Hello,

Haven't been on here in a bit. I've been stuck at work every day endlessly. So haven't had time to work on my truck either.

Therefore I decided to just take it to a garage today.

I have a question tho, should it be ok for me to drive the truck about 5-6 blocks maximum to my neighborhood garage with the rad leak and water pump gasket leak? Will i damage anything by doing so?

The rad leak looks to me like it comes from the lower bottom on the drivers side of rad and doesn't look like super major. Water pump gasket I don't even know where that is located.

I don't want to over heat or damage my engine. But I also don't want to waste money on needless tow trucks either to go 5 blocks either if I don't have to.

 

i don't think it would hurt anything. just make sure the rad is topped up before you leave and if your are really worried about it you could top up the overflow tank.

 

I would drive it no farther than that is if it was mine. Just do like crazzy said and fill the rad and overflow up. You should be fine, just watch the temp gauge.

 

Well my truck now has a brand new radiator in it. And also had the emergency brake un-seized.

My mechanic is also telling me it's not really the water pump gasket that is the problem, although it does leak a little. The problem is something else, like a timing valve something or other leak. He quoted me like $500 dollars to fix it or something. I asked him if I could just drive it for the time being like it is and he said yes just keep an eye on my coolant level.

So that's what i did. Just drove it all the way to work and back again today. It was fun except i think maybe I found a new problem. The steering wheel feels loose. Like it has a lot of free play in it. Kind of scary feeling to it when driving it. Doesn't inspire much confidence. I can drive it but have to be hyper aware of it.

i read online a bit that this is a common problem with these trucks. I will say that one of my front tires and rims doesnt match the others at the moment. I have the proper rim and tire that goes there it just doesnt happen to be on the truck at moment. So would three rims/tires of one type and one odd rim/tire do this to the truck or not really?

 

You could have 4 different size tires on for all that it matters, and it wouldn't add any more play to the steering. If the odd tire is the same size as the rest, you'll be fine for now. If its a different size, then that will certainly ruin your handling characteristics. The play is likely in the steering coupler (the ragjoint: the little piece of nylon the two halves of your steering shaft bolt to), but if its more than maybe an inch of play, it could be slop in the steering box. You can adjust it to be a little tighter, but if its too worn out, you will never be able to remove all the slop.

 

How much would a savvy car guy pay a mechanic/garage to fix this problem if it is the ragjoint? And how about if it needs a new steering box? Please state if you are talking US or Canadian money. And if its for both parts and labour.

I just want to be able to drive and enjoy this thing at this point. And don't want to get totally hosed on my $$$$. I just need to be able to drive this thing for my transportation. The thought of going back to three hours a day of riding the bus is enough to cause me to end up in the funny farm.

 

If it's the rag joint, I'd do it myself. It takes about 15 minutes if you are flexible, and its only 4 bolts. It's like a $10 part. So if you are taking it to a shop, then $10 USD, plus whatever one hour of labor is.

As for the steering box, I can't say. I think its about $150-200 for the part, but I'm not sure about labor.

Also, just because those are the common problems doesn't mean it isn't a pitman arm, tie rod, cracked steering box mount, or something else. I'd jack up the front wheels and start grabbing stuff until you find some play in something.

How much free play are we talking about? Like a quarter turn? Or just a little wiggle room, like an inch max?

 

i think you might what to try adjusting the steering box first. if you are going to start replacing steering parts you will want to see about doing it all you need at once and not piece by piece since i bet you will see some stupid high prices. i know when i was pricing out steering boxes for my 81 i was hearing between $300-$400 plus a $200-$300 core. you can get one from rock auto for $100 plus $100 core plus $60 shipping which is cheap. now if you can order all the parts you need from the same location at rock auto you can save even more money since shipping things to Canada is one of the biggest expenses.

 

I agree about adjusting the box. That's why I was asking if it was a little or a lot of play. Here is the write-up I did on how to adjust it. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...djustment.html

 

i figure adjusting it is free and with how stupidly expensive most parts are up here it is usually wise to do the free stuff first.