Hello, newbie here.
Daughter broke down near Amarillo, TX driving cross country to New Mexico.
Rough running and no power in Clinton,OK 175 mi from Amarillo.
John's Auto installed new fuel pump. Said they tested for pressure and checked codes.
Daughter says that engine ran hot (240) on interstate after fuel pump replacement and that a radiator hose blew outside of Amarillo (about 200miles). She replaced hose, but now truck runs very badly and is losing water and overheating. She can't see an obvious leak in the engine compartment, but thinks it is coming out the tailpipe?!
1996 1500\5.2l/200,000 miles.
Since we would like to get her home, any advice is appreciated.
Blown head gasket? Warped head?
Thanks, Tom

 

Blown plenum gasket could be it. Its the gasket between the intake manafold and the heads. Running rough and lack of power is a clear sign of plenum gasket gone.
Lack of oil would cause engine to run hot, also if her rad hose blew shes going to be missing coolant also.
Dont see how coolan can come out of exhaust unless her heads are cracked or warped. Sounds like a tow job to me, no way that ram is gonna be running safely if at all to get her home.

 

run it without the stat. If she's mechanically inclined, tell her to take the thermostat out. It'll run at about 130 degree's the whole trip, but it'll get her home. Then once she's safe at home, you can go threw it with a fine tooth comb. Welcome to the DF. I hope she makes it home safe.



Didn't see the part where you said coolants coming out of the tailpipe. I agree with Mowhawk, definite tow.

 

it could be a bad t-stat causing it to run hot.. but probably not.

john's auto probably mis-diagnosed the problem. you might have also had low fuel pressure, but probably had low compression from leaking head.

based on description of overheating, running rough, losing coolant, possibly out the tail pipe, i'd guess blown head gasket and/or cracked head. that'll be a multi-day job, very expensive job. a compression test can confirm major malfunction of head/gasket leak.

you may also have coolant in the oil. looks like chocolate milk.

go get daughter and get her off the road, that's the most important thing.

try to get a trailer or tow dolly to haul truck home or to shop. decide the best approach to repair. with 200K, you may or may not want to replace head gasket only. might be time for a rebuild, junkyard engine, or other.

 

Thanks for the response.
Tow is about 600 miles.
Thinking of trying to get it fixed in Amarillo, TX.
Never like to second guess a repair shop, but sounds like the fuel pump may not have been the original problem. Or , there were two problems. Only 200 miles from fuel pump replacement to this problem.
So- she re[placed hose and coolant, still rough,no power, losing coolant but no visible leak.
What should I ask a shop in Amarillo to look for to completely diagnose and fix the problrm?
Thanks, Tom

 

You could ask them to look in the throttle body for pool of oil, which would confirm blown plenum.
They'd probably nail you for an arm & leg to fix that, and probably have no idea how to do it properly ,,, And it sounds like it has more of a problem than the plenum.
You need to determine whats causing the coolant loss, any good shop worthy of the name should be able to diagnose warped heads/head gasket problems.
It seems likely the vehicle is throwing some codes too, perhaps a read of those would shed some light on the problem[s].

I wouldn't want my girl driving something like that, hell I wouldn't want to drive it myself.
I'd consider arraigning a rental vehicle, then its only a matter of where to leave the truck, and what to do with it.
Maybe with luck, someone from the area will chime in with some suggestions.

I just can't see the tie-in to a replaced fuel pump with drastic overheating.
Almost sounds like sabotage at worse, or sloppy workmanship at best, if it wasn't overheating before the replacement.

 

Well, daughter is safely in a motel room.
Puttin up another post to see if anyone can recommend a shop in Amarillo.
Any other thoughts, keep them coming.
Thanks
Tom

 

Hello again.
Responses great to first post.
Now - can anyone recommend a shop in Amarillo, Texas so I can get this properly diagnosed as in dhvaughen,s post?
1996 1500/5.2/200000miles.
Daughter off the road in motel for tonight, and maybe tomorrow and maybe.....
Where's a Greyhound Bus when you need one?
Thanks, Tom

 

tell them its likely got a blown head gasket, with overheating, running poorly, and losing coolant.

tell them you want a diagnosis/confirmation of what the problem is.
and a repair estimate.

they'll say - well it depends. if your heads are ok, it'll be about $1000 to replace both sides, or about $700-800 to replace one side. AND we won't know if the heads are bad until we spend $200-300 removing them. on the other hand if your head is cracked, it'll be another $500 for a reman head.

your risk of getting raked over the coals for a very expensive repair is high.

i'd consider either junking the truck, or having a reman or junkyard engine installed, and insist on warranty for both parts and labor. there's still a huge risk that a shop will install something that barely runs - and then tell you to take a hike on warranty. while a local shop can be best, a local shop 600 miles away does you no good.

for towing, you might want to look into a car hauler, the kind that trailers used/leased car all over the country. you might could get that 600 miles for about $500. i think you can get quotes over the internet. where are you located ?

 

lets see if we can get some texas people involved. stand by.