my trucks over heating

[cumminsbayou4x4]

ok yall may know i have a 86 chevy c10 and a 96 dodge ram 1500. Well i got my permit last week and now the dodge is over heating.it has a 360 in it. i know it needs a radiator which i ordered but still don't know what is wrong with it. It has a new water pump, thermos stat, freeze plugs, and pretty much every thing you can think of to pump water in it. the only hope for it i have is it needs a new hose some where in the engine where i can't see it. I've ruled it out to that or crack block, cracked head, or a blown head gasket is that all it could be? what ever is wrong with it I'm fixing it even if i have to put a new motor in it. i have big plans for it when i fix it like cat delete, headers,cam ,divorced transfer case, Dana 44 front end, and some 37s. the radiator should be in today so ill start working on it as soon as i get it.

 

[HellSpawn]

Whats wrong with the radiator? That might paint a better picture for us to help you out.

Also, have to ask, is the thermostat installed the correct way?

 

[cumminsbayou4x4]

we thought it was stopped up with stuff so we cleaned it out with some flat wire but it really made it worse and put holes in it

 

[91blaze]

Wait till you get the new radiator in, then let us know if it still overheats.

 

[OzFab]

Have you tried to reverse flush the system?

Other than that, try to get hold of a pressure tester

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

sounds like it needs a radiator...and thats why its overheating...lol why would that not be the issue?

 

[devino246]

Might as well not even bother trying to diagnose until you get the new radiator in. Probably just the radiator.

You've checked to make sure the fan clutch is working properly, right?

 

[cumminsbayou4x4]

because we didn't know if it was stopped up or not but i guess we will find out the radiator just came in. and yes the fan clutch is working

 

[FatCat]

Cool man. Congrats on the permit. Always remember to just stay calm when driving. No matter what is happening around you. If you stay calm you'll think more clearly and react better to situations. Good think you've had a go kart. I'm sure that helps with reaction skills. Some 40 year olds still don't get it. I got a 99 Ram 1500 myself. Was the first vehicle I ever bought because I wanted it instead of buying based on price. Lol I was the $200-$300 car guy for a long time. They're great trucks. All the mopar haters will harp on the "horrible" tranny's. Blah blah blah. Disregard what they have to say. Theyre full of crap. Mine just went out. Got over 150,000 HARD miles out of it. I've got a buddy that's at 180,000 running 38's on the original transmission. With the big tires and stock gearing it's been really proving itself to me for the last couple years. I rented a storage unit and put mine away for now. Its starting to get rusty, engines tired, trans it out, transfer case needs work, reared is howling. Plus I want to lift it and do all that good stuff. Lol ive put it through hell. At a later date I'm gonna fix it up nice. Makes me sad to see what i did to it. Was being and dumb i guess. When i got it in 2005 it had 20,000 one owner miles on it. Couldve ate off the floor. Odometer was the only way you could tell it wasn't brand new. Seriously. Now that ive got some serious miles on the road and got a little older ive mellowed out a lot. It's gonna become my sexy weekend toy now that I've got a couple other vehicles. Got the mustang as my backup and the $225 Mazda as my main ride. I want to take it to as nice as when I got and do the mods I always wanted to do but couldn't afford then. Got a few other things I want to get before I jump in on this. I'll probably wait until I have my own real garage. They're great trucks though. Mines served me well.
Don't have a pic handy but it's the white one. Black chevy is my brothers plow truck. Now that I've got BF Goodrich all terrains that have tread on them I honestly believe the back to back would've ended differently. Had wide and bald bald firestones on it at the time. They didn't hook up even when they were new.

Take a mental not of what I attempted to do here. Didn't work in this case but it's usually very effective. The young reaction is to pin it off the start. That's dumb. I've found back to back pulling anything if you stay patient and hold the brakes until they get their tires spinning(as soon as they get overly excited and pin it) you'll drag them away with ease. Problem here is his never did break loose and he knew exactly what I had up my sleeve. Lol it's a money maker 9 times out of 10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wNYk_t79eM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=84eBBn9uvJ0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[FatCat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84eBBn9uvJ0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[cumminsbayou4x4]

thanks dude. yeah people ask me all the time how many transmissions I've put it in it and don't believe me when i tell them it is the stock one with over 275000 miles on it. what kinda milage you get with your and what motor was in it. Its get 17 mpg all the time people also swear I'm lying about that. i wish i could find one with that low of miles that would be awesome. im wanting to put some different seats in it because they all ripped all up you know how to do that

 

[exenos]

You guys talking about the 1500 with the 318 in it?

 

[cumminsbayou4x4]

i have a 360 in mine

 

[exenos]

Oh, good. A friend of mine has the 318 and its a dog. It gets 10 mpg no mater how he drives it and is seriously lacking in the power department. The thing dropped to 15mph while towing a 5000lb load of scrap up a ~30 degree hill with the pedal on the floor.

I was going to suggest the 360 swap but its good to know you already have it.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Bad tranny? What bad tranny? I just retired my '99 Durango- 318, 4x4, 320,000km (200,000mi), no issues with driveline. Runs strong. I gave it up because it failed the smog test, and the fuel was killing me.

Otherwise I would continue to beat on it... Instead, it's fer sale.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

thanks dude. yeah people ask me all the time how many transmissions I've put it in it and don't believe me when i tell them it is the stock one with over 275000 miles on it. what kinda milage you get with your and what motor was in it. Its get 17 mpg all the time people also swear I'm lying about that. i wish i could find one with that low of miles that would be awesome. im wanting to put some different seats in it because they all ripped all up you know how to do that

I dont believe your getting 17mpg for one second. 318 dodges will barely get 15 from the factory.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

...which is why I gave up the 'Rango!

 

[FatCat]

thanks dude. yeah people ask me all the time how many transmissions I've put it in it and don't believe me when i tell them it is the stock one with over 275000 miles on it. what kinda milage you get with your and what motor was in it. Its get 17 mpg all the time people also swear I'm lying about that. i wish i could find one with that low of miles that would be awesome. im wanting to put some different seats in it because they all ripped all up you know how to do that

It has the 360 in it to. It averages 16.7 according to the readout thing. Never actually checked it but 17 sounds about right to me. Seats are very easy to change. We have different seats but I took mine out to run the amp wire under the carpet. Don't remember well but it was very straight forward. Unbolted it, unplug the power seat and it comes out in one assembly. It's a split bench. I remember I had to have someone help me. Once unbolted it's really flimsy. Seemed like the passenger seat was gonna snap off. Didn't want to do that so I got a helper. Other than that pretty easy. I don't know how rural you are. Checked your location. You lucky bastard. Right on the gulf. Look for a junkyard or something to find a cheap used set to replace them. Lots of people part out Rams on Craigslist around here but we have Chicago. If your having trouble finding one check out this website. Now that your in the automotive part world it'll save you some money.

http://www.car-part.com/index.htm

 

[FatCat]

You guys talking about the 1500 with the 318 in it?

The 318's don't run bad. They aren't race cars but it's a truck. I don't know about their mileage but here's my 99 Ram 1500 quad cab/short bed 360 against my buddy's 98 1500 quad cab/long bed with the 318.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iruD3Mhxfrs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Mine has the 360 to. I used to drag around the car trailer with my big *** jeep on it. Really felt it when it was packed up with mud. But it's only a half ton truck with a highway gear. I expected that. It always got the job done for me. I don't get in a hurry. The half ton brakes fade out very quick with a big load on. You think pickups are slugs on hills you should try driving a semi. Makes everything seem like a sports car.

 

[FatCat]

I dont believe your getting 17mpg for one second. 318 dodges will barely get 15 from the factory.

Do you live in a rural area? That makes a big difference. Mine eats $20 quick romping around town. Most of my driving is at 55mph steady though. When I went to Mississippi with my dad driving it he had the readout over 17 the whole way with the boat out back and all our gear. I was impressed. He is the worlds slowest driver though. He accelerates like a snail up to about 50mph and that's where he stays. Bring a book or something. Gonna be a long, long ride.