I just took my truck out for a little drive to pick up some parts and on the way back it started smoking!! Well not actually smoking it was steam because it was over heating. I had the heat cranked so that i could limp it home but even the heat went cold. I got it in the driveway and there's coolant everywhere and it's steaming like crazy. I obviously can't drive it what should i do i can't afford a tow right now i'm totally broke from fixing this thing. i think i bought a total lemon but i've put so much time and money into it i can't just ket it go now. Man i just wanna cry this is the truck from hell!!!!!

 

Dont jump to conclusions so fast!
First off, where-abouts was the steam coming from? And/or where is the coolant leaking from? (hint hint: download the attached picture, and use that to show me).
Second, just take a look at the engine bay.

Example: A few days after I first got my license, I took my grandpas van out (he didn't know). It snowed earlier in the day, so, of course, since I was with my friend, I was driving like and idiot on purpose.
Basically, I got the van stuck in a ditch. Than, it started to smoke pretty bad. The cops came. They basically told me, "yea, you definitly blew the head gasket! Your gonna have to get a tow home, and your gonna need a new motor, your screwed."
Anywho... my grandpa had to drive it to work that night, it barely got him to work, and he barely got home. After he got home, he looked at the engine compartment. It was a rusty hose clamp finally broke (presumably from the impact when it went into the ditch), and the coolant line came off.

Always check the simple things out (coolant lines) before jumping to drastic conclusions (blown head gasket, engine is junked)
Anyways, just let us know what ya find.

[IMG]local://upfiles/948/4F67ACE5D4004D2BA9B09557C9919F50.gif[/IMG]

 

i changed all the clamps on the lower hoses recently, some were rusted completely off. coolant, gas, and tranny lines. the hoses were still good but the clamps on my 89 were junk to begin with and easily rotted. i was changing the oil this spring and a splice at the tranny line just fell off, got me nervous and i checked all the hoses and splices. with the tranny line, i dont know if it was spliced at the factory or at the dealer for the towing package upgrades, but it just fell right off while i changed the filter. check the hoses and fill with water and look to see were its leaking and then get some antifreeze before winter after fixing. ive had freeze plugs go on my old dart, some are easy to change, some are not. did the engine still sound ok when you got it home, might not be any problems with the engine.

 

The only reason i thought the motor might be toast was because i had the exact same thing happen to me on another vehicle i owned and it ended up that the head was completley warped.
I took it down to my local mechanic after it cooled down the engine wasn't making any weird noises or anything. We popped the hood and looked and there was antifreeze everywhere. It seemed like it was coming from the left side mostly. We also checked the rad and there was still fluid in it. My mechanic assured me that it was probably just a small problem and that he will fix it for me. This truck seems to have alot of problems but i guess that's why i got it for a buck.lol!
Oh well once all the bugs are out of it i'm sure it'll be a good truck. Patience is a virtue after all.

 

get some pics of your truck man even though its got problems i am anxious to see your $1 dakota

 

I agree... [sm=ttiwwp.gif].
Anyways, it can't be that bad, it is a Dodge lol.
Truthfully though, it is 18 years old, so yea, there's gonna be problems. Just hopefully small, cheap-to-fix problems.
Keep us updated.

 

I'll post pics as soon as i get it back from my mechanic.

 

so it turns ou tthat one of the rad hoses was faulty and the clamps were rusted off. I guess i'll need to replace all of them man this is never ending!