I posted a message a few weeks back. I was the guy with a blown heater core and developed a bunch of other problems after replacing it. Several people offered troubleshooting help, and I wanted to report back what worked.
Problem 1) The speedometer didnt' work until I hit 35mph, and the engine would die when I came to a stop.
Fix) The ABS speed sensor in the rear differential. Cost me $45, and I'm still trying to break the habit of goosing the engine a little at stoplights to keep it from dying.
Problem 2) I rather loud and irritating resonant noise at around 2500rpm.
Fix) I replaced the fan clutch. The noise was still there, but with a different tone and at about 2300rpm, and the engine now ROARED until it warmed up. The guy at Autozone said that the clutch can kill the water pump if the vehicle is driven that way for an extended period. Would
9months be an extended period? Yeah, I thought so. I took the clutch back, got my $50 back, and put the quiet when cold clutch back on. If I have an extra $150 laying around at some point in the future, I'll replace the fan clutch and waterpump. But barring a leak, I'll just live with the noise. But, heh, at least I got to spend over $100 buying a new pnuematic brake booster. (a $100 part I replaced thinking it was the source of the noise)New Problem) Looks like my oil pressure isn't coming up in the morning like it always has. It always comes up to just shy of 40psi, hesitates a few seconds, and then jumps well past that mark. Takes a lot longer for the second jump now. (yes, I have oil in the sump 8*)
I was hoping that I might be a bad connection, where I screwed up putting things back together from the heater core repair. But it appears that everything is designed to fall apart at 5yr or
100,000miles. Since the '80s I've thought American cars were a bad deal. It just seems that a corporate decision was made to design the vehicle to last 5yrs (the amount of time for a lease or typical car loan). Not that there is anything wrong with the engineering, machining, or quality control. Just a conscious decision that we will not spend one red cent to make these cars last past the trade in date. I bought the QuadCab Dakota in 2000, because the Nissan 4-door light truck didn't have ANY leg room in the back seat. I justified the Dodge purchase with the reasoning that Detroit must have learned its lesson, and is making cars that will last 10yrs with reasonable maintenance. It appears I was born on the minute.I will run this truck till it drops, but I won't make the same mistake again.