Bad Dodge Truck

[bc.gold 3,403]

Two days after my new to me 97 Dodge truck passed her safety the water pump started leaking, a neighbour close by has a Dakota with a blown transfer case, chain broke and macerated the case.

 

The Dakota had a lot of parts robbed of of it over the years but the still had the water pump which I purchased cheap, put it on my truck and found it leaked worse than the one it replaced.

 

The Dakota Sport had a 9 blade fan, versus my 5 blade so I'm not complaining about the $20.00 paid for the pump.

 

Yesterday morning called the garage for a price on a rebuilt pump, $130.00 had I ordered the pump it would arrive  the next day, Napa in another town had the pump in stock priced at $100.00.

 

Told another neighbor that I was heading over to pick up a pump just in case he needed something from that town, his reply was your driving over to save $30.00. I said yea its an adventure.

 

Topped up the radiator, filled a few spare jugs with water then hit the road.

 

After leaving Napa made a landfill stop, found these two large Cummings units, the large one is the DPF filter and from the numbers on the case it's worth $100.00 and the smaller one is $1100.00 scrap value.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by bcgold

[bc.gold 3,403]

Couple of new tricks I learned changing the water pump.

 

The small heater hose is a bear, once I had sprung the hose clamp and moved it back used a pair of vice grips clamped onto the metal pipe right close to the hose end then used a screw driver prying against both the hose and grips to remove the stubborn hose.

 

The alternator and AC bracket home right over the top of the small coolant hose connected to the intake manifold, instead of removing the accessories and bracket I just moved the spring clamp forward to get the water pump off.

 

Once the pump was out of the way, reached inside then removed that horrible spring clamp then replaced it with a Tridon clamp.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by bcgold

[bottjernat1 2,190]

I changed the pump on my late dads 99 ram Told him id take his truck from him for the day and i would have it done before he got off work. Needless to say I had my wife go pick him up and I was done by 11:45 that night. LOL I did the sam job on my 01 dakota with the 3.9 v6 and I was glad to have a better mind set after the one i changed for my dad. LOL I love my dodges I am a huge dodge guy. But id like to have a few words to the engineering fella that designed that dam top water hose. If you shove the clamp to far back or rip the hose you have a hole other situation going on. LOL

[bc.gold 3,403]

Removing the water pump from the donor, I had just cut the hose.

 

But I suppose an electric heat gun would have made the hose more pliable without harming it.

[squonk 41,037]

My 30 years in the Automotive business tells me you get the hose when you get the pump. I can't count how many folks I suggested this to thanked me the next time I saw them. You to sell tons of those Dodge bypass hoses.

[bottjernat1 2,190]

37 minutes ago, squonk said:

 you get the hose when you get the pump. I can't count how many folks I suggested this to thanked me the next time I saw them. You to sell tons of those Dodge bypass hoses.

Are you talking about replacing the upper pump hose? Because if you are it is tucked under the intake and to remove it you have to take a lot of crap off including the intake to get that 1 hose off. Im glad the 7 or 8 times i replaced water pumps on the dodges i didn't have to replace that upper hose. Looks to be a nightmare. LOL But with your back ground you most likely have a few tricks up your sleeve. You cant beat knowledge and experience! 

[bc.gold 3,403]

The rate book has this job pegged at two hours, local shop charges $130.00 an hour, then you have incidentals like shop rags, Nitril gloves etc. added to the final tab.

 

Once you've done this job once it becomes an hours job to replace the water pump.

 

To get the serpentine belt back on, I threaded into position then had Pat with a 15mm socket on the spring loaded tentsionor give me some slack. Now the belt slips onto the idler with ease.

 

Mind you the tools needed had not yet been put away so everything was within reach.

Edited August 19, 2020 by bcgold

[ZXT 2,401]

Man, $100 for a pump for a 318? That's a $40 pump down here.. Not even worth messing with a used pump for that. 

 

I've never had much trouble with the bypass hose once the devil-designed spring clamp was replaced for a real clamp, but I will say that I hate the way the fan clutch is attached to the pump. That's the worst part of the whole job if you don't have anything handy to hold it in place or an air hammer. Chevy uses the same single nut design on their trucks now. I was changing one last week and the wrench slipped off and I wound up flattening my finger.. Drilled a hole in my fingernail to relieve the pressure soon afterwards so the nail stayed on.

 

First time I did one of those pumps was on a neighbor/school buddy's Dodge with a 3.9. He found a puddle under his truck when he was leaving for work. I had a new pump that I had bought for a Magnum 318 that I was converting to a carb and putting into an old Dodge truck I had. I installed it, made $150, and he wound up only being a little over an hour late for work. 

[bc.gold 3,403]

2 hours ago, ZXT said:

Man, $100 for a pump for a 318? That's a $40 pump down here.. Not even worth messing with a used pump for that. 

 

I've never had much trouble with the bypass hose once the devil-designed spring clamp was replaced for a real clamp, but I will say that I hate the way the fan clutch is attached to the pump. That's the worst part of the whole job if you don't have anything handy to hold it in place or an air hammer. Chevy uses the same single nut design on their trucks now. I was changing one last week and the wrench slipped off and I wound up flattening my finger.. Drilled a hole in my fingernail to relieve the pressure soon afterwards so the nail stayed on.

 

First time I did one of those pumps was on a neighbor/school buddy's Dodge with a 3.9. He found a puddle under his truck when he was leaving for work. I had a new pump that I had bought for a Magnum 318 that I was converting to a carb and putting into an old Dodge truck I had. I installed it, made $150, and he wound up only being a little over an hour late for work. 

 

Pump $34.00 us on fleabay $14.00 shipping to canada, if you think the $100.00 Canadian was bad those of use addicted to tobacco are paying $20.00 for the 25 pack.

 

The price of booze hasn't risen in fact I often see it on discount sale.

 

We're not tanking, already there.

 

I named my last boat, Last Chapter for a reason.

[Stormin 9,981]

13 hours ago, bcgold said:

The rate book has this job pegged at two hours, local shop charges $130.00 an hour, then you have incidentals like shop rags, Nitril gloves etc. added to the final tab.

 

$130 = £99 plus charging for gloves and rags?? That's robbery.

[bc.gold 3,403]

Bought a similar machine from the fertilizer plant, that stuff is sure corrosive on metal. Every nut and bolt head became an unknown size after knocking the scale off.

 

Radiator was toast, water pump on the Continental diesel was also leaking was given a quote of $450.00 cad, located a kit in the US shipped to my door for $40.00.

 

Crane the folks that make toilets also make water pump seals.

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by bcgold