This post is long and boring in an attempt to explain the order of issues on a timeline but I need informative and hopefully knowledgeable causes and solutions so you can read the entire post or go to the end for a summarized list of issues. Thanks to all who take the time to help. I have a 2001 single cab V8 dodge ram 1500 that I purchased about 18 months ago. At that time there was a slight knocking noise while idling or in park but no leaks, smells or issues. I've only put about 15,000 miles on it and regularly checked and refilled the oil, coolant and water but foolishly neglected to change/flush the engine, trans fluid, oil or replace any filters thinking it would be ok because I only drove 20 minutes to work then back and occasionally trips no longer then 3hr at a time. Eventually I noticed a leak (if facing the truck) on the top right side of the radiator that's slowly gotten worse and the idle knocked harder. Lack of funds has prevented me from getting the truck maintenanced and a month ago I made a 4 hour drive and while away from the vehicle (unbeknownst to me) my fiancé ignorantly decided to sit and idle for 3+ hours and ignore a smell like leaking coolant coming from the engine. I immediately turned off the truck when I smelled it and checked the fluids after allowing the engine to cool but was forced to drive an additional 5 hours. After 4 hours the engine rapidly began to overheat and not having any water or coolant on hand I reduced speed and turned on the heater in an attempt to minimize the temperature till I could obtain water and coolant and cool the engine. The next day after a 5 minute drive I notice the same smell and the radiator hissing and the upper hose was hot but all hoses had fluid in them the next time I drove the a/c fan cut out during acceleration then "slaps" back on when I release the pedal. And after 20 minutes it starts overheating even when filled with radiator and coolant reservoir are filled. A few days later it started stalling out when in park or when I stop for lights but doesn't die when idling if I drive for 15 minutes without stopping and AC barely blows cold and heater blows cooler then outside but not hot. I also suspect my fiancé added rainex/bug repelling washer fluid to the coolant when I wasn't home because she said she added coolant from the green jug but I only have 2 empty coolant jugs full of water but green washer fluid half empty. So weak and acceleration controlled fan/AC
Cool blowing heater
Rough/knocking idle
Top leaking/hissing radiator
Hot but fluid filled hoses
Occasional stalling when parked, stopped or taking slow turns when not accelerating
Hot coolant smell.
Occasional overheating
Any suggestion on the problems causes and the rapid decline in the engines functions and performance, and any solutions or fixes?

 

Flush the cooling system VERY thoroughly.

Replace the radiator.

Make sure to spend some time burping the cooling system, it is REALLY difficult to get all the air out. (lotta posts about that around here. )

Probably have a failing front O2 sensor as well. (gives you the unstable idle, and other idle issues.) Just unplug it, and see if the truck runs any better. If it does, replace the sensor. NTK or Denso please, skip Bosch.

The heater blower 'stopping' when you accelerate is a known condition. What is really happening is your vents are switching to defrost. Do a search on 'wild vents' for the fix. (couple vacuum check valves.)

That should solve most of your issues. Granted, its gonna be a couple hundred bucks, but, still cheaper than replacing the engine, or, the whole truck.


Welcome to DF!

 

What have you fixed so far?

 

The truck has 150,000 miles on it and as mentioned hasn't been maintenanced the last 15,000 miles or so. I've been using high mileage oil and universal 50/50 pre diluted coolant (peak or supertec). Obviously I need to do a complete fluid/engine flush and replace injectors and filters. Is it not recommended to use universal coolants? Is it safe to assume that the solutions you recommend and future care to keep up with the scheduled maintenance will keep my truck mobile or will I simply be drawing out the inevitable death of my vehicle while wasting money on temporary solutions. Does my truck sound too far gone or are these minor issues stacking up to create a bigger problem but once addressed will no longer be cause for immediate worry?

 

HeyYou,
I'm going to bet he has a blown head gasket and/or a cracked head on top of all his other issues. I hate to be the one with bad news but as hot as he got it I think he has done some damage to the engine.

I agree with your suggestions that he should do an engine flush but I really think some damage was done to the engine.

 

Any white smoke when accelerating? Oil in the water or water in the oil?

 

Is your truck worth fixing is up to you. You can put new heads on the truck and a new radiator and once all that is fixed and things are working good you could drive for another 150,000 miles as long as you keep up on maintenance. That depends on how well you take care of the truck.

 

I have not fixed, replaced or made any modifications to the engine and have only had the tires replaced once. The vehicle has had minor rear fender cosmetic damage but all wiring, pumps, fans etc. are original to the vehicle as far as I know. I researched the title and can't find any reports on crashes, repairs, part replacement, builds or modifications and visually can't see evidence of tampering. I'm only the second owner.

 

And the plenum...

 

Probably true..... Checking the oil, and see if it is contaminated with coolant really wouldn't be a bad idea..... Probably testing the coolant for combustion byproducts wouldn't hurt either...... Given how bad the heads are on these trucks, they just don't like getting hot......