Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I sprung a leak in the radiator core. You gotta remove everything in sight to get it out due to the mounting on the sides.
As I am aiming for reliability while towing, I installed a new Gates water pump. Old pump had about 35K on it since being replaced by a Dodge dealer while the original owner had it. Belt the same. I installed a Gates Fleet Runner belt, (the green one) and a new Litens tensioner, as the one on it was a Dayco with a plastic pulley. Litens invented the tensioner so it should be good. New GPD radiator is 1/4 inch thinner than the original but the engine never seemed to get hot even climbing grades. Only time it got hot was when the NAPA thermostat stuck, but it has a genuine Cummins in it, replaced about three years ago. I took the alternator to a shop and they replaced the bearings and brushes. One bearing was getting noisy. While it was off I replaced the short connector hoses on the heater pipe under the alternator and under the exhaust manifold. Used new Cummins parts with the original spring clamps, which are quite strong.
I very carefully sanded the rust and build up off the block face where the water pump and the tensioner sat and coated them with a tacky grease except where the water pump seal sits, so no rust would form again under this stuff
I took off the belt before I had removed the fan. I have the Fluidampr in place of the original crank damper, and the belt really did not want to come thru the gap between the fan and the damper (this is the new damper with the bevel on the back so the belt will clear the water pump during removal) I ended up removing the fan just to get it out of the way. I use a 32/36 mm double open end metric wrench and a aircraft rivet gun with a flat set on it to hit the wrench, but they make a tool for doing this that has the .401 air hammer/rivet gun set made to it.
#ad
Radiator leaked because the shroud was rubbing one of the tubes. With the new thinner core this is a non issue as there is 3/16 or so clearance now. The '03 and early '04 shroud is unique as it blocks off the lower part of the radiator. Everything went together nicely and the fan wires installed properly in the recesses of the shroud and the lower section fit in place nicely locking it in place. Plastic push pins were new last time and still were difficult to push in so I reused them, though I may go back and change them for good measure.
The fan elect connector is loose in the hole it locks into so I install a tywrap thru the bottom of the shroud and around the connector as I have done in the past. wires to the fan hub clear the blades and cannot flex. The fan blades were new a couple of years ago, having been damaged by the water pump failure in 2017.
I found removing the LH wheel well liner made it easy to get the windshield washer bottle out (after the turbo tubes were removed) as I just go out the bottom.
One warning: the bolts for the shroud and PS cooler are almost too long and if you are not careful, the LH upper shroud bolt can be driven right into the radiator tank destroying it. I ended up cutting about a quarter inch off the bolt so it does not hit the tank and was careful with the others to insure clearance from the tip of the bolt to the tank when tight.
I was careful to tape over the turbo, intercooler and intake while the pipes were out, and I have new Gates hoses for the turbo pipes. While the radiator hoses were new four years ago, I am replacing them so everything is new. I have new Mopar hoses and spring clamps coming.
If you have an '03 or early '04 with the original radiator, you will need to check the radiator and shroud for interference and fretting. This is the point where the fan wires exit the gutter in the shroud. You will probably need to remove the lower section, easy, just pull the two fir tree pins and slide it up and out, while laying underneath. Use a mirror to examine the area. Sorry the top pic is sideways. I sanded the area down and then realized that the new radiator core was not going to be close to it. It took 20 years and 116K to fret thru, but you don't want to be buying a radiator for something that stupid.
I use simple green and scrub brush and clean every plastic part as I remove it, shroud, the wheel well liner, the overflow bottle and the washer bottle. You pretty well have to remove the wheel well liner as you cannot get to the wire connectors on the washer bottle any other way, and that bottle needs to be out of there to lift the radiator out, I tried with it in and had no luck, but I don't force stuff either.
I hope this helps someone.
Charles
As I am aiming for reliability while towing, I installed a new Gates water pump. Old pump had about 35K on it since being replaced by a Dodge dealer while the original owner had it. Belt the same. I installed a Gates Fleet Runner belt, (the green one) and a new Litens tensioner, as the one on it was a Dayco with a plastic pulley. Litens invented the tensioner so it should be good. New GPD radiator is 1/4 inch thinner than the original but the engine never seemed to get hot even climbing grades. Only time it got hot was when the NAPA thermostat stuck, but it has a genuine Cummins in it, replaced about three years ago. I took the alternator to a shop and they replaced the bearings and brushes. One bearing was getting noisy. While it was off I replaced the short connector hoses on the heater pipe under the alternator and under the exhaust manifold. Used new Cummins parts with the original spring clamps, which are quite strong.
I very carefully sanded the rust and build up off the block face where the water pump and the tensioner sat and coated them with a tacky grease except where the water pump seal sits, so no rust would form again under this stuff
I took off the belt before I had removed the fan. I have the Fluidampr in place of the original crank damper, and the belt really did not want to come thru the gap between the fan and the damper (this is the new damper with the bevel on the back so the belt will clear the water pump during removal) I ended up removing the fan just to get it out of the way. I use a 32/36 mm double open end metric wrench and a aircraft rivet gun with a flat set on it to hit the wrench, but they make a tool for doing this that has the .401 air hammer/rivet gun set made to it.
#adRadiator leaked because the shroud was rubbing one of the tubes. With the new thinner core this is a non issue as there is 3/16 or so clearance now. The '03 and early '04 shroud is unique as it blocks off the lower part of the radiator. Everything went together nicely and the fan wires installed properly in the recesses of the shroud and the lower section fit in place nicely locking it in place. Plastic push pins were new last time and still were difficult to push in so I reused them, though I may go back and change them for good measure.
The fan elect connector is loose in the hole it locks into so I install a tywrap thru the bottom of the shroud and around the connector as I have done in the past. wires to the fan hub clear the blades and cannot flex. The fan blades were new a couple of years ago, having been damaged by the water pump failure in 2017.
I found removing the LH wheel well liner made it easy to get the windshield washer bottle out (after the turbo tubes were removed) as I just go out the bottom.
One warning: the bolts for the shroud and PS cooler are almost too long and if you are not careful, the LH upper shroud bolt can be driven right into the radiator tank destroying it. I ended up cutting about a quarter inch off the bolt so it does not hit the tank and was careful with the others to insure clearance from the tip of the bolt to the tank when tight.
I was careful to tape over the turbo, intercooler and intake while the pipes were out, and I have new Gates hoses for the turbo pipes. While the radiator hoses were new four years ago, I am replacing them so everything is new. I have new Mopar hoses and spring clamps coming.
If you have an '03 or early '04 with the original radiator, you will need to check the radiator and shroud for interference and fretting. This is the point where the fan wires exit the gutter in the shroud. You will probably need to remove the lower section, easy, just pull the two fir tree pins and slide it up and out, while laying underneath. Use a mirror to examine the area. Sorry the top pic is sideways. I sanded the area down and then realized that the new radiator core was not going to be close to it. It took 20 years and 116K to fret thru, but you don't want to be buying a radiator for something that stupid.
I use simple green and scrub brush and clean every plastic part as I remove it, shroud, the wheel well liner, the overflow bottle and the washer bottle. You pretty well have to remove the wheel well liner as you cannot get to the wire connectors on the washer bottle any other way, and that bottle needs to be out of there to lift the radiator out, I tried with it in and had no luck, but I don't force stuff either.
I hope this helps someone.
Charles
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