Hi everybody.

I did a brief search and did not find what I wanted. My '00 2500 is needing a heater core........it's 4th heater core. Every year when it gets cold I need a heater core. Has anyone else experienced this problem? My first one went out at 55,000 miles, right after the warranty of course and Dodge didn't want to help with it either. The second one went the next year at 78,000 and last year I had the latest edition installed.......completely flushed and refilled and added the additive that supposedly helps eliminate the problems with electrolosis. This year I've added Barrs stop leak because I cannot stomach another $120.00 heater core and $375.00 labor. What is going on with my truck???

Item #2: I had the tranny rebuilt (auto) around 80,000 miles. Extended warranty covered this. Dealership said I shouldn't have any more problems with it..........their guy was the best
Been about a year and a half now and it has developed a "skip" in 3rd gear. Slips in and out quickly and I have to baby it until it gets into overdrive..........problem goes away in OD. Around the time it developed this skip the speedometer also went south..........starts working when I'm running 85 or so...........nothing below that. I changed out the sensor on the back of the tranny but that didn't help.

I pull around 4500 # on a daily basis..........start stop kinda thing. I need to change the filter and fluid as I have around 25-30,000 miles on it now but will that remedy my speedo issues?

I need help!

 

I have never heard a thing about our trucks eating heater cores like that. Are they just leaking or are they all failing in the same place? Could it be a stress issue from something being bent? Hope you get it figured out.

Don't know about the speedo problem, but does your 00 have a TPS like the older 12 valves? Mine "skipped" especially when it was colder outside. Found a bad connector on it and the TPS was also full of crud. Cleaned it out, replaced the connector and it shifts like a new one. Someone that knows for sure will correct me if I am wrong.

Ed

 

It's leaking somewhere!!!!!!!!!!! When I run the defroster it'll fog the windows and the anti freeze smell is terrible. The bad ones that have been taken off didn't appear to be all that bad but a little hole I guess goes a long way. The only thing I wished I'd done is take them to a radiator shop and have them pressure tested or just have a knowledgeable guy take a look at them. It's puzzling to me because everybody.........and I mean literally everybody that I've asked about this says they haven't had any problems.........for me to be on my 4th core tells me I have a problem somewhere. I'm going to try another bottle of stop leak and see if I can eliminate it entirely. It was difficult getting the full bottle in the radiator............and no........I'd rather not use it but some swear by it.


As for the TPS........I don't know............the reading I've done so far has pointed me to one probable solution and that was the APPS thing. This I can do!!!

So far I've been able to learn a lot from being here........wish I had found it earlier.

Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas!

 

I'll go long witrh Ed on the tps. It's the easiest and cheapest thing to do first. Do a search under "TPS" or "TPS cleaning" and you should get lots of info.

Yes, I have the same question about the heater core. Is it rotting or is something rubbing it to creat a leak, is stress being applied somehow to develop a crack? Not easy to answer without removing and inspecting it yourself.

If it is rotting due to electrolysis, then hook up a ground wire to it (I think there is a mounting bolt just to the right about 4 inches and a little above the nipples on the heater core). This is while your looking it from the engine compartment-pretty sure it's a mounting bolt. If its not a mounting bolt, then you need to install a ground to one of the nipples. Use a good thick wire (preferebly multi-stranded), clean up the nipple with sandpaper, and use a clamp of some sorts. Hopefully there is enough room on the nipple to addd a clamp to the baremetal portion and still leave enough nipple for the hose to connect to. Run that ground wire to the block. If you can, hook it up to the same bolt that holds the ground wire coming from the passenger side battery. That should stop any future electrolysis, but like Ed said again, this is a pretty rare problem. Not so rare on the chevy/gmc's, but never heard it with our trucks. Something weird is going on.

Make sure your ground wires from the batteries to the sheet metal, block, and if there is one, to the frame are all in good shape.

Probably a good idea to check as many grounds as you can find. Remove the connection points, clean up the wire eyelets, screws or bolts, and the surface that the screws or bolts thread into. Use a product called ox-gaurd (from home depot) to prevent further degredation of the connection points.

Also do a search on "dash removal". That is a nightmare but not impossible. Just takes time. The dash is designed to be to be pulled forwad and pivot down somewhat after thngs are removed, disconnected, and shoved out of the way. It's hard to describe.

Sorry can't comment on the speedo, thats a new one on me too. I have heard of speedo problems, but not like yours. Good luck, Kevin

 

Just did a quick search and found this, may be helpful:

Heater Core/Radiator Repeat Failures: Electrolysis or Head Gasket Leaks. [From Bob Savasta, Motor Magazine, Nov 2001] If you have repeated heater core or aluminum radiator failures, consider one possible source to be coolant breakdown and electrolysis due to combustion gases from head gasket leaks. The Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA) just recently put out a bulletin for its member shops alerting them to the possibility of combustion leaks causing higher-than-normal electrical charges in the cooling system. Like the information I provided in my May column, AERA advises its shops to first use a DMM and measure the voltage potential of the coolant. Anything over about 100mV is cause for further investigation, says AERA. If the integrity of all grounds is sound, fresh coolant has been added and you've still got excess voltage, the association then recommends looking for combustion leaks as a major contributor to the problem.

[Radiator Reporter August 1998: "Electrolysis Problems Continue to Mount", excerpted] Cooling system electrolysis is becoming a frequent problem. Electrolysis occurs when electrical current routes itself through the engine's coolant in search of electrical ground. Current can be introduced into the cooling system in many ways, but the two most common causes are a poor ground to the radiator's electric cooling fan, or a poor ground from the starter motor and engine block to the battery. Any vehicle with accessories bolted to the radiator support or to a nearby component is also a good candidate for electrolysis. Electrolysis is a fast-acting menace that attacks not only radiators and heaters, but can destroy an entire engine in a mere 20,000 miles. Though a small amount of measurable voltage can be detected in most engine cooling systems, due to reactions between the coolant and cooling system metals, the detected voltage should never exceed a tenth of a volt in vehicles equipped with aluminum engine blocks and/or cylinder heads…A poorly grounded engine and starter motor can zap enough current through the cooling system to blast apart a heater or radiator in a matter of weeks or even days, depending on how often the vehicle is started. A partially grounded electric cooling fan, on the other hand, may only shoot a small percentage of its supply voltage through a cooling system, and the effect may take months to reveal itself. Evidence of electrolysis includes unexplained and/or the recurring pinhole leaks in a radiator or heater. Pinholes may form anywhere along the tubes or tank walls, but damage is often concentrated at tube-to-header joints, or in the tube walls near the center of the core, where the electric cooling fan mounts come in contact with the core. To test for electrolysis, connect the negative probe of a digital D.C. voltmeter to the battery's negative post. Then submerge the meter's positive probe into the coolant at the filler neck. Be sure that the positive probe does not touch any metal. Next, note the meter reading, which should be no more than 0.10 volts. If a higher voltage is detected, methodically shut off or disconnect one electrical component or accessory at a time while watching the voltmeter. When the voltage reading drops to zero, you've pinpointed the electrical component with the defective or missing ground. Since electrolysis might occur only when a certain component is energized, have a helper switch each vehicle component on and off while you observe the voltmeter readings. To check components or accessories that don't have an on/off switch, use a long jumper wire connected to the battery's negative post to provide a temporary ground to each electrical accessory. Ground each component with the jumper wire and watch the meter. If the jumper wire restores a missing or faulty ground, the meter will drop to zero. Be sure to check for intermittent voltage surges generated by the starter during cranking. To do so, watch the meter as you crank the engine. Any jump in voltage during cranking indicates a loose, faulty, or missing engine ground. Any electrical device with a huge current draw, like a starter motor or radiator cooling fan, will chew up a cooling system far faster than a trickle of voltage from a poorly grounded underhood relay or other low-amperage device… One telltale sign of electrolysis and/or electro-chemical corrosion is discoloration of the affected area. Aluminum components usually turn black and pitted, while copper/brass components are likely to develop a blue-green corrosion byproduct. Unfortunately, bad coolant can cause similar discoloration, so a blackened PTR core doesn't always mean electrolysis is to blame, but it should raise the possibility in your mind during diagnosis. [Tip] You can solve the problem for particular components by adding redundant ground wires of 16-gauge copper mounted with hose clamps on the component and a screw to body sheet metal.

Check these out also:

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...3&page=1&pp=15

http://www.performanceradiator.com/P...LR.PDF#search='prevent%20heater%20core%20corrosion%20electrolysi s'

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...4603&highlight


http://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...hreadid=114485

 

WOW!

OK, that gives me a lot of places to begin searching.

I wonder if this would qualify for the lemon law? I sure would like a 05 model with a 6 spd!!!

 

are you sure you were using the correct coolant??? Have heard that some coolants will eat out the heater cores....

 

I used the pink Prestone extended life anti freeze. The technician told me what to go get to save me some $$$$$$

It was compatible with Chrysler products.

Did I make a boo boo?