We have a 1994 3/4 ton medium sized 5.9 liter
v 8 dodge gas engine truck. Last year we purchased a 3 horse slant goose
neck Sundowner trailer. This truck pulls it pretty well in most conditions
except when we are on a hill with one or more horses then it begins to over
heat. A first level diagnosis by a repair shop and an infrared gun said
that there were "cold" spots on the radiator and the solution was to rod or get
a new radiator. We got the new radiator (stock replacement) and a new fan
clutch. The overheating problem was not solved, and it seems like it has
gotten worse (the weather has been warming up ...) One thing the repair
shop people pointed out after the new radiator was in that the engine could be
gunned and the radiator fluid in the top of the radiator barely moved.
Their guess: we might need a new water pump. So we are going in for a
"flow test" tomorrow. I have talked to the radiator repair shop and
they passed on a hearsay tidbit: they knew a mechanic who had had a similar
overheating problem with this model Dodge truck and he did everything: new
radiator, water pump, fan clutch, thermostat, and pressure cap and the truck
still went to 240 on hills with a load, but would drop instantly to 200 on the
level.
Question: can this truck be saved (for
hauling our loaded trailer)? We have 18 payments before it is paid off and we
had planned on getting the 3/4 ton Dodge diesel once we had maxed out our equity
in the truck. It would be a big hurt if we had to trade now
...
.Mary Anne Maynard