Hello group.

I recently sold my '87 Ram Charger and bought a '98 1500 Quad. I use my truck for plowing snow on my property and a few garden center/Home Depot runs a year. I think I fill the tank twice a year at the most.

I bought a pretty banged up '98 with a really nice Meyer quick mount plow a few weeks back. 162k miles. I restore vintage cars as a hobby, have a well set up shop and nothing mechanical scares me much.

I have a few issues on the '98 and thought I would post here for pointers and info if these are common problems with well documented solutions. I did Google about the rear doors and went through the DIY section here.


One rear door is stuck and both do not seem to be catching on the upper latch. I got a spare door with the truck that is pretty clean. Both doors on the truck have some rust at the bottom and have had some repairs. Looking for any threads on this latch removal repair, and how to get the rear panels off (esp on a door that won't open). Is there a thread here on latch repair?

Driver's seat cushion seems to be collapsed in the center and outside edge. I gather this is a common problem with the 3rd gen trucks. Mine has the leather seats with the fancy air bladder/electric seats. I don't want it to be perfect, but I don't like feeling like I am sitting on a toilet when I drive it. Is the cushion edge cutting issue the same as the gen 3 trucks? Or did the seat bladder just collapse? Reasonable source for new cushion?

One wheel has a slow leak and I see black silicone smeared all around where the sidewall meets the rim. I suspect corrosion in the bead seat area, but the outside of the rims look really nice (alloy). Is this a common problem and recommended fix for this?

The latches on my tailgate "stick" open when I open it. I have to move a small pin on each latch toward the back to be able to get it to close/latch again. I suspect it is just gummed up. I sprayed some lubricant in there and it got a little easier to move. Does not look corroded rusty. I will take them out at some point, clean and lube. Common problem?

Whenever I get out of the truck when it is running, I smell coolant. But the bottom of the engine is bone dry, it leaks nothing. only about 1/3 on the temp gauge. No smell inside. Normal? Something venting to look at? Don't see any drop in coolant level so far.


Once we get some warmer weather I plan on spending a weekend with it (took big to fit in my heated shop, my vintage cars are Volkswagens!!) and trying to fix these things. Overall I like the truck a lot and thing it will suit my needs.

Thanks in advance for any info/tip/pointers.....

 

Most of the problems you have are pretty common to dodge trucks, and used vehicles in general. Replacement seat bottoms from dodge are prohibitively expensive though... not really 'inexpensive' anywhere.... might wanna talk to some local upholstery shops, and get pricing to fix that. I think the bladder is in the seat back, not the base.

There are a couple threads about rear doors here.... search should turn them up. It IS possible to get them opened again, if they are stuck shut. If the latches just don't work, chemicals are your best friend. Same for the tailgate.

Also might wanna peruse the Plenum thread stickied at the top of forum.....

Trucks are famous for coolant leaks thru the freeze plugs, the bypass hose buried underneath the a/c compressor, timing cover gaskets..... etc. Mine did the same thing as yours..... I could smell the coolant, but, never see any evidence of a leak, until it go REALLY bad, and started leaving a puddle in the driveway. Turned out to be the freeze plug behind the drivers side engine mount.

 

Nuff said! https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...d-how-tos-143/

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...um-thread.html

and you can swap the passenger side lower seat cushion with the driver side. 4 bolts each side.

 

Well some progress with the truck. I got a passenger seat cushion and frame from a junkyard and fixed the seat. Someone had cut out the wire springs underneath the one in my truck!! Of course the foam all caved in. So I used the new frame and cushion and put my cover over it.

I also got the two dead seat motors working, I posted in another thread how I did that.

Today I unstuck the rear drivers side door. I managed to get the inside panel off and confirmed that the rod was connected to the lower latch and moving with the handle. So I wedged a piece of wood under the handle to hold it open. First I kicked the door from inside, then I put a 2x4 across the bottom and beat it with a sledge hammer. I had to hit it pretty hard, but it finally popped open.

I got the latch out, and took the one out of a spare door that I got with the truck also. They appear to be in about the same condition. They don't look THAT bad.

So I am soaking them in PB Blaster and want to see if I can get them working again. I do not want to buy new ones, this is really just a plow truck for me.

So my question is how to get the latches working again? Can you take them apart? I don't think so. Is my only option to soak and oil and try to free up the mech? Neither clasp will move at all right now. Any tips on getting stuck latches to work again appreciated....

 

Yep, drown them in chemicals. Leave 'em soak for a while if you have to. SLOWLY work the mechanism....... if you try to get to much, too fast, the cheap pot-metal latches will break.

I have freed up some TRULY nasty stuff with PB, and some patience.

 

Ok, so I took the latch out of my drivers rear, and the spare door I had, and have been PB Blasting them all week. I have the pawls moving full range. But they don't seem to "latch" and the release lever doesn't seem to do anything. It does not seem to move anything inside the latch. Is it supposed to click latched closed when off the door?

Other issue, and bit more concerning: I get a vibration in the front axle, usually when the right front wheel hits a hole, or manhole cover. Any speed above 35mph. And once today, I hit a hole after it was vibrating and it quit. I thought this was related to the left side U joint which I have since fixed. The U joint on the right looks fine, and was possibly replaced by the PO. Once the vibration starts, it stays there, unless I come to a stop and start out again. Usually until I hit a bump, it won't happen, even up to highway speed. I can feel the vibration in the steering wheel when it happens. At highway speed it shakes the whole truck. Makes a sound I can hear when the windows are open too.

Any ideas? Something in the drivetrain. Driveshafts? Anything I can check underneath the truck? I really don't drive this truck much at all, and don't want to drop a ton of $$ into it. Read posts above for history.

Any help appreciated.....!!

 

sounds to me like either a bad wheel bearing/hub assembly, or the ball joints. check those, and let us know.

my 2001 1500 is my plow truck, and my DD. i put diesel coil springs in the front, and my trucks barely drops 3/4" when i raise my plow, you can see what i have for a plow in my sig.

when you get the rear door put back together, use some white litium grease on the latches. my drivers rear door bottom latch was sticking, sprayed some w-l grease on it, and its been fine since.

 

Oh, the ball joints on the right side are VERY bad, a good 3/4" of slop, I never guessed that could cause it? Just vertical vibration from the wheel? Possible I guess.

I have new ball joints, I did the left side when I did the axle. I am waiting for warmer weather to do the pass. side as my truck barely fits in my shop with the doors closed.

Thanks for the tip, I'll get those done and post back if that fixes it....

 

Well I replaced the left side ball joints and still have the problem, although it seems slightly different now. I did check the U joint on the left side axle too, and it looks to have been replaced by the guy I bought it from. Nothing else loose or worn in that hub that I could see.

There is a rattling sound coming from under the truck that I can hear echo off of guard rails when I pass them, I hear it at low speeds (< 30mph) and even pulling into parking spots.

When I hit about 40, it turns into a full shudder, shakes the whole truck, although now I don't feel it in the steering wheel and it seems to come from about mid-truck.

It is not load dependent, on or off the gas, I still hear it, and on or off the brakes doesn't affect it either.

Something is way loose and out of balance. I'll get under there one evening this week and look around. Also, the rear differential really howls.

Any ideas on what to look for? How can I check the driveshafts? Wiggle, manhandle/pry?

Could a diff be that worn and sloppy? The rattling really sounds like it is NOT coming from inside any anything like a diff however.

Again, I put maybe 700-1000 miles on my truck a year, but I really get nervous getting this thing out on the highway.

Thanks in advance for any help....

 

Bad pinion bearing is pretty common. And the rattling may just be the heat shield above the cat.