Do you know why I'm hearing running water when a start up my truck? I have a 2001 Ram 1500 with 5.2L. Lately I've been hearing running water when I first start up my truck...maybe 10 seconds. It sounds like the sound is coming from behind the glove box. I assume that it is just air in the heater core. I checked the radiator and it is full, along with reserve tank.

The first time I noticed it was about a month ago. It pretty much happens everytime the truck sits of a couple of hours.

My check engine light came on for about a week, but cleared itself. I haven't notice any issues with the truck, except the noise.

As always thanks for reading my post.

 

Usually that means pockets of air in your cooling system.

If you park the truck on a slope (front of truck facing the top of the slope), take off the radiator cap, and let the truck idle for a fair amount of time (it has to warm up so that the thermostat will open and coolant will flow through the system), it will eventually "burp" the air pockets out. Then you should add more coolant until its full again.

When you get a chance, take the truck to an auto parts store that will read your codes for free. Even though the CEL went out, there still should be a code stored in the computer's memory, and I'd see what it is just to be on the safe side.

I will move this over to the 2nd Gen Dodge Ram section as well, get you more opinions.

 

on your 01, you can do the key dance by turning the ignition to on - off - on - off -on and read the codes in the digital odometer. it will end with Pdone.

if you've not opened up the cooling system for a drain/fill or some other service, the air in the system indicates you've got a leak, where coolant is running out and air is getting in.

grab hold of your water pump pulley and try to rock it back and forth. it should be nice and tight. after that, look for a tell-tale drip at the bottom.

 

Same sound mine made with bad heater core.. could be just air in system..

 

Are you getting a sweet smell in the cab after it warms up? If so the heater core is needing replaced.

 

When mine went, it wasn't sweet at all. It was a musty smell like a wet basement. There was also a little puff of steam coming from the vents when you first turned the heat on and immediate fogging of the windshield at the same time.

 

Oh my goodness, I wonder why it would smell like that?
Yes a good indicator is the windshield fogging up, but mine didn't start doing that until the last 2 weeks, it's been leaking for quite a while giving me the sweet smell every time it warmed up though.

 

Might have something to do with being a smokers truck.

 

lol... Yeah sounds like both of ya.

 

Thanks everyone for the help. I did replace the water pump myself last year. The fan seems to be tight and there are no signs of leaks anywhere. I did park it on a slope and put about 3/4 of a gallon of anti-freeze back in the radiator. I don't have any sweet on the windshield or the carb. The running water sound is gone.

Don't you normally smell anti-freeze if you have a leak? If it's a very small leak, would you suggest puttting in Radiator leak stop....again I don't know where it is leaking.