time was at about 100k. The intake bolts are also a torque to yield application.