I have a 2001 r/t. she has about 97k on her. i have owned her for 5 years but in that time I have only put 18k miles on the truck. A few months ago i started having a problem with the truck over heating. Took it my mechanic, replaced the clutch fan. The truck ran fine for a while, then it started getting warm again. Took it in again, they said I had a freeze plug rotting behind the motor. So, I replaced that freeze plug, the thermostat, upper radiator hose, did a tune up and changed the oil. After driving the truck for about 500 miles, the truck over heats again. Take it back, they warrantied the clutch fan. Sounds great! Nope, truck over heats 2 days later. I use this truck for local driving, running errands and such.

Everyone I talk to says it is a blown head gasket and I should dump the truck. I have never let it get that hot to crack the head. I love my truck and I dont want to get rid of it but I am getting tired of breaking down all the time! So, as of right now it is at the mechanics again. They said that there are 3 more freeze plugs on the back side of the motor and one of them is leaking. the coolant does not leak when you are driving it.

my coolant seems to be disappearing! it has to be going somewhere! are these guys on the right track with the freeze plugs or am I just trowing away money?

Please help!!
Thanks!

 

this needs to be in the first generation section, ill move it there for you, however i will suggest getting an infrared non-contact thermometer, and check the radiator for hot spots once it is warmed up all the way.

 

Is the coolant going down rapidly? Check your oil and does it have a milkshake look to it? If so then the suspected blown head gasket is in play. Also, white smoke coming out of the tailpipe is another sign of a blown head gasket.

It sounds to me like its a head gasket problem since your coolant seems to be disappearing. Like I said, I'd recommend checking the oil for coolant first and foremost.

 

If you have a leaky freeze plug, you'll have puddles of coolant under the vehicle where you park it. How do you know coolant isn't leaking while you drive?

As WW said, if your oil has a tan, milk-shake look, then you're looking at a head gasket. And if you're loosing coolant rapidly through the head gasket, your oil will most likely show as being overfilled in addition to being off color.

As long as it's in the shop at the moment anyway, call them up and ask them to do a compression test on all 8 cylinders.

 

See if any of this sounds familiar: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...at-issues.html

 

Thank for the help! Now to add a couple of twists!

There are no puddles under my car in the garage at all. There is also no discoloration in the oil. The oil was actually down a quart which is unusal for my truck. Especially down a quart only 550 miles after a fresh oil change. So the coolant doesnt seem to be going there either. I would suspect that the coolant is leaking when I am driving the vehicle.

A radiator would seem like too much of an easy fix right?

 

I also read the previous post about the cooling issue and the "black gunk" in the tube. I have already replaced that hose. Also, if I fill up the truck with coolant and let it sit, the coolant doesnt disappear. There are no puddles in my garage at all. It has to disappear when I am driving the truck.

 

You picked up a coolant/oil vampire on one of your many journeys. I suggest you get a wooden stake and shake it at the engine when it's warmed up to get rid of the vampire.

 

How long has it been since the radiator cap was replaced?

 

After driving the truck, can you smell coolant? It has a distinctive, sweet smell. On the 5.9, coolant could puddle in the area between the thermostat housing and bypass hose. I had a similar problem because the thermostat housing surface was damaged and would not seal properly (until I used a silicone RTV). The coolant bubbled through the housing, puddled, then evaporated before it could drip on the driveway.