Thanks for taking the time to read this. I am not mechanically inclined in anyway so bear with me. I have a 2004 Ram 1500 with the 4.7. This morning when I started it up it has a knock in it. I checked it out and can't tell exactly where it is coming from. All the fluid levels are fine. I looked underneath it and it appears to be leaking quite a bit of coolant/water from behind the biggest pulley, which is just to the right of the lower radiator hose. Any suggestions? thanks.

 

Might be the water pump. My only concern with what you put is you hear a knock. A water pump going bad would normally have a whine where the bearings are going bad. When you checked the oil did it look funny or did it maybe look like a milkshake? Usually when you hear a knock, that means oil isn't getting to the motor properly. If you're not mechanically inclined, I would say you need to have a mechanic check this out before you do any damage to your motor that's irreversable. Just my thoughts. The 4.7 motor is known for the sludge buildup and not pumping oil to the motor properly. You may have two seperate issues happening here.

 

Thanks, I just called my local dealership service dept. Taking her in tomorrow. The oil had a few bubbles at the top of the level, but not like sludge or anything. The knock doesn't sound like a knock I have heard before, it is kind of intermittent, and like a clang i would say, can only hear it when idling.

 

Man, I hope you figure it out. Like johnny said, I first thought water pump, but that knocking isn't synonomous with a bad pump, at least in my experiences. Have you driven it at all? Does it feel like it has a 'miss' to it? Lotta smoke? If so, might have a headgasket problem.

Ill let some more knowledgable folks chime in before I throw out any more possible wrong info. Im not too terribly inclined myself, but Ive owned a couple pieces in my day, so I had to learn a couple things along the way. Good luck man, keep us updated on the problem/fix

 

Can you wobble the fan/pulley? That is what mine did when the water pump went out on it. It didn't exactly knock, but you could just hear it and tell something was not right. If you do have to drive it anywhere pay very close attention to the engine temp. If you are leaking coolant you don't want to take a chance over heating your engine. I've read and been told that the 4.7L is VERY unforgiving if you over heat it at all.

 

Yeah, I drove it for about an hour this morning taking my son to daycare. No miss or smoke or anything. I did notice it was running a little hotter than usual, but not near overheating. Yeah, I will keep yall posted, and thanks for the help. I can fix a thing or two on it, but nothing major. I just didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on it that I don't have to begin with, but gotta keep it running being a single dad and it's my only vehicle. Good truck though, first problem I have ever had out of it.

 

My guess is you have two separate issues as well. You probably only just noticed the coolant leak because the knock made you look.
Dodge is know for using shi**y clamps for their hoses, to the point many guys take them all off and replace them with real hose clamps long before they become an issue...

 

This may sound dumb, but how cold is it by you? I had a similiar sound, it was freaking me out cause of the dreaded 4.7 sludge, but was more of a clang. Believe it or not, was actually ice buildup on the shroud, and the sound was the fan hitting the ice and knocking it around

 

I hope it isn't multiple problems. haha. Actually this leak is pretty bad, and you can smell the coolant cooking. The coolant level is still full in the radiator and the reservior, so it may just have all happened when I cranked it this morning. It isn't pouring out, but it is a very steady drip, about 2 small drips a second or so. But thanks guys. Guess we will find out tomorrow at 830

 

I'm in NC, so it was about 40's this morning, no snow or ice lately.