copperdodge

Today, got ready to replace water pump & moved the truck up onto ramps in the driveway (2wd is too low to get a 5-gal bucket under the radiator to drain it). Just while moving the truck up onto the ramps, coolant was FLOWING out of that idler pulley mount. Based on all my research it has to be one of the 2 freeze plugs behind the fan pulley or the upper idler pulley. I dont' consider that a driveway repair that can be done in a day, and this is my DD. I took it to the diesel repair shop south of town where all the semi's get serviced. They're going to call me when they have an estimate ready. I hate when I break my DD.

That sounds like some good advice. Since it came from the factory with orange in it, and the owner's manual says put orange back into it, I'll stick to what works instead of that new-fangled green stuff.

Here's a schematic of how it mounts.... http://www.factorychryslerparts.com/images/parts/Chrysler/fullsize/i2248058.jpg

I'm going to use orange. So, after a LOT of Googling, it looks like that pulley mounts into the fan pulley support block, which mounts to the face of the block and not the cylinder head. Looking at my photos and tons of photos from Google images, it seems like there's actually clearance between that fan pulley support block and the face of the cylinder head. In short, there's no way that liquid of any kind is able to come out past that pulley mount bolt. I am confused as to why that trail of coolant is there...?

Here's some pics I took. The leak at the idler and also the pretty nasty looking lower radiator hose. I bet it needs replacing, just looking at the area around it....

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/attachment.php?attachmentid=31704&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1268006547 The top most pulley in this diagram... right where it mounts to the engine. There's a leak from where it meets the engine.

No, this is where the idler pulley mounts to the front cover directly above where the cooling fan mounts. There is a trail of rusty coolant-leak coming out from the base of this mounting point. It's red & slimy & smells of coolant.

Dual discovery under the hood: 1. De-tensioning the belt & rotating the water pump pulley by hand shows the pulley is very loose and easy to manipulate. Guess the pump is step one... 2. The idler pulley at the top of the belt drive assembly has a very defined coolant leak coming from where it mounts to the front of the head. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

In reading this post, I learned a lot: http://forum.mopar1973man.com/index.php?/topic/5390-06-and-later-water-pump-change-the-easy-way/ just wanted to add that I currently have 110k+ miles on the truck. Have owned it since 52k miles.

Okay, so I have several questions about my 2004 QCLB2WD and what I am perceiving as a coolant leak. 1. About a year ago, I had a leak in my a/c condenser & it was repaired by a radiator & tank welding shop that's next door to my job. While it was there, they said the coolant was very low so they topped it off for me. They had caught me, as I rarely check the coolant level, but I was surprised to find the orange coolant in the reservoir tank. I was unaware that my 2004 Dodge would take that stuff (I thought GM was kinda the only folk with the orange coolant). Is this the right coolant? 2. Fast forward to about 1 month ago, and my truck develops a "whine" or "whirrr" that's only audible in the cab (too much other noise to hear it with the hood up). It is RPM dependent/changes speed with the RPM of the motor. Not really noticeable on the highway (tire noise, wind noise, etc), but is very noticeable as I drive in stop & go traffic as the engine warms up. It sounds like the power steering pump on any old Ford car... I checked my power steering reservoir and it's below the "add" line. I was under the impression that if this noise actually IS power steering related, it would only occur when the steering wheel is turned. This whirrrr is all the time. 3. As I am checking the power steering reservoir, I notice that the coolant reservoir is almost empty again and now I have red/orange/brown fluid residue all over the front of the motor. The "field of residue" is generally in line with the front of the block/ accessory drive area. It's stained & damp on the lower radiator hose, the a/c compressor, the back of the P/S reservoir, the front edge of the oil pan rail, etc. So, is this "whirring" the sound of a failing water pump and the residue/loss of fluid the result of the leak from the pump shaft? I have read a few search items here and saw I could pressurize the system look for leaks... Guess that's my start point? Just trying to familiarize myself with the CR cooling system, so I came here to Mt Olympus for knowledge.

I have not looked for the plug. i know there is not a cord anywhere under the hood. There is this one plug on the side of the block that looks like it has a yellow plastic cap on it from the hardware store like you would put on the end of a garden hose... LOL. I think it's screwed on to cover up the heater element. This truck was originally purchased in TX, so I bet it never had a cord.Anyhow I replaced the stock canister fuel filter (only about 2000 miles old) and the FCA a day later. Today it was low 20's at dawn. It fired up & while I scraped frost off the windshield for 5 minutes it never hiccuped or burped once. I'm thinkin' it was the FCA.Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I always read up on CF when I need a general concept of what is wrong. But coming over here is like pulling the old World Book Encylopedia off the shelf & getting the REAL dirt.PS- When I went to Geno's to pick up my FCA, I accidentally bought boost & pyro gauges & a pod and a few other parts. Hope to get all that installed over a long weekend... and then it's on to the Smarty Jr.

Low voltage is probably the grid heater cycling on & off.

So, having read a few CF threads on how to replace the FCA, it's interesting to me that in the "FCA Removal" section, the FSM says "The FCA is a non-serviceable part." LOL... So, is this available at... say... NAPA or other general auto parts joints? Or is this a special order dealie? - - - Updated - - - Just realized that Geno's garage is about a 45 minute drive from me here in Atlanta. FCA replacement coming right up... Results to follow. Hope ya'll have a safe & warm New Year's!

Not so much a dead pedal, I suppose, but more like a carburetor car when it's dead cold and the choke is completely off. Step on the pedal and it falls on its face, but then catches up... That's what it's doing at very low throttle.

Let me support the FCA theory a little more... as I mentioned, it seems to go away when the truck is warmed up. Recently I've been taking a lot of short trips (not really helping things, I know) so the truck doesn't get warmed up unless I take the long route to get somewhere. The other day, in an attempt to get the truck warmed up, I got on the expressway for about a 20 mile loop. On the way to the expressway on city streets, the truck was shuddering and the pedal seemed dead at the very initial tip-in point. In other words, at the very touch of the pedal, the truck didn't do anything. Once you put your foot in it and moved the pedal quite a bit and the motor cleared up, it would move on out and haze a little bit (leftovers from the chugging down low?). Even after reaching the 10-mile mark on the freeway, where I exited & waited to go across the bridge & head the other way, the pedal still seemed dead at that tip-in point. Eventually, it cleared up & the problem went away... That makes me think FCA a little bit, too. I don't have the big APPS mounted on the engine. Is the FCA under the battery tray in that case? I found a parts place that's open tomorrow, so I might replace the IAT & see what happens... just for grins. - - - Updated - - - Dumb Dumb newb question.... how do I plug this thing in? Where's the heater plug? - - - Updated - - - Okay, after reading some FSM pages, I take back my question about the APPS & FCA. They are 2 different things. Steep learning curve some times...