> > Got the dak back up and running tonight...took it for a little
> > spin....brought it back and it's leaking. Don't even ask where, cause
you
> > all ready know....the pipe. What did you end up doing to solve the
> problem?
> > I know you bought some oversized o-rings. Did you add some RTV as
well?
> > Any help would be great. I'm going to tackle it in the morning....too
> tired for today.
Aaron,
Sorry my bad luck spilled over into your Dakland, but atleast I can help you
out to solve this leak. I ended not not using any RTV sealant, just what
Dodge calls for : a stupid ole' o-ring. OK, first off, you will need to get
some o-rings from the dealer. If you want, you can try to match up an o-ring
from a parts store, but I didnt want to chance it, and paid a frigin $1.85
per o-ring at the dealer. I went through like 3 o-rings before finally on
the 4th try, things worked out. I finished the leak task on Tuesday and it
has been dry since. Ok let's get started. First off, remove rubber heater
hose from this dreaded metal heat pipe, the one which gets pushed into the
water pump. Just think about this, nothing, I mean nothing really secures
this pipe into the pump, other than that little bracket which gets bolted
down. This is really a crappy design. OK.........next, unbolt the metal
heater hose braket(9/16" socket I think?) and remove the metal pipe, and
prepare for some coolant to leak out. I think I lost about a quart. You can
drain the radiator if you want, to make things cleaner, but I didnt care at
the point I was at. Next, check the hole in the water pump to make sure the
o-ring isnt getting cut on a sharp edge, mine was very smooth. The metal
heater hose's bracket which is welded onto the pipe will ultimately be the
'tool' which is needed to determine how far into the water pump's hole the
pipe can go. Put the bolt onto the threads, as if you were going to tighten
the bracket down. When I say put it in, just slide the metal heater hose
pipe into the pump(without an o-ring installed) and bolt down the bracket
bolt. Then, with a small marker or an sharp object, mark on the metal heater
pipe where the top of the hole is at on the pipe. Basically this will tell
you how far into the pump the metal pipe will have to seat itself. I
guarantee you when you pull the pipe out initially, you will have a
cut-in-half o-ring. Install a new o-ring on the metal pipe, and be sure to
use plenty of water soluable lubricant(like KY Jelly or marine based
lubricant) on the lower section of the metal pipe, both above, below, and on
the o-ring area. Not sure if Vaseline is water soluable or not. Anyways,
slowly push the metal pipe into the water pump until the mark you made is at
the top of the water pump's hole. Dont go too far in, cause by bringing the
pipe back out is when the o-ring gets cut I think. It would help to have a
second set of hands at this point to installed the bolt for the bracket and
have them tighten it down. Reconnect the rubber heater hose/clamp and
reinstall the serpentine belt, if you initially removed it. Hope this helps
and isnt too confusing, as it is 2:00 am here :)
Hope it works for you.
Kyle
93 Dakota 4x4 V6
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