I just noticed tonight when I got home, after about a 15 minute drive, a slight leak coming from my radiator or that area. It was a mostly clear, but somewhat cloudy consistency, not much color to it at all. It leaked for maybe 2 to 3 minutes, then stopped, but I did trace it. Any ideas what my issue may be, and more importantly, a solution? Should I be concerned or look to replace the radiator? Please advise. Thanks!

 

Easy ways to tell what it is, is to smell it. Nothing else but coolant smells like coolant. If its not coolant than its very likely power steering fluid from the gearbox or a leaking line.

 

^^^ +1, coolant has a very distinctive odor, one I know I've become accustomed to in my time of owning beaters lol.....Also, is it wet around a general area on or near the rad? Might be a clue as to where the leaking is occurring (something up with a hose or maybe a crack in the rad itself).......

 

Well, I ended up replacing that radiator because it was in fact leaking. But now, I have a slow leak on the seal of the right (driver) side of the radiator. Is there anything I could put on or in the radiator to seal up the leak in that location, or am I better off to get yet another radiator that doesn't leak already?

 

by seal - do you mean the crimp between the aluminum core and the plastic side tank.
does your new radiator have a warranty? if so, make a claim on it.

 

Yes, dhvaughn, it is seeping out right there where the metal and plastic meet up on the right (driver) side of the radiator. It does not have a warranty as I bought it used from someone that was parting out a truck to save money. Trying to fix a few things on this ole truck on a budget and not having to spend a whole lot of money, though I'm not having much luck finding a leak free used radiator, so I may end up spending the extra cash and getting a new one with a warranty, unless one of you knows of something that can seal and fix this leak. Thanks!

 

There are lots of stop-leak chemicals on the market, and not a darn one of them that ought to be used except in dire emergencies. I carry a tube of Aluma-Seal just in case I have one of those dire emergencies, but if my radiator springs a leak when I'm in or near town I'll just buy a new radiator rather than foul my block and heater core with crap.

Some will argue that their favorite leak stopping products don't do that. I won't rebut. Rock Auto can hook you up with a new unit for $106 to $133 -- how much future headache are you willing to risk to save a hundred bucks? Hopefully the answer is zero.

 

The leak you are experiencing is very common for that type of radiator (plastic side tanks crimped onto an aluminum core). If you plan to keep the truck for a good while, might want to invest in an all-aluminum radiator (aluminum side tanks welded onto the aluminum core), such as the CSF 2969, which is a bolt-in all-aluminum radiator for the Dodge Ram 2nd gen trucks. Price for this style of radiator is fairly reasonable for a radiator that can be repaired if it ever leaks in the future. For more information, check out this thread:

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

 

There is no fixing crimped radiators that leak at the seam. It is gauranteed to fail, and generally at the worst possible moment. Replace it.

 

If you're still in a bind we carry new radiators for your Dodge Ram truck. Here's a link to them for your vehicle. 1998-2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Truck Radiator for V8 5.9L