Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 53 block

[hbowers]

someone repaired the cracked block but did'nt work. also you can see what the black bottle on vent tube does to radiator. this truck only has 125k mi.

 

[hbowers]

more pics

if your truck still has the black bottle I would throw it away and add a foot to the hose to get it away from radiator. also check for the dreaded 53 .

 

[macdaddy]

Thanks for taking the time to upload the pics along with the excellent advice. Was the iron on the block in the area of the leak porous or smooth?. I heard if it is porous you might get a leaker.



I didn't want to play around with my 53 that was in my 99. I sprayed mine with WD40 in the area in question and it felt smooth to the touch. I really don't know what it's fate was.



Question though? The bottle on the crank case vent, do they all have the holes like that?. And are they on all 2nd gen trucks?



Mac

 

[HBarlow]

My '01 HO 6spd had that lousy catcher bottle and it blocked the radiator fins regularly if not removed and gently pressure washed at a car wash on a regular maintenance schedule.

 

[macdaddy]

HB... .



Thats the reason I asked. My friend has the same 01. Is it a matter of simply removing it and extending the tube down past the tie rod area?.



Mac

 

[CTaylor]

HB... .



Thats the reason I asked. My friend has the same 01. Is it a matter of simply removing it and extending the tube down past the tie rod area?.



Mac

I have heard of it being done that way or you can check out moparman1973s website and he ran his back up and over and to the back of his engine with PVC and brought it down where the 12 valves vent since if you go off road and get in a nose down situation you can puke all your oil out of the front tube the way its setup from the factory

 

[HBarlow]

HB... .

Thats the reason I asked. My friend has the same 01. Is it a matter of simply removing it and extending the tube down past the tie rod area?.

Mac

Mac,

I never did modify mine but back when the 24 valves were still news here in the TDR forums several owners did and discussed it in the 24 valve forum.

As I remember, they simply removed the hose and replaced it with a long hose and ran it back along the frame to a convenient location of their choice. They made sure the hose didn't run uphill.

Those who did the modification ziplocked the hose to the frame, fuel or brake line, or emergency brake cable housing and reinstalled the drip bottle.

It was a bad design. It probably resulted in a lot of overheated engines among those who weren't TDR members and aware of the problem. It could cause a cracked block, warped head, or other damage if the radiator was allowed to be blocked by oil and road dust.

 

[hbowers]

I don't know if the block was smooth in the area of the leak or not. someone had used jb weld all over it.

I always throw the bottle away and extend the hose down under away from the radiator and ziptie it. but that pvc fix looks pretty good,especially if you do steep offroad driving.

 

[Allnew2Me]

If you go back and search the archives (posts older than 1 year) you will find a lot written on the relocation of the bottle and the good Ol' 53.

Get a 5/8" double-barbed plastic fitting at any hardware store and use it to extend the crank vent hose down to where you prefer. Some go all the way out the back of the truck, I went outside the driver's frame rail with a sock over it, some just let it hang with no bottle but you will get drips where you park. You can't clean or even see the radiator mess because it is behind the AC condenser and the intercooler. If you look down at it from behind where the fan is it all looks fine but when you pull it, well, see the above picture. I relocated mine at around 50k and had about half of what you see in the above pic.

The 53 was caused by a bunch of bad castings that were thin in that area. Not all 53 blocks cracked, there are some that never did with a lot of miles on them but you don't hear much about them. Read Cliffman's post about his experience with the different fixes. They worked for a while but to really be sure you need a new block.