I was on my way home from work today I got five miles in to my trip, and my "check gauges" came on. I looked and my battery gauge was all the way down to the minimun. I drove about 10 more miles to an advanced auto and opened my hood. There was antifreeze all over the engine bay. The first thing I did was panic, and thought I blew my head gasket. Anyways, I put some more antifreeze in it and drove the rest of the way home. The truck never over heated and drove normal. It did make a squeeling sound every once in a while like a belt was slipping. So, do you think it is my water pump? Did all the coolant mess up my alternator? Is the water pump easy to change?Thanks

I was on my way home from work today I got five miles in to my trip, and my "check gauges" came on. I looked and my battery gauge was all the way down to the minimun. I drove about 10 more miles to an advanced auto and opened my hood. There was antifreeze all over the engine bay. The first thing I did was panic, and thought I blew my head gasket. Anyways, I put some more antifreeze in it and drove the rest of the way home. The truck never over heated and drove normal. It did make a squeeling sound every once in a while like a belt was slipping. So, do you think it is my water pump? Did all the coolant mess up my alternator? Is the water pump easy to change? Thanks

Having the batteries be drained points to an alternator being unable to recharge the batteries. Having antifreeze IMO points to coolant leaking somewhere near the fan, especially since the belt was squeaking. A blown headgasket would yield white smoke in the exhaust and I don't think a blown gasket creates a mess in the engine bay like you experienced. If you want to eliminate the possibility of a headgasket, check the antifreeze for an oil look to it. Blowby will enter the coolant if the gasket is shot. But I doubt you blew the gasket. As far alternator goes, check the gauge and see if your battery is at 14volts. If so, the alternator is charging the batteries. If its 12volts on the gauge the alternator is probably not charging and I would take it to a parts store that will check the alternator for free like an O'Reilly's. You need to find the source of the leak, and I'm confident that it will be very easy to find the source of the leak after you wash the bay out of from the coolant. Its hard to say if its the water pump or not because the radiator and hoses, etc. all there in the front. If you want to check the water pump, take a mirror and put it under the water pump. There is a little hole under it that will weep coolant if the water pump has gone out. Its easy to change it out as well. Drain the coolant out to below the water pump level, remove the serptentine belt and just unbolt it and put the new one in reverse order.

While your at it I would flush the entire engine, radiator and heater core out and put in new anti-freeze and water with a new t-stat and new water pump. Take a 3/8 drive ratchet in the loosen postition and put it in your tensioner pulley and remove your belt from the water pump. You might need to put a cheater pipe on the ratches because it should be tight. After you remove the belt, its just two 10mm bolts that hold the water pump on.

I was on my way home from work today I got five miles in to my trip, and my "check gauges" came on. I looked and my battery gauge was all the way down to the minimun. I drove about 10 more miles to an advanced auto and opened my hood. There was antifreeze all over the engine bay. The first thing I did was panic, and thought I blew my head gasket. Anyways, I put some more antifreeze in it and drove the rest of the way home. The truck never over heated and drove normal. It did make a squeeling sound every once in a while like a belt was slipping. So, do you think it is my water pump? Did all the coolant mess up my alternator? Is the water pump easy to change? Thanks

Heres a link to my water pump change write up. Should work for yours as well. http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/6342-06-and-later-water-pump-change-the-easy-way

Thanks for all the help. I pulled the water pump off and it had about 1/2" of shaft play in every direction.

My buddy has it down to a science in his 97...I've watched him do it and I swear its less than 10 minutes...Heck, I think his hands are bigger than mine, too.

I have changed mine 3 or 4 times this yr trying to fight an issue I had, 10-15 minutes is about what it takes with the t-stat too.