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  #1  
Old 10-03-2000, 01:11 PM
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maynardh maynardh is offline
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Question

My 2000 4.7L 4x4 has been overheating for about a week now. The dealer changed the thermostat and 2 relays last week, saying it stuck closed. It seemed ok for a few days. On the weekend, antifreeze started spraying over the edge of the hood and down the side of the whole truck again, and the radiator is still down. It's spraying out the overflow tank and covering the entire driver's side under the hood with coolant.
Anyone else had this problem? The truck has 42000 km on it (25000 miles).
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  #2  
Old 10-03-2000, 04:54 PM
Duner Duner is offline
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Cool

Maynardh,

No I haven't had this problem with my 4.7 and I'm very happy to report that. It sounds to me like it has pushed a head gasket out. Either that or maybe a cracked head. It's quite possible that the hot exhaust gas is getting into your coolant. This causes the coolant to exit the overflow tank and replaces it with air(which doesn't work for a coolant very well). The odd part is that the dealer should have caught it already if that's what it is. I hope they find the problem and fix it quickly for you.
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  #3  
Old 10-03-2000, 05:08 PM
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maynardh maynardh is offline
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Just got back from the dealer. #4 plug has been burning coolant. Think it's a head gasket so far. Won't know for sure til they get it torn apart this afternoon. Looks like a fun job to do, too. Thank god for warranty.
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  #4  
Old 10-03-2000, 05:21 PM
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ram100 ram100 is offline
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Yikes!

I guess it depends on the motor and parts. Some are good and some aren't. I have 166,000+ with the original head gaskets but I'm thinking of replacing them soon...very soon. Good luck and yes thank god it's covered

------------------
1988 Ram100 2x4 3.9 TBI

[This message has been edited by ram100 (edited October 03, 2000).]
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  #5  
Old 10-06-2000, 01:10 PM
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maynardh maynardh is offline
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Yup. That seems to have been the problem. Got my truck back yesterday. I can notice the difference in performance already.
Looking back, I believe the head gasket has been bad for a while now.
Play time is back!!!
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  #6  
Old 02-27-2001, 12:45 PM
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maynardh maynardh is offline
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Unhappy

Guess what!!
Truck now has 62000km (38k miles)on it, and it seems like another head gasket. Truck is doing same thing as before.
Going to dealer tomorrow morning to find out what is going on.
This time, oil is down about a quart, and it's never used a drop before.
Listening to it idle, it doesn't sound quite right either. It has a bit of a noise, kind of like a dry metal scraping sound, it's hard to describe.
I'll keep you informed.
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  #7  
Old 02-28-2001, 10:44 AM
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maynardh maynardh is offline
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Thumbs down

Another head gasket, this time on the driver's side. Two plugs had a nice white coating on them.
I hope this doesn't turn into a regular thing.

Has anyone else had anything like this happen?
It just doesn't make much sense.
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  #8  
Old 03-02-2001, 05:46 AM
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Muzzy Muzzy is offline
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Maynardh-

One thing about the 4.7L is the fact it uses aluminum heads. With an aluminum headed engine it is important to let it reach temp slowly before hard acceleration. Aluminum has a faster thermal expansion coefficient than the iron block which makes them more prone to blowing head gaskets. Since combustion occurs in the head, the aluminum will heat up fast and expand faster then the iron. Over time this will stretch the head bolts causing them to lose clamping force. This has been a problem on many aluminum headed motors, especially the old 2.2 turbo engines. In the late 80's Mopar released a fix by increasing the head bolt diameter from 10mm to 11mm and increase the torque to 110ft lbs from 90. This also isn't limited to Mopars.

Tell the dealer you want to have the head resurfaced when they replace the gasket. They may fight you on it since it is more labor to remove the head and have it machined, but stand firm on your request. When you blow a head gasket with an aluminum head, it usually causes a small warp in the aluminum where it blew. This is not something you can see, it needs to be placed on a trued surface and checked with a feeler gage. If they replace the gasket without resurfacing the head, it will likely blow again in the same spot. It has to be milled perfectly flat again so even pressure is applied throughout the gasket when installed and torqued properly. Pressure will always take the path of least resistance...

Good Luck -Muzzy
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