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truck issue (NON CHEVY)

Dodge

Okay if it's normal to have chunky soup in the filler cap area...where is my coolant going? I fill it when the engine is cool to the marked line and soon its very low! WTF? The engine doesn't read hot, and the heat does only works for a minute, then its blowing cold air. WTF?
 
hammermachine said:
Okay if it's normal to have chunky soup in the filler cap area...where is my coolant going? I fill it when the engine is cool to the marked line and soon its very low! WTF? The engine doesn't read hot, and the heat does only works for a minute, then its blowing cold air. WTF?
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CRACKED HEADS, the water is burning and that's why you're low on water/coolant. Pull the heads and i'll guarantee at least one of them is cracked (likely BOTH of them). :deal:
 
1BEATK5 said:
Its just in the filler neck. If you take the valve cover off, it will look fine.

Those heads are a little expensive, mostly because you normally just replace the valves and machine them flat.

Sometimes they have electrolysis that eats the coolant passages out. Mostly though they are just warped. I had one at work with 12k on it that blew the gaskets due to warped heads.


All on all its a good engine though. As long as the oil is changed regularly and kept full. Most of the bottom end failures are due to low engine oil levels.
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Not doubting you, but that doesn't explain the valve seats falling out of my buddys, wifes 4.7,

I'm not a fan of the 4.7 at all.
 
Agreed: that gunk under the oil filler cap is totally normal.

Unsure about where the coolant is being lost: could be the heads, but if its every week or 2 that your putting coolant in, thats a pretty heavy leak for head gaskets to have, and not show any other symptoms, like misfiring. Also, when head gaskets crack I ussualy see them pushing compression into the coolant, not coolant into the cylinder. Could be very likely you just haven't spotted the leak yet.

Also agreed those engine leak at the timing cover all the time. Also check your transmission fluid, I've seen the radiators blow into the tranny cooler tank on the side of the radiator and make the tranny fluid milky-pink. A pressure test at a shop will also find this.

As for your heat: try flushing out the radiator core via the heater hoses going through the firewall, disconnect them both and run a garden hose into it and watch what comes out the other end. It would only be low heat from low coolant if it was REAL low, like the radiator was semi empty. Then, be sure to purge the system properly, get the funnel level well above the rest of the engine, filling through the rad cap. maybe even jack up the front end real high (safely) to make sure all the air comes out. Even with an empty resevior, you should still get heat. Also check the heater control, probably a vacuum control or a cable attached to a heater valve, make sure its working properly. You can also check the temp of the in/out heater hoses when the heater is on and the trucks at running temp. see if they're both good and hot.

Good luck bud!
PS: get a chevy for a DD!!
 
If its a dodge, does it have that darn transmission cooler underneath the truck? I think those were only on diesels, or maybe just certain transmissions, but there have been several recalls on those, and most people just disconnect them after the necessary transmission rebuild.

Its a totally separate cooler mounted under the truck with radiator lines running to it.
It ruptures internally and fills the transmission with coolant.

Mechanic friend of mine has removed 4 of them last time I checked.
 
You check the oil yet? If it's milky you got head issues, if not then find the leak.
 
4X4HIGH said:
Not true, I was an automotive machinist for 22 years and i've seen many dodge heads cracked that were up into the mid 2000's model. ALL of the magnum heads are very prone to cracking (1992-2003). :deal:[/quote


This is a really poor statement on your part. What I said is true. 4.7L heads don't crack. You being a machinist for 22 years has nothing to do with an engine that's only been in production since 1999. I'm not trying to insult or be a jerk. I'm just pointing out the facts. I work on these every day and have for a long time, I know them in and out. They have their issues, but no cracks unless you overheat the shizz nizzle out of em.

If you are referring to the 5.2/5.9 heads, then yes they crack. But that's a different engine family all together and has nothing to do with hammermachine's situation.

63ChevyII. Yup. The valve seats fell out in the early ones. They changed them to powdered metal and fixed that issue.
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1BEATK5 said:
4X4HIGH said:
Not true, I was an automotive machinist for 22 years and i've seen many dodge heads cracked that were up into the mid 2000's model. ALL of the magnum heads are very prone to cracking (1992-2003). :deal:[/quote


This is a really poor statement on your part. What I said is true. 4.7L heads don't crack. You being a machinist for 22 years has nothing to do with an engine that's only been in production since 1999. I'm not trying to insult or be a jerk. I'm just pointing out the facts. I work on these every day and have for a long time, I know them in and out. They have their issues, but no cracks unless you overheat the shizz nizzle out of em.

If you are referring to the 5.2/5.9 heads, then yes they crack. But that's a different engine family all together and has nothing to do with hammermachine's situation.

63ChevyII. Yup. The valve seats fell out in the early ones. They changed them to powdered metal and fixed that issue.
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Yes, that's what I was talking about and thought you meant only the 99-00 heads had the cracking issue but it was actually 93-03 that cracked bad that's why I mad the comment.

Also i've never seen a 4.7 head cracked BUT I have seen many valve seats fall out like you said.
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Did you find the problem yet? Where is it loosing the coolant? I'm dying to know which one of the responders got it! Haha
PS- if you did figure it out, I hope it wasn't expensive!!
 
Update

Unfortunately we will never know. I traded in the truck and haven't really looked back. I have to say it was the first non chevy pick up I've owned, and I think if it wasn't so beat up (NO HEAT) I would have kept it.

Anyway this is how it appears today 11/28/11







I don't know what he's asking for it, maybe I'll ask. Thank you for all your help and wisdom.

for sale.jpg
 
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