Question on 360 V8 Gas Engine

[FATCAT]

Got this email from my friend/machanic about one of his customer's 99 Dodge truck. Looks like there are problems with the V8 blocks/heads cracking!!! (Brian is my friends Dodge specialist in Maine).



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Frank came in this week, he has 99 3/4 ton Dodge with 360 engine. He had check engine light on, I took a quick look and sent him to dealer. Dealer told him intake manifold gasket gone and I refused. dealer did gasket and about a week later the truck would not stay running. He had it towed back to dealer for diagnosis and they found a valve on left head not closing. They pulled the head off at 82k miles and sent to machine shop. the head came back junk. #1 and #4 cylinder was cracked between valves. I asked Brian, he said he never heard of it, then called me Tue night saying Mopar just issued bulletin --major problem with heads and BLOCKS cracking! Frank can't sell it fast enough. Just thought I'd make your day.

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So has anyone here heard of this problem! Any info on this?



My machanic friend is a big Ford fan, but like the Cummins, (wishes that Ford use the Cummins) ... and likes to rib me when ever he can. I told him to tell his customer to buy a diesel next time.

 

[Doc Tinker]

I just did a head job on my father-in-laws Dodge mini-motorhome and both heads were junk, with the same problem. The engine evidently is an HO version, with larger valves. Replacements were hard to find.



Doc

 

[NVR FNSH]

My co-worker has a '97 1500 4wd with the 360 V8 - just had one of the heads replaced due to a bent valve... ... Truck has ~75k miles on it. Luckily, he has a 100k extended warranty.



Any more info on the DC Bulletin? He's talking about selling the truck because he's afraid of this happening again. Sounds like it might be real likely to happen again in the near future.



Brian

 

[Steve Campbell]

Perhaps a change...

to a cooler thermostat would lengthen the time it takes to crack the head. I have a friend who just bought a used 99. I better give them a heads up.

 

[baby.driver]

My work truck is a 97 3500 van w/360.

110,000 miles. It has had transmission problems but the engine is good.



Jay

 

[danandamy]

I'm just wondering, since we all pretty much share the same feelings about dealership service departments if they frelled up the intake gasket job and didn't get it sealed right and caused a BAD vacume leak. Bad vacume leak = leaning out = major heat= head trashing. Just a thought.



I have heard of problems with the intake gaskets not holding up but not heard anything on the heads.



dan

 

[Crazy Horse]

FATCAT,

I think there may some truth to the rumor. I just got rid of my 2000 2500 w/ a 360 a couple of weeks ago. Took it in to a Lithia dealer last winter cause the right head gasket was leaking coolant at the gasket just until the engine warmed up. The truck only had about 5,000 miles on it. They replaced the gasket, put on a new water pump, and a new radiator. The radiator would leak from a seem if it got below -10 degs. The waterpump ??? I never saw it leak and I doo check my rigs over regularly. I think extra labor hours while the coolant was out . Any way, the truck seemed to be running rough a couple of moths ago so I took it back in. The shop was totally in a disorginized state. As my 8 am appt. didn't get in to be looked at untill 11 am I had to take the truck out of the shop before anything was really done other than looking at it. The "service manager" said they thought it might have a cracked head. Also said they have seen some problems with cracked heads. I kinda blew it off, I'm thinkin to my self these engines have been around for ever. So anyway that gave me another excuse to get a new CTD. And the excuse list was getting longer.

 

[Royk]

Guess I was lucky. I traded my 2500 with 360 gasser in March when I got my CTD. It was a 95 with 125,000 miles. I beat that truck pretty hard for over 7 years and it still ran real good the day I dropped it off at the dealer. Even the dealer told me he was driving it around and said it ran great for an old truck.



-Roy