It's something I would get fixed. Sure you could probably keep adding coolant but who wants to do that and it would still be better to have it fixed. The leak will get worse as in leaking faster is what he means.

I'm not a fan of having a nice looking truck that has problems. I'm one that thinks the condition of the mechanical parts on this truck should be in tip top shape before any money is spent on making it look good. Not buying stuff to improve the looks when it has stuff wrong with the motor or anything else on the truck.

 

Sorry, BUT, you said you had that prob even before the original trans was replaced! (but all your posts/threads are about cosmetic BS) There are numerous posts on DF about that very same issue. I would say it's in, or closed to one of the top 5 issues with these trucks.So what are you reading?

And as far as being rude goes. Not replying to a PM is also pretty rude. Had you done so, you would probably be the proud owner of a 3815 super chips tuner for under $275. Whatever.

 

how much drip/coolant loss are we talking about here ? a couple of drops or a big puddle.
also how long has it been doing it ?
and has it gotten any worse lately ?

we're talking about pulling the damn transmission AGAIN, and paying for someone else to do it. so its probably going to cost him $200-300.
^answer the above questions in very specific terms.
i'd answer those questions and then monitor it for awhile and see if it gets any worse or not.
next - decide whether you want to wait until it gets real bad, and then do it, or go ahead and do it now. if its been dribbling for several months, it may continue to dribble for several more before it gets any worse.
i'd wait for warmer weather if i could.

 

You told me the tuner wasn't going to work for my truck....

 

I have noticed the dribbling coolant since last August when I did my oil change. I had the transmission shop replace their "performance transmission" in January. By that time, things had gotten so nasty, I wasn't in a position to ask them to do anything else. I should have asked them about it; but I figured if it was anything notable, they'd have the knowledge to see a problem.

As far as the severity of the dripping, it's at a slow but steady clip. I just parked my truck last night at 10pm. I just looked under the truck at 4:45pm today, and there is a faded puddle the size of an apple, so it's definitely dripping. I just had the coolant flushed three weeks ago, and yesterday I filled the reservoir back up. As I said, the truck appears to be performing up to par getting 12.0 mpgs, but this could be temporary.

If I have somebody replace the freeze plugs, should I have them replace the rear main seal as well? I obviously want to address this before I buy anymore fun stuff for my truck. Would it be unwise to have the transmission shop do this job? I'm all ears on your opinions and suggestions.

 

That was the Hypertech pp3 , like I said, had you replied I was going to sell the 3815.

 

Well that doesn't really say anything about my character; that's more on your end man. The last thing you pm'd me was that you realized the hypertech wasn't going to work for my year model. I took the information for face value, and looked nothing more into it. If you knew I was interested in your hypertech, then you should have known I'd of been interested in the superchip, but that wasn't my job to guess you had an extra performance programmer sitting around.


Anyways, I have some other questions pertaining to this coolant leak coming from the rear main seal. As some of you have already indicated, it may be the freeze plugs gone bad. If a freeze plug goes bad; does it necessarily mean something in the coolant system caused it to go bad, or could old age be the culprit? Basically, I want to know if I'm up against two obstacles....getting the freeze plugs fixed, and pinpointing what's causing the freeze plugs to break to begin with. BTW, I don't plan to take this to the transmission shop. I have to find a shop that isn't going to screw me over.

 

Simple corrosion. It happens to everyone to some extent. If you want to try to limit it ... obtain and install a sacrificial anode.

 

I have read through searches that a leaky coolant line can cause a loud hissing sound from inside the engine bay. I've always noticed that about my truck, that there is this very loud hissing noise coming from the passenger side of the block, but was not able to pinpoint it.

Ok, so if I'm leaking coolant, this means the freeze plug is bad? So what's the protocol here? If I have somebody replace the freeze plugs, there going to have to drop the transmission to gain access to the troubled area. Should I have them replace the rear main seal. Any kind of special seals I should get for the rear main seal?

Also, I feel like I should do the hughes plenum kit on my truck. Although the truck doesn't appear to ping, loose oil, or have a lack of power, I should probably just get it out of the way while I'll have the money to do so. I'd appreciate some input on the dripping coolant from the rear main seal. If I have a shop do it, I want to buy all the right seals and o-rings for the jobs.

 

+1 on simple rust, and its not anything you've done wrong, and not anything you can do to prevent. just another crappy dodge part they placed in a very difficult and expensive place to maintain. so they put a crappy freeze plug on the back of the block, covered up by the transmission, just like the crappy heater core buried in the bottom of the dash.

anyway, something to know - you might be able to reduce the leak by reducing the pressure in the cooling system. loosen the radiator cap the half turn where it releases pressure into the overflow tank. try running it this way. as long as it doesn't overheat, it'll be alright and the freeze plug might leak less. if the overflow tank is full, then some coolant might push out of the rad, and the overflow might overflow a little. just watch your engine temp and make sure it stays normal. i think it will.

don't mix up the rear main and the freeze plug. freeze plug holds in coolant. rear main holds in oil.

i replaced my rear main oil seal awhile back. it a 2 piece seal that is accessible only by dropping the oil pan, oil pump, and removing the rear main bearing cap. unlike other engines, its not accessible by removing the transmission.