Dodge vehicles are made in the USA and the American car company was originally founded in Detroit, Michigan by John and Horace Dodge in 1914. Dodge was a popular car company after it was founded due to the all-steel bodywork and the interesting designs that differed from other vehicles.
Hello all, I have a 1999 Ram 2500 with 243,000 miles. I've noticed especially lately that there's been a fair amount of steam coming from the vent tube.
I know when these trucks are warming up that's normal as water is boiling off from when the truck cooled down last. To prove my point, on my latest trip I drove two hours without turning off the truck and when I stopped at a red light near the end, their was still a very noticeable amount blowing out, long after all the water should have boiled off. Now I have been losing some coolant, but that may be a leak in the rad since this truck is almost 20 years old, but I also don't know where else this steam may be coming from. There's no tale-tails coming from the exhaust indicating a blown head gasket.
Also don't know if I'm loosing oil as the drain plug is dripping(gonna get that fixed tomorrow actually) so I can't say if I'm losing oil via the vent tube. Any supporting info would be appreciated. Also, I believe you used to have a cummins, any experience with this? Click to expand.That would be the next step, as airdale said, to pressure check the cooling system, or check for exhaust gas in the coolant. Bars Leaks works good at stopping small water flow, such as leaks and the small tubes that the coolant flows through to cool the coolant, essentially stopping the coolant from flowing through the radiator, which will cause overheating problems.
Any decent radiator shop will charge you much more for having to clean that crap out of the radiator. This checks for exhaust gas in the coolant. Might find it cheaper elsewhere. Click to expand.I towed a 12,500 lb trailer over 1500 miles with a blown head gasket with a 5.9 Cummins. I thought it was a water pump leak, since it was external. Kept pouring coolant mix in.
There was no indication of any other problem other than a slight reduction in power. On the flatland route I was pulling, it was barely noticeable. Just more throttle needed on hills. That engine is a tank. Yours sounds internal. If the coolant level can't be figured out because there's another leak, that makes diagnosing it without a pressure test and fixing the other leak, tough. AFAIK that engine has no per-cylinder sensors to know if it's not producing power on one cylinder or reduced power.
Update: Well the tranny lines are fixed, he showed me the old lines and there was a sizeable gash in them from a point they were rubbing each other. The new ones are routed differently so that there is no chance of rubbing. Also, I'm having the water pump replaced while it is there as I believe it is original and appears to be leaking(so maybe this is the source of steam, suppose I'll find out soon enough). The fuel filter housing is leaking, something I already knew of, but they're saying it has to be replaced and isn't fixable.I may start another thread on this. Also going to have the right rear main seal replaced, and change the diff fluid while it is there. Update: Well the tranny lines are fixed, he showed me the old lines and there was a sizeable gash in them from a point they were rubbing each other.
The new ones are routed differently so that there is no chance of rubbing. Also, I'm having the water pump replaced while it is there as I believe it is original and appears to be leaking(so maybe this is the source of steam, suppose I'll find out soon enough).
The fuel filter housing is leaking, something I already knew of, but they're saying it has to be replaced and isn't fixable.I may start another thread on this. Also going to have the right rear main seal replaced, and change the diff fluid while it is there.
Click to expand.Trans lines: Sounds like a mini-disaster avoided. Water pump: Weird. What do they mean by 'seems to be leaking'?
A pressure test of the coolant system should show whether that's true or not, unless you really do have a head gasket leak that's big enough to not show leaks at the pump. And that would be a massive leak and it'd show up on the test as a leak and you'd not see coolant coming out anywhere. I believe they can also do a coolant dye test if they're being thorough.
I personally don't like that phrase, 'seems to be'. Is that just a phrase you're using or is it what they said? Because my engineering-brained and smart-azzed answer to them would have been, 'What test was used or is there visible coolant leaks and you can just see it?'
And it wouldn't come out as mean, but I'm never happy with folks who guess. ('Are you a thinkin' man, or are you a knowin' man? You THINK I need a water pump. Why do you think that?'
) Fuel filter housing: Yeah, those crack and they're not usually repairable. Often from some donkey cranking on that end cap's 'nut' shaped end where you can put a large socket on it to assist removing it to change the filter. They think it needs to be torqued down and just crank on the plastic cap until it breaks or the canister part cracks.
It doesn't need to be THAT tight. Rear main seal: Ugh. The bane of older vehicle owners and maintainers. But yeah, gotta fix 'em. Otherwise the vehicle marks its territory like an abused Harley. Diff fluid: Not a bad idea.
I have the Mag Hytec (sp) diff covers which add cooling fins/area and also have a magnetic dipstick. Makes checking the diff fluid level much easier and also you can see if the magnet has picked up any stuff as an early indicator something is wearing in the diff. If they're going to have yours off, might be worth a peek to see how much they cost these days.
Mike have been on the truck for many years before I owned it. Trans lines: Sounds like a mini-disaster avoided. Water pump: Weird. What do they mean by 'seems to be leaking'? A pressure test of the coolant system should show whether that's true or not, unless you really do have a head gasket leak that's big enough to not show leaks at the pump. And that would be a massive leak and it'd show up on the test as a leak and you'd not see coolant coming out anywhere.
I believe they can also do a coolant dye test if they're being thorough. I personally don't like that phrase, 'seems to be'. Is that just a phrase you're using or is it what they said? Because my engineering-brained and smart-azzed answer to them would have been, 'What test was used or is there visible coolant leaks and you can just see it?' And it wouldn't come out as mean, but I'm never happy with folks who guess. ('Are you a thinkin' man, or are you a knowin' man?
You THINK I need a water pump. Why do you think that?' ) Fuel filter housing: Yeah, those crack and they're not usually repairable.
Often from some donkey cranking on that end cap's 'nut' shaped end where you can put a large socket on it to assist removing it to change the filter. They think it needs to be torqued down and just crank on the plastic cap until it breaks or the canister part cracks. It doesn't need to be THAT tight.
Rear main seal: Ugh. The bane of older vehicle owners and maintainers. But yeah, gotta fix 'em.
Otherwise the vehicle marks its territory like an abused Harley. Diff fluid: Not a bad idea. I have the Mag Hytec (sp) diff covers which add cooling fins/area and also have a magnetic dipstick. Makes checking the diff fluid level much easier and also you can see if the magnet has picked up any stuff as an early indicator something is wearing in the diff. If they're going to have yours off, might be worth a peek to see how much they cost these days. Mike have been on the truck for many years before I owned it.
Click to expand.Water Pump: That was just my phrase to use. They showed me where it was leaking while I was there. Fuel Filter Housing: Well this one isn't cracked as far as I can tell, it's leaking from the seal that the electrical wires go to on the top. I've read some forums on fixing it, but I think I'd rather install a new one, and it doesn't appear to difficult at all to replace so I may just do it myself. Also, unless I've gone crazy, I filled up my truck with diesel 2 days before it was taken to the shop, and reset my trip meter, putting about 10 miles on it before it was towed.
I picked it up today, with the trip mileage at 18, but at a half tank of fuel(which is less than half because the first half definitely takes more fuel)! I asked them about this and all they had to say was they drove to town and back to make sure everything worked, and that the fuel housing was loosing a ton of fuel and that is their explanation. I know for a fact that it doesn't loose anywhere near that much fuel for 15+ gallons to be gone, but I don't have any proof of them doing anything malicious, so I'm just left to taking the fuel hit and rethinking everything making sure I did in fact have a fuel tank of fuel. Between the long waiting time to get any work done, interesting variations in how much they charge per hour, and this, I'm currently looking at other possible places to get what work is left done. I picked it up today before all work was completed because I'm taking our camper to sell it tomorrow.
It is in drive-able condition, just some relatively small things left.
Dodge Recall Information NEWS: Chrysler is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ram 1500, Ram 2500, and 2014-2016 Ram 3500 vehicles; AIR BAGS Report Receipt Date: MAY 09, 2017 NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V302000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 1,021,279 MAY 2017 - Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Ram 1500, Ram 2500, and 2014-2016 Ram 3500 vehicles. Certain driving conditions, such as driving off-road or debris striking the vehicle may cause the roll rate sensor to trigger a fault within the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC). If this fault occurs, the rollover side curtain air bag and the seat belt pretensioner will be disabled from deploying.If the rollover side curtain air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a crash that necessitates activation of these safety systems.Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the ORC software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin June 23, 2017. Chrysler's number for this recall is T25.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
MORE RECALL INFO. NEWS: Chrysler is recalling certain certain 2017 Jeep Compass vehicles; POWER TRAIN Report Receipt Date: MAY 09, 2017 NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V301000 Component(s): POWER TRAIN Potential Number of Units Affected: 1,178 MAY 2017 - Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017 Jeep Compass vehicles equipped with a 6-speed transmission. The left front halfshaft may not be properly seated, and, as a result, it may disengage from the transmission and/or break.If the left front halfshaft disengages or breaks, the vehicle will have a loss of drive.
Additionally, if the vehicle is parked without using the parking brake, the vehicle may roll, despite being in 'Park.' Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.Chrysler will notify owners, dealers will inspect the left front halfshaft for engagement and replace any that are not properly engaged in the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 23, 2017. Chrysler's number for this recall is T26.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. MORE RECALL INFO. NEWS: Chrysler is recalling certain 2014-2017 Ram ProMaster vehicles; EQUIPMENT Report Receipt Date: APR 25, 2017 NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V273000 Component(s): EQUIPMENT Potential Number of Units Affected: 113,896 MAY 2017 - Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Ram ProMaster vehicles. The sun visor, dashboard labels, and owner's manuals incorrectly state that the vehicles are equipped with frontal driver and passenger advanced air bags when they are not.
As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, 'Occupant Crash Protection.' The incorrect information may change how close the occupants position themselves to the air bags, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will correct the sun visor labels, the dashboard (hangtag) label, and the owner's manual and user guide information, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin June 9, 2017.
Chrysler's number for this recall is T24.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. MORE RECALL INFO. NEWS: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ram 1500 trucks; POWER TRAIN Report Receipt Date: MAR 23, 2017 NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V198000 Component(s): POWER TRAIN Potential Number of Units Affected: 30 APRIL 2017 - Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ram 1500 trucks.
The differential pin retaining screw may come loose while driving, potentially causing the differential to break or lock up. A broken or locked up differential may result in a loss of motive power and possibly a loss of vehicle control.
Either scenario increases the risk of a crash. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the differential retaining pin, free of charge.
The recall is expected to begin May 7, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Chrysler's number for this recall is T20. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
MORE RECALL INFO. NEWS: Chrysler is recalling certain 2014-2017 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles; POWER TRAIN Report Receipt Date: FEB 14, 2017 NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V097000 Component(s): POWER TRAIN Potential Number of Units Affected: 69,298 FEBRUARY 2017 - Chrysler (FCA US LLC)Chrysler is recalling certain 2014-2017 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD). The front driveshaft bolts may loosen and allow the front driveshaft to disconnect, potentially causing a loss of motive power. A loss of motive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace all eight front driveshaft bolts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 31, 2017. Chrysler's number for this recall is T03. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. MORE RECALL INFO.
NEWS: Chrysler is recalling one model year 2017 RAM ProMaster City vehicle; AIR BAGS Report Receipt Date: JAN 03, 2017 NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V953000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 1 JANUARY 2017 - Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling one model year 2017 RAM ProMaster City vehicle manufactured on November 5, 2016. This vehicle has side curtain air bags that may not inflate properly in the event of a crash.
If the side curtain air bags do not inflate properly, the vehicle occupants are at an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash. Chrysler has notified the owner, and a dealer inspected the side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2017.
Chrysler's number for this recall is S95.