I have same issue same year truck. IF it is the heater core how long can I run it and just keeping adding anti-freeze?

Does a bad heater core cause any other problems?

 

As long as you keep it full of coolant and keep an eye on the temp gauge you should be alright. Just make sure the leak doesnt get worse.

 

just thought id put my two cents in. theres a small 3 inch hose that goes from the water pump to the block. it went out on my 5.9 a few years ago. if you crawl up and look down just to the right of the alternator you should be able to see the hose. the alternator and compressor both sit in a chassis thats mounted to the engine. pull that off and you'll see exactly what im talking about. its definitely worth a check before you take it to a shop.

just pull both your alternator and compressor out and rest them on the fan shroud and you'll be able to look right under chassis and see if the hose is leaking. when i found mine it was swollen to about 3x the size of what it should have been

all i needed to fix it was the hose and some new jubilee clamps, as the stock clamps are ****. i replaced my pump with it while i was in there so that might be something you wanna do.

hopefully it helps

 

I'm in the same kind of situation here too but with a few extra problems. I took my 2002 5.9 in to the mechanics yesterday due to a coolant leak and also because my diff is going bad (makes very loud whining noise and oil leaks at the back and the front diffs).

From the initial diagnose I was told the coolant is leaking from under the timing cover (water pump is good - I replaced this about 2 years ago). I'll find out for certain later today when I get my truck back.

 

Ok, I am new here and to my Dodge 1500 4x4, (first one and love it so far) however not new to the garage. 181k on my 5.9l magnum and was getting low heat on the lowest setting on the fan but it cools when I turn it up. I do smell a hint of antifreeze in the truck when the heat is on so my first instinct is to check the tstat. Temp is steady (no overheating). Maybe stuck open? So because I smell in the truck I dive into heater core replacement and door inspection.
This tends to scare off even the garage guys when we say "heater core replacement". REALLY ISNT THAT HARD! Just time consuming.
Phillips screwdriver
Door panel removal tool or flat head screwdriver
Ratchet /extension 10mm 13mm short and deep 5/16 or 8mm
Flashlight
Pliers
PATIENCE! It just takes some time to get all the screws out that's it. Have the AC discharged. I have about 3 hours in removal so far. Had to go to work and then I'll finish up with it this week. I too want to drive it till the wheels fall off and due to the condition it's in the motor will give befor that happens and I'll have it rebuilt at that point.
Oh by the way I have about $100 in it so far and time. Why spend $1000 or more to have a shop do it unless time constrains you and you have no other car?

 

My radiator developed hairline crack on the drivers side of the radiator. Near the top. In the black plastic. It was very small and hard to see.

 

If your heater core is anything like mine good luck removing the entire dash all the way to the fire wall and draining the AC lines to remove the HVAC system. Not to count about 8 hrs i believe.

 

I also had a leak i could'nt find turned out my timing cover was leaking between the block and water pump. It was evaporating before it got to the ground, but i could smell it.

 

It was really rather easy. Like I said, just a lot of screws. It only took me about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to take out everything and pull the dash away from the firewall to expose the heater core box. My brother owns a machine to discharge and recharge my AC so I temporarily put the dash back on with four or six bolts drove it to his house had him discharge the AC. But by all accounts to remove and replace the dashboard heater core box heater core and finish the charge about 6 to 8 hours correct.