Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) I cant believe this! has this happened to you??

[BLively]

this morning i was headed to help a friend do some taxidermy work. i go to pass a semi, and hammer the throttle down, and then comes a STRONG smell of antifreeze. i look over at the glove box, and there is antifreeze dang near pooring out of the glove box!! i was pretty mad! i had replaced the heater core back in December! and now its shot! has this ever happened to any of ya'll?? this reallllyyyy irritates me, cuz i dont have time to replace this thing again!!

 

[Pavemen]

that sucks, but are you sure the heater core failed vs the connections to the hoses or the hoses themselves?

 

[InfernoB]

Out of curiosity, because I have not even checked my system yet, and I've seen other posts about this... . In the marine engines we use a restrictor. It restricts the flow so the heater will not burst, nor allow the flow to overcool the system. Do the trucks have this?

 

[BLively]

that sucks, but are you sure the heater core failed vs the connections to the hoses or the hoses themselves?

well, my uncle (mechanic for 30 years) told me that too, and said the same thing happened to him, so a friend and i checked the hoses. one clamp was a little close to the end of the heater core connection, so i moved the clamp closer to the firewall. i thought that fixed the problem, till i shut the truck off and restarted and drove, then back to antifreeze everywhere. i pulled the glove box off the dash and watched the core while the truck was running. had a little leak, but when i would give it more rpms, there was a definite hole in the core. you could see it about in the middle of the core and under the top of the pipes on the cab side of it. i bypassed the heater core alltogether for now until i can find time to deal with it again, and find my reciept for the dang thing!

 

[Grizzly]

Well, I can't blame you for being upset, I would also.

 

[BLively]

well since i have to do this again, where can i get a dash piece? it was cracked before i did the heater core, and now its really cracked!

 

[RHestand]

On a few of my old vehicles I've just pulled and plugged the heater hoses (in warm wthr. ) untill I have more time.

It worked for me.

Ray

 

[Cummins724]

If you don't have the time to change it out... . just take the 2 hoses off the heater core & hook the 2 ends together using a piece of pipe between the 2. It will get you by until winter.

 

[BLively]

ok ill just do that while im trying to find a new dash piece. thanks for the help guys!

 

[NoSeeUm]

If you don't have the time to change it out... . just take the 2 hoses off the heater core & hook the 2 ends together using a piece of pipe between the 2. It will get you by until winter.

Could you also just plug them?



Jim

 

[BLively]

Could you also just plug them?



Jim

no, the water has to flow through the two tubes, and not be blocked off.

 

[pgleavitt]

The radiator cap controls the cooling system operating pressure. I once put the wrong cap on my jeep and blew out the heater core. I found out the hard way that you can get different pressure rated caps and maybe yours failed. Just a thought.

 

[DTangstrom]

I replaced mine last fall and I smell antifreeze again. Between A/C and heat I am so sick and tired of taking this dash back. The fact that this took me less that four hours from start to finish last time does not impress me it just makes me realize that I have done this to many times.

 

[BLively]

I replaced mine last fall and I smell antifreeze again. Between A/C and heat I am so sick and tired of taking this dash back. The fact that this took me less that four hours from start to finish last time does not impress me it just makes me realize that I have done this to many times.

Right!! i hear ya there! with the radiator cap, i am still using the stock one that originally came with the truck. do you think it may have gone bad?

 

[DTangstrom]

Right!! i hear ya there! with the radiator cap, i am still using the stock one that originally came with the truck. do you think it may have gone bad?

I tested my cap with the pressure tester and it operated fine when I changed the core. I was considering some of that leak sealer you can buy. I've never been a big fan of such products but this might be worth a shot. How about anybody else, any luck or dispair with coolant leak sealant products?

 

[BLively]

i would be very interested if someone said that that would work! i was going to buy some of that stuff, but was told it wouldnt do any good, but i have heard people say its the best thing to use on radiators... i dont know... id rather spend 5 or 10 bucks, then have to pull all that stuff back apart!

 

[MattSt]

I would be sure to check the tubes going out of the core are clear. If pressure built up it could blow the core. Mine stopped putting out heat and so I thought my core was blocked. Turns out those tubes are pretty small near the bends and I had a blockage there. Tubes cleaned=heat again. I'm getting that cavitation sound at high RPM again so I know they have a partial blockage again. #@$%!