here here@
thanks all
i know you mentioned to sttart with the other work- but the transmission is something id like to get covered

ifound a transmission for 890 . delivery included to a shop. an called all the transmission shops i got prices from 5-800bucks. plus fluids and that and tax..i never got theprice from dodge yet for teh tranny replacement but i will soon
so looking at 1600 aside from them..if there price is close to that - am i better off going with them ...
the transmission i found has 40 thousand km on it.so that seems ok

and the qouted price i got from dodge on my tie rod + steering shaft an ball joint and rad is 1300.. i got almost 3 grand in work to do...icould sell my truck for 6-7 grand ..and use that repair money tobuy a new vehicle..or lease a new one...just another strategy..
all though dodges repairs are very over priced...i could probably cut that in a half or less if i do it all my self..

the rad seems to not be overheating to much and retaining fluid..but im noticing some dripping for sure.
.i still havent seen the crack my self
where would i be looking for the crack?? should it be visible? the dealer said thers a crack in the top left of rad... i dont know how they would have noticed it..they never removed any of the plastic caps or anything ontop of the rad..anyhow. .just worried if i go and replace the rad and it ends up just being some lines...i should be able to tell once i dissasemble it.
anyway i will follow your steps towards locating the exact leak on the rad..
thanks - just keepin you updated

 

If you're planning on having someone else do the repairs, it makes no difference on the sequence of events. My suggestions were based on your indication that you wanted to get some wrenching confidence to save on labor costs. When you add labor to material you will get a much larger number than you'll get for materials alone - look at the ball joint & tie rod quote, the labor is almost 4 times what the parts cost.

The used transmission cost is about right and the labor looks reasonable for a shop. You realize that you will end up with almost no warranty with this approach since you're supplying the transmission? Did the labor quote also include the removal of the used transmission if it doesn't work?

I can't advise you much more on the radiator, since I can't see it, I can't give you more than the general trouble shooting advise on this. You need some pressure to find small leaks, that's why I suggested getting the engine to operating temp - if it doesn't get there, as I mentioned earlier, your thermostat most likely is stuck open and you won't get the pressure you need to find the leak. A rad shop or garage has tools that they can use to pressurize the cooling system to look for this, which may be why they can see it & you can't.