radiator cap housing blew apart on way home. $46 for it, plus coolant and what not. $64 total.

While changing the hose/assembly, discovered that I don't have a whole lot of a thermostat housing left, either.

 

count your self lucky that you can do your own work. i have to hire all my work. that forces me to plan a head. back in the 60s my dad, his friend, and me had 63-65 chryslers with 413s, and all the stuff under the hoods was the same. we made up a repair kit, with all the small stuff to fix on the road. point, fuel filter. fuel hose ect, in a 50 cal amo box, i still have it. saved us from being stranded a few times.

 

The way you beat on your Dakota do you wonder you abuse that thing.

Lucky you are good at fixing them ha ha

I bet your Dakota screams for mercy every time you start it up

 

I think of it more as "dodging all the other idiots on the road", myself.

need to replace thermostat housing, 3 freeze plugs, probably the water pump soon, I'm adding trans cooler, yadda yadda. I do try to help it.

 

What happened how did you get so much pressure in the system?

 

I think the plastic just fatigued. The metal thermostat crumbled in hand, so it's right there ready to come apart.

I have a feeling I'm going to have a long saturday on the 2nd. Truck is going to be on the lift for awhile...maybe more than one. Trans swap, get methanol system in place, mount trans cooler, replace thermo housing. Maybe say screw it and do the rear freeze plug above the starter, since i have to remove the starter to get the trans off for the convertor swap. The front plugs are above the motor mounts and look a PITA to change.

 

Yea I understand I have had two plastic top rads crack open on me for no reason wasn’t even pushing the Dakota last time.

I use good 50/50 antifreeze also so that’s weird how the pressure builds up to the point the rad explodes like that.