Radiator problems?

Coletrain523 · Jun 4, 2017

So I got down to the beach today and noticed a pool of coolant under the truck, under further inspection I see on the front side of the radiator along the front seam I can see the coolant bubbling out. I don't see any other leaks, but my question is should I just go see if someone can patch it or replace the whole thing? And if I replace the whole thing what radiator works best for these 2001 dodges?

crazykid1994 · Jun 4, 2017

If it's leaking along the plastic to metal your best bet is probably replace it. If you can find a full aluminum one I would go that route

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Johnnymac2k6 · Jun 4, 2017

On rock auto there are replacement radiators for your truck ranging from $85+. OR if you're so inclined...a full aluminum radiator, with aluminum tanks, would be "better" in the sense that it cools better, and would be more durable, but then again it could run "too cool" and trip an engine light for engine temp. (i had to disable that warning in my tune when i went to my all aluminum radiator) OE replacement is all your need for a bone stock driver.

2001 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP 5.9L V8 Radiator | RockAuto

Aluminum Radiator for Dodge Ram 1500 2500 3500 3.9L V6 5.2L 5.9L V8 1994-2001 US | eBay

DO NOT pour some stop leak crap in your cooling system. especially if you have an actual crank in the tank. You might as well hand me that $10 for my post above. lol....stop leak will not fix a cracked or separated tank.

dudeman2009 · Jun 4, 2017

You'll be fine getting a full aluminium radiator, that extra bit of cooling won't trip anything on these old trucks, as long as you have a 195* Tstat you won't notice much loss of heat at all in the winter, you can go up to a 200* Tstat if you're worried about it not performing well in the winter.

However, if you don't want to spend a little under twice the price for the aluminium radiator, don't bother, it takes all of 30 minutes to fully change the radiator, fill and bleed the system. Add another 30 minutes if you change the Tstat and flush the engine. (don't flush the heater core with a hose, and do not reverse flush it either. Only use jugs and a funnel to flush it, or a funnel and hose turned way down to a light stream. Otherwise you'll likely blow a hole in your 16 year old truck and it takes about 3 hours to change if you know what you're doing.

Gr8bawana · Jun 5, 2017

It's not possible for it to run too cool as long as you have a thermostat.

Johnnymac2k6 · Jun 6, 2017

Gr8bawana said:
It's not possible for it to run too cool as long as you have a thermostat.

No, but the cooler than normal water can bum rush the temp sender when the t stat finally opens, and cause a momentary lower than normal setting. Does a 2nd Gen have a engine code for this like my third gen does? Maybe not...will it possibly run richer and have to adjust fuel maps for the cooler temp...you bet. With my aluminum radiator I had to literally disable the low operating temp code because even when the stat opens...the water coming in is still cooler than normal. I could also trip that code by cranking my heat full bore...thus lowering engine temp. Don't tell me it can't run cooler with an aluminum radiator. I don't care if it has a 205 t stat. That just means it opens at that point...it doesn't mean it doesn't run hotter than that with a stock radiator.

dudeman2009 · Jun 7, 2017

Johnnymac2k6 said:
No, but the cooler than normal water can bum rush the temp sender when the t stat finally opens, and cause a momentary lower than normal setting. Does a 2nd Gen have a engine code for this like my third gen does? Maybe not...will it possibly run richer and have to adjust fuel maps for the cooler temp...you bet. With my aluminum radiator I had to literally disable the low operating temp code because even when the stat opens...the water coming in is still cooler than normal. I could also trip that code by cranking my heat full bore...thus lowering engine temp. Don't tell me it can't run cooler with an aluminum radiator. I don't care if it has a 205 t stat. That just means it opens at that point...it doesn't mean it doesn't run hotter than that with a stock radiator.

No our second gens don't have that, we can run 160* Tstats without a code (not that i'd ever recommend that). However it's a very real problem for newer engines as when the thermostat does open up it does so slowly. Long story short, it doesn't rush the temp sender really, but it takes a lot longer to warm up coolant when its cooled 15% more. A 195* thermostat will start to open around 175-180*, from there all the way to 195 its taking 15-20% longer to warm up, which throws a code on newer vehicles.

dapepper9 · Jun 8, 2017

They do have that but it's pretty rare to see. Usually only in a ****** winter with a tstat that stuck open early in the morning

dudeman2009 · Jun 10, 2017

dapepper9 said:
They do have that but it's pretty rare to see. Usually only in a ****** winter with a tstat that stuck open early in the morning

I'm surprised I havent seen it then. Must take a whole hell of a lot to get it to go.

Yeret · Jun 10, 2017

Patching an old radiator is like patching an old tire: yes, it will work but the sucker's just gonna blow somewhere else.

Save yourself the headache and just replace it. No, it's not cheap but peace of mind seldom is, LOL.

dapepper9 · Jun 10, 2017

dudeman2009 said:
I'm surprised I havent seen it then. Must take a whole hell of a lot to get it to go.

Sometimes gets thrown with a temp probe failure but yeah if not a failure it takes a the engine staying nice and cold for a while

Radiator problems?

Coletrain523

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crazykid1994

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Johnnymac2k6

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dudeman2009

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Gr8bawana

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Johnnymac2k6

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dudeman2009

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dapepper9

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dudeman2009

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Yeret

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dapepper9

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