A question for mechanics. (No heat)

[Dunerdr]

Alright, I’ll start off by saying this isn’t my every day driver, but a truck I’ve owned since 2013. It’s got 273k miles on it. I really just use it for bad weather, riding four wheelers and lumber yard trips.

Last year it stopped blowing hot air. Not uncommon. I changed an actuator and replaced a blendoor. Still no go. Paid a friend who’s a dodge tech at the local dealership to replace the heater core on the side, after flushing and cleaning the it without success. After 3-4 weeks of good heat it stops working again. I’m somewhat mechanically inclined and figure maybe some trash didn’t get flushed. Warranty the core at orielly and slip my friend a few bucks to do it aft hours again. He does a full flush this time, all new coolant, we don’t use the dealerships recovery machine. Heats working it’s all back on the up and up.

My brother in law borrowed the truck from January until may. Today I realized I once again don’t have heat. What’s my next strip? A radiator? Is the water pump coming apart (100k miles on it roughly)? The radiator isn’t plugged I don’t think..

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Boise_Chief

This all this. If the hoses are hot it's a blend door

New doors on both blendoors the directional one and the outside air/recirculate door. All of them worked and were calibrated at the dealership. You can hear them open/close. I’m going to get my dads snap on snake camera and put it in the vents to verify tomorrow but I’m leaning weak water pump, even though it was fine all summer.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I knew it was a Dodge before he said it was by the problem and it is probably a 2002 to 2006 3rd Gen Ram.

Lots and lots of posts and pictures on the 3rd Gen Ram forums about this problem and don't look forward to having it on my 03 but it only has 75k.

Wish I could help you but maybe someone on this forum can. https://www.facebook.com/groups/412676882514772

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=...45887182527064

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid...45742449208204

It’s an 09.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by 2bikemike

Dodge Ram with 273K Miles on it? No Heat in the middle of winter? Is it Blue/Yellow?

The Chiefs are playing the Rams this week! I think I would take it to the the Scrap Yard and have them smash the hell out of it. Better yet take it to Arrowhead and charge a buck to let people take a Sledge hammer to it.

But that's me, I can't wear black when the Chiefs play the Raiders or Blue when they play the Chargers, I would never wear Orange regardless. But you get the idea!

I am a bit superstitious this way. I had a silver trail blazer SS with black 22” helos that I swear lead us to the 11/12 seasons. As soon as I sold it big Andy came to town.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

New doors on both blendoors the directional one and the outside air/recirculate door. All of them worked and were calibrated at the dealership. You can hear them open/close. I’m going to get my dads snap on snake camera and put it in the vents to verify tomorrow but I’m leaning weak water pump, even though it was fine all summer.

Sucks you ended paying God only knows how much through the process of elimination to get to a weak pump.
Dnt feel bad. Just how it goes sometimes.
I got to tell this story, about Bugeaters wife's car.
Bugs a dam good mechanic, we've been turning wrenches on cars since we were 15 years old.
So his wife's electirc car seat will only go back about a 3rd of the way. He spent months trying to figure it out, even sent it to the dealership to be fixed. They couldn't fix it either.
So one day Bugs decides to do a nice detailed cleaning job on the car. As he's vacuuming around under the seat. He finds a frigging Quarter stuck in the track of the car seat. Pulls the Quarter out of the track. And its fixed like new.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

Sucks you ended paying God only knows how much through the process of elimination to get to a weak pump.
Dnt feel bad. Just how it goes sometimes.
I got to tell this story, about Bugeaters wife's car.
Bugs a dam good mechanic, we've been turning wrenches on cars since we were 15 years old.
So his wife's electirc car seat will only go back about a 3rd of the way. He spent months trying to figure it out, even sent it to the dealership to be fixed. They couldn't fix it either.
So one day Bugs decides to do a nice detailed cleaning job on the car. As he's vacuuming around under the seat. He finds a frigging Quarter stuck in the track of the car seat. Pulls the Quarter out of the track. And its fixed like new.

I paid 150$ each time for the dash to come out. Not terrible. Actual dealer price is like 800 labor I think. I used to work with the guy in my late teens and early 20s. I was working for said dealership until a shitty service manager tried to starve me out.

And that’s funny about the track!

One person told me to reverse the heater core hoses just to see if it started working for awhile to rule out being plugged up. I don’t think the core would be directional. But could it hurt?

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

I paid 150$ each time for the dash to come out. Not terrible. Actual dealer price is like 800 labor I think. I used to work with the guy in my late teens and early 20s. I was working for said dealership until a shitty service manager tried to starve me out.

And that’s funny about the track!

One person told me to reverse the heater core hoses just to see if it started working for awhile to rule out being plugged up. I don’t think the core would be directional. But could it hurt?

Total guess but I’d bet there are check valves. Could be wrong though.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Total guess but I’d bet there are check valves. Could be wrong though.

If there were it just wouldn’t work so I wouldn’t think it would hurt.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

I paid 150$ each time for the dash to come out. Not terrible. Actual dealer price is like 800 labor I think. I used to work with the guy in my late teens and early 20s. I was working for said dealership until a shitty service manager tried to starve me out.

And that’s funny about the track!

One person told me to reverse the heater core hoses just to see if it started working for awhile to rule out being plugged up. I don’t think the core would be directional. But could it hurt?

Not sure on that one. I can't see a kwik switch of the hoses hurting the core as long as it's just long enough to test it
I was under the impression that you put a new heater core in?

Back in the day (late 80s)when I worked for AMACO gas station we'd flush the hole system by flushing it in reverse. So I think you're OK trying it.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

Not sure on that one. I can't see a kwik switch of the hoses hurting the core as long as it's just long enough to test it
I was under the impression that you put a new heater core in?

Back in the day (late 80s)when I worked for AMACO gas station we'd flush the hole system by flushing it in reverse. So I think you're OK trying it.

I’ve put two in lol. That’s why this is frustrating. Basically just trying to rule out that it is plugged. If it is it’s a real head scratcher as to why. I worked on a boat years ago that the water pump impeller came apart and plugged things up. I guess it could be that.

[LiveSteam]

If it's me. I put the scope down the vent and once I'm convinced the doors are working properly, I move onto the water pump.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

I’ve put two in lol. That’s why this is frustrating. Basically just trying to rule out that it is plugged. If it is it’s a real head scratcher as to why. I worked on a boat years ago that the water pump impeller came apart and plugged things up. I guess it could be that.

Factory water pump? I've seen a water pump that had all the fins worn down to nothing. So, the water pump was spinning, but it couldn't move any fluid.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Fish

Factory water pump? I've seen a water pump that had all the fins worn down to nothing. So, the water pump was spinning, but it couldn't move any fluid.

Somewhere around 70k mile water pump I believe. It’s never had over heating problems even when towing in the Oklahoma summer so I assumed the water pump was fine. But that’s what I’m leaning now.

[LiveSteam]

Are the heater hoses original or old?
If they are. Id replace them,.then onto the water pump.
I've seen all kinds of high temp rubber hose, do all kinds of wired shit, being around old steam engines my hole life.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

Are the heater hoses original or old?
If they are. Id replace them,.then onto the water pump.
I've seen all kinds of high temp rubber hose, do all kinds of wired shit, being around old steam engines my hole life.

I’ve got a cousin in Odessa that’s a steam head. Some of the absolute coolest stuff imo.

[LiveSteam]

Ya. Once the livesteam bug bites ya. You're in it for life.
I was lucky enough to be born into it.