I have a 1998 Dodge ram with the 5.9 V8. It has been dripping Coolant for a long time and today i started taking it all apart to replace it.

First of all it looked like coolant was dripping from the water pump bolts. And when i removed the water pump water started pouring out of the lower long bolt on the drivers side. So i assume this bolt goes into a coolant passage and the reason it was leaking is because the factory thread sealent failed and allowed coolant to leak. Other than that the water pump seems fine but i am going to replace it anyways.

Second there seems to bee coolant weeping on top of the timing cover. There are 2 green globs sitting on top right where it meets the block. So now i have to pull the timing chain cover and replace the block to timing cover gasket.

So since i am pulling the timing cover to seal this leak up while i am at it i am wondering if i should replace the timing chain. I have not pulled the timing cover yet to see if it's loose but a Cloyes heavy duty double roller is only $25 so im thinking it might be a good time to get it all done at once. This engine seems low on power and has about 150K but not sure because the odometer quit working years ago. But can a loose timing chain cause a loss of power? If i replace it do you think i would see any better power or maybe a slight gas mileage improvement?

I never messed with this before am i getting in deeper than i need to? Should i leave well enough alone and just stick it back together cheaply or should i replace the timing chain and cover gasket? The oil looks clean and i don't see any sign of coolant getting into the oil.

 

I forgot to mention this.... I finally dug into it because the trucks temp gauge indicated that it was getting hot, I never overheated it though. And the heater stopped blowing warm and only blew cold. So i reverse flushed the heater core and it flows freely and does not seem to be plugged up.

But also another weird thing happened when it was running hot.... The overfill bottle is normally half full and it is now completly full so somehow it over filled it's self. What would cause this?

 

Replace the timing set as well. You are going to be RIGHT THERE. That was one of THE BEST improvements I did on the my 5.9. (previous truck to the one in my sig.)

If you are low on coolant, odd things will happen. Might want to replace the radiator cap as well though.

Getting good heat back can be an exercise. These trucks are notoriously difficult to purge that last lump of air from the heater core.........parking at an angle, so the radiator is higher than the heater core helps, but, I found that angle has a pretty significant 'pucker factor' to it. (I think there is even a pic of my truck parked on the hill when I did it around here somewhere.)

 

Thanks for the reply i will definitely change the timing set if i end up repairing this truck then.

My only concern about trying to fix it is the overfull coolant bottle. I keep reading about cracked heads on the 5.9 and how it was fixed in the later years. This truck is a 98 is this considered a later year or not? I really don't want to sink money into this truck only to find out the heads are bad because the truck is not worth repairing at that point it has a lot of rust and is only 2wd. I have never noticed milky oil or any white goo on the oil cap but reading about it still concerns me.

 

Just a little unsolicited advice from a fellow Dodge owner. '96 Ram 1500 2WD 318 222+K miles...AND SHE JUST WON'T DIE!!! But to my point, mine's been ridden hard n put up wet all her life, then she sat idle for years (death sentence to any vehicle) due to government types that absolutely loved $4-5/gallon gas. I started restoring her awhile back n noticed that the guts of the engine were still first rate. The 318/360 engines were built like tanks n built to last. I've replaced quite a few timing chains n many different vehicles (V8, vintage U.S. iron mostly) in my life n most were/are still within tolerance. It sounds like you just need things like resealing the water pump bolts n replace the thermostat gasket (the green globs on top of the timing chain cover). Cheap money says...plumbers tape on the water jacket penetrating bolts n replace the thermostat with a stant brand n gasket...BUT put no sealer on the gasket and don't torque the daylights outta the bolts. I've found that thermostat housings, for some strange reason, seal better WITHOUT gasket sealer(the gaskets are usually some kinda paper n once they soak up the antifreeze..they seal...go figgur!?!

 

Dodge never did 'fix' the problem with the heads. Trouble was, the castings were simply too thin. (a money saving move on dodges part....) You can test your coolant for combustion byproducts, to see if you do have a problem there......

 

I have it all tore down so i cant test the coolant for bubbling or exhaust gasses. I supposed i could pull plugs and see if any of them look like that have been burning coolant, other than that i may just slap it back together as half *** and cheaply as possible and replace the thermostat and how thats what was causing it to get hot. I don't want to dump a ton of time and money on new parts just to have the junk yard crush it into a cube when i'm done.

 

If you still have the coolant in a bucket, you can test that.

 

I'm sure the EPA would love to hear what happened to it but lets just say it missed the bucket. I might be able to get some out of the bottom of the radiator but i doubt it and i have already reverse flushed the heater core with the hose so i am hosed lol.

I am going to go for plan B slap it back together with the old water pump and use sealant on the threads and stick a new thermostat in it. Even if the heads are still good it should quit overheating as half assed as it is. And if the water pump was to go out next week at least i could know if the head is pushing air into the system. And if it's not i might do it all right the second time, and if it is then it's scrap metal.

 

I had a 4.7L Ram that I bought for $100 and I used it as a woods beater. It had 135,000 Mikes on it when I bought it and the head gaskets and the heads were in fact cracked. I bought a tube from advance that looked like gun powder and dumped it into the coolant. Now I am 100% against adding anything to your coolant or oil, but I figured for $100 truck let's see if it will fix it. I was going through 1 gallon of antifreeze every two weeks running it about 25% of those two weeks. Now it has 275,988 miles and uses 0 antifreeze and the heater core isn't clogged. So before you give up try that stuff (hey you are sending us to the junkyard anyway what's another $12 bucks). Just a personal experience if you decide you are going to scrap the ol'girl