It might be time for a new car...help me think through this

[vonirkinshtine]

Ok, so as I was hauling some tree limbs to the dump this weekend I had [another] overheating incident with my 2005 Ram 1500.  Despite being on radiator #3 I still have a slow leak somewhere in my coolant stream.  But, this weekend I also had to bleed a lot of air out of my radiator.  As I dig into it more and start piecing all the symptoms together I am becoming suspicious of my heads/head gaskets.

I have been talking for a while about down-sizing since I could really use a commuter vehicle more than a full-size truck.  I'm thinking now might be the best time to cut my losses and trade in.

If I ditch the truck my requirements for a replacement would be:

1. Seat 2 adults AND 2 rear-facing car seats.
2. Less than 17' OAL (so it will fit in the garage)
3. Securely transport a full complement of firefighter PPE
4. >25mpg on the highway
5. Fit a 22x18" kick drum either through a rear door or the trunk opening

I'm thinking hatchback?  There are a handful of small SUVs that might fit the bill also.

For future tree-limb duty I do have access to another big, full-size truck.  I can always just go get that for the day if whatever car I have can't get the job done.

 

[jmccarthy]

I went from a 2000 f250 to an 08 ford escape. I beleive it would fit the bill of what your looking for. If you want another truck go with the 15 f150 (as you can tell im a ford guy) if your looking used you could get an escape or like an 08 and up f150. If you like dodge maybe a magnum?

 

[chucksorce]

How about the best of both worlds, Ram 1500 Eco diesel.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Have you checked or replaced the thermostat? If that thing is fried shut, then you may be boiling your coolant away. If it was head gaskets, you would be noticing water in the oil and probably a power loss. When checking for water in the oil, be sure to look at both the high side and the low side.

 

[vonirkinshtine]

Thermostat is a little more than a year old.  The Ram forums have some guys that reported loosing coolant through their exhaust with no evidence in the oil.  I'll check the oil pan tonight to see if any water has separated from the oil.

The Ford Escape would certainly fit the bill.  I had my eye on the RAM Eco Diesel since it came out, but the capital cost is still through the roof and I've seen some alarming numbers on maintenance costs.

 

[proudfirefighter]

If I ditch the truck my requirements for a replacement would be:

1. Seat 2 adults AND 2 rear-facing car seats.
2. Less than 17' OAL (so it will fit in the garage)
3. Securely transport a full complement of firefighter PPE
4. >25mpg on the highway
5. Fit a 22x18" kick drum either through a rear door or the trunk opening

With the exception of child seats and a kick drum, these were also my requirements a few years back. I ended up going with a Subaru Forester. All wheel drive, I'm averaging around 26 mpg and have plenty of space to fit everything. 

 

[jmccarthy]

Dont get me wrong i miss my truck but the escape was the right deal at the right price at the right time and i dont regret it. Does great on gas and can haul some stuff still.

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Have you tried just monitoring your exhaust?

If your getting coolant in your oil your gonna start smelling it and your exhaust will change color..

There are a few other things to check as well..  could be the gaskets.. could also be the radiator cap not sealing and pressurizing..

KISS method first.

 

[vonirkinshtine]

I can smell it, but I've never been able to locate the source of the coolant smell. I'll pay closer attention to the exhaust next time I crank it.


The factory service manual says to run the engine with the radiator cap off until the thermostat opens. Then, as you're running it check for bubbles flowing into your radiator. If you see bubbles then you have a compromised head.

 

[crescentstar69]

The new Chevy Colorado looks sweet.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I can smell it, but I've never been able to locate the source of the coolant smell. I'll pay closer attention to the exhaust next time I crank it.


The factory service manual says to run the engine with the radiator cap off until the thermostat opens. Then, as you're running it check for bubbles flowing into your radiator. If you see bubbles then you have a compromised head.

Does the carpet up on the fire wall feel damp? Usually if you're smelling coolant in the cabin that's a heater core.

 

[7d9_z28]

Does the carpet up on the fire wall feel damp? Usually if you're smelling coolant in the cabin that's a heater core.

In those trucks, it may not get to the carpet. I hate those heater cores, and I hate replacing them, but have done it in several mid 00 Rams. Seems to me a semi common issue in them, unless theres some conspiracy against me. As a mechanic, you just see these things too often...

 

[Light It Up]

Just picked up a Ford escape and love it only thing that annoys the living crap out of me is 12.5G tank! Other wise awesome vehicle!

 

[Jarred J.]

12.5 gallons? that's .4 gallons less than my KIA....

 

[vonirkinshtine]

Does the carpet up on the fire wall feel damp? Usually if you're smelling coolant in the cabin that's a heater core.

Ya know...that would explain the sloshing sound I've been hearing in my dash.  Back to the FSM and forums to read more into it.

*edit* as I'm reading the Ram forums I'm reading the vast majority of people who chunked a heater core reported poor HVAC performance and no reports of losing 3 qts of coolant a day.  Also, oddly enough the FSM doesn't mention losing coolant as a symptom of a bad heater core...although it would make sense. 

 

[7d9_z28]

If there were over 3 quarts of coolant in the HVAC box under the dash, you'd know it fo' sho'.

Thats not to say that isn't still a possible issue, like I said I dont know how common it is but I have replaced several heater cores in those trucks.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

When you burp the radiator, are you doing so with the defroster on, fan high and temp full hot? Also, you may want to look around because as I found out on my Pontiac, there's a bleeder valve in the thermostat housing that you have to open to get all the air out of the system.


And when you checked for evidence of water in the oil, did you check the high side?

 

[vonirkinshtine]

Yeah, I haven't finished checking everything to pin down an exact location, but from what I'm seeing my problem is IN the motor as opposed to outside the motor.  I'm at the point now where I'm planning on trading.  I need to start yanking the blinkies out of it and getting it back to stock.

 

[Jarred J.]

Ive been thinking about an Escape myself... got a few here in town for sale. need to look into if they come AWD or not cause last thing I need is another rear wheel drive when it ices over

 

[tvsjr]

My wife's Mariner (the up-level Mercury version of the Escape... looks better IMO) has suited us quite well. My only real complaint is that it's fairly noisy inside - a good interior removal and Dynamat exercise would do it good. Her's is an 08 with the V6 and 4-speed tranny - plenty quick enough and gets about 22MPG city, 23-24MPG highway (high speed cruise). The 09 added the 6-speed transmission, which would be a nice upgrade.

I would shy away from the I-4 motor... doesn't have enough power to get out of its own way.

 

[jmccarthy]

Jarred, you can get the escape in 4x4 and they are front wheel drive. I live in ohio and i just bought a 2x4 with the 4 cylinder and it does great in the snow

 

[Jarred J.]

cool thanks

 

[Windycity411]

Subaru Outback or Jeep Patriot.

 

[Storm82]

Even though I don't have one myself, I will +1 the Ford Escape.


I looked at buying one a couple years ago, I really liked it, but the payments were too high so I passed on it.


On the plus side, if you get an older model, say 06-08, Havis Shield makes a direct swap equipment console for them.

 

[JazzDad]

Vonnie, baby!  It's the 21st century.  Your vehicle search would be made easier if you got one of these:

 

[Phoenix_Rising]

Subaru Outback or Jeep Patriot.

Jeep Patriot FTW

 

[vonirkinshtine]

Vonnie, baby!  It's the 21st century.  Your vehicle search would be made easier if you got one of these:

kick.jpg

A kick drum trigger for an electronic drum set?

 

[JazzDad]

A kick drum trigger for an electronic drum set?

Yep.  Much smaller than the acoustic version.  We won't get into the debate of real instruments vs digital sounds.

 

[vonirkinshtine]

Oooooo ok.  This goes back to my reason for needing such a big vehicle - kick drum.

Sorry, took me a second, lol.