Van, 2000 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.9L. Cruise control light will appear for 1-2 seconds then going out and no cruise. Mechanic said no vacuum leak but cc unit not getting power from PCM. He suggested bad PCM. YouTube videos suggests bad corroded connection may be reason for no current to cc. Comments? Can someone tell me or show me where it is so I can check for corrosion?

The other thing was leaking antifreeze. Mechanic says the radiator (the original one) needs to be replaced. Saw a replacement all aluminum for $200 at radiator express.com. Any suggestions?

New on here although have had van for 16 years, has 125,000 miles on it.

Appreciate comments and guidance.

 

If I remember right, that issue can be attributed to the speed senor on the pumpkin being faulty or the clock spring in the steering wheel. If you are really confused after cleaning, inspecting and testing, this may be your issue.

I did my radiator about a two years ago and it just got the NAPA special. It has been great since.

 

There is a TSB with your year of Ram Van dealing with the clock Spring. Too bad it wasn't a recall to have it fixed for FREE.

Also, a replacement radiator isn't too hard of a job.

Check all the radiator hoses, if soft, slimy with goo, or they collapse easy, replace them too.

Taking the two piece radiator shroud off there are two clip fasteners that holds the upper half to the lower. Just break them off. Later you can zip-tie or forget them. Both halves come out from under the engine area to the ground. You will need to take off the hose from the lower radiator to the water pump to do this.

I would strongly recommend a 50/50 flush of white distilled vinegar and purified water. The water can be distilled, RO or Berkey filtered. NEVER use tap water because it's corrosive to a vehicle's cooling loop. After the flush, rinse with straight purified water.

Next up, once all the parts are connected, refill using the common green 50/50 premix coolant. DO NOT use long life coolants in a 3.9L, 5.2L or the 5.9L Magnum engines. This generation of engines was never designed to use them. These muscle car engines are technology from the late '60s and just modernized really.

 

I put in a new rad on my 01 about 3 years ago replacing it with a Vista-Pro from Rockauto.com, cost about $130 or so delivered... new cap and hoses too.

I never had CC installed on my '01 van and had to install an aftermarket one. There is a vacuum reservoir (plastic ball about the size of a softball) under the passenger headlight, accesses by taking off panel under headlight. Check those rubber connectors for leakage/failure. That was a problem on my '94 van causing the CC to go out. Not sure if the '00 uses the same vacuum system, but easy to take off panel with one phillips screw to look.

 

Just installed a 3 row aluminum radiator from Shepherd autoparts. Works great so far. http://www.shepherdautoparts.com/aut...OQwqLCog==.htm

 

a1---
doubt that van will ever overheat now

 

Think it is the same one listed on Radiator Express that I purchased from Shepherd auto parts. https://www.radiatorexpress.com/prod...aia_id=1391374