Hello everyone, first time in these forum since i just recently bought a 2003 Dodge Ram 4.7L, great truck other than what just happened to me tonight.

Anyway here's the problem:
i got it with 92xxx miles on it, ran smooth and since then i put about 3k highway miles on it. i started to notice a milky oil filler tube and did a google search which brought me to this forum where many said it was normal. Also i was slowly loosing coolant (since ive had the truck) and couldn't find a leak anywhere! so frustrating.
i thought it was the coolant expansion tank and i can hear hissing from the top, changed the cap, same thing, it's leaking from the seam, what a dumb design.

Anyway the plot thickens. since ive had the truck it has never overheated or ran hot, temp gauge never passes the center mark. I drove about 4 miles to work, parked it for 5 hours, drove 4 miles back home, then 3 miles to school and parked. during this time the truck ran fine, but as soon as i parked at school the check engine light came on, and started to flash.

heres where the problem starts:
Leaving school i went to start the truck, it hesitated, almost like a dragging starter or battery. eventually after a few tries it started, but the idle was rough and the check engine light was still on. Now, with the truck running it was SMOKING like crazy out the tail pipe, i could smell it, definitely coolant no doubt about it, giant whit cloud at idle and smoking while i drove it home. if i shut it off and let it sit for a couple of minutes then start it, giant white cloud again and rough idle.

since i'm mechanically inclined, and because i was pissed, i decided to take start taking it apart. first i looked in the oil filler tube and it was filled with moisture and was lined with a yellow milky mixture of coolant an oil, then i pulled the dipstick, the oil on it was clean, no sign of oil and coolant mix on it what so ever(strange i thought). i pulled the plastic box off before the TB (don't know the name) and there was coolant in there, not much, but i'm sure it ain't suppose to be there, and more than likely came from the PCV system.

next i took the intake manifold off, little bit of coolant in there as well. then i too both valve covers off and that yellow milky mixture was all over the top of the valve covers and on the end of the passenger side cam gear.

I don't know much about how the cooling system works in these trucks since i just bought it as a daily driver and do most of my performance work on a honda.

so my question to you all is. Besides the head gaskets (which i'm going to replace) what other things that are common on these truck that can cause this problem? Possible cracked head? what are the chance that the block is cracked? if it's the head id be happy, but the block...i really don't feel like pulling the motor, but if i have to i will.

tomorrow/soon i plan to pull the heads and see about getting the pressure tested. whether 1/both are bad i plan to replace them both. if they come back ok....i guess i'll be pulling the motor out :-(

sorry for the long post, but i figure too much info is better than not enough. Thanks in advance for all you help.

 

also, all the plug on the driver side looked perfect, the passenger side plug looked worse from front to back. the front was the best looking, but not like the driver side, the rear on on the pass side was terrible, looks kinda like the tip was just sitting in water.

 

Cracked head/ gasket. These 4.7Ls are notrious for that. Thats where your coolant is going and thats the "smoking" from your tail pipes, its the coolant being burned off in the cyliders.

 

Yep, hopefully just head gasket, but 4.7s are known for cracked heads usually happens when the engine overheats. It's likely it may have done so on the previous owner.

Not really heard of the actual block cracking on anyone though...

 

ok, well hopefully its just the heads and head gaskets. i'm gonna pull the head off today and get them checked out.

any ideas where a good place to get replacement heads is?

 

Everyone has told you right so far. 4.7's are bad for those issues unfortunately. As for replacement heads, the only place I have ever seen in are here one the boards and Craigslist.

 

I have used these guys before, 4.7's are notorious for blowing head gaskets, over heating and wharping heads. These reconditioned heads are 275.00 each and the return shipping is paid by the company.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DODGE...Q5fAccessories

 

Thats not bad prices at all and at least they have lots of them.

 

And they are easy on the cores, they dont care if they are wharped, cracked of have bent valves, as long as they get a set back, they will repair/replace parts and refurbish them. I have used two sets from these guys on trucks around here and have had no trouble with them. I have a set sitting in the garage, but i am afraid it would take the same ammount of money to fix these as it would to get a set that is ready to bolt on.

 

yea i saw those...i'll probably order from them depending on what the machine shop says.

thanks all