Okay fellas. Heres my story. enjoy the laugh.

[Hamburger]

So I bought a 97 dodge sprt 4x4 and I am learning all about this 4 wheeling and truck stuff.
I have had this truck for 2 weeks and its my first 4x4 so go easy. Well the first week I bought tires, brakes and a front end alignment cause it rode like a tank. Tonight I gained this strange invinsiblity with my truck, she and I could go through anything , any mud any sand and water hole. Nothing could stop us and then guess what?




Nope you guessed wrong we didnt get stuck but something did happen, I learned that my truck is running about 210-220. There is no leaking at all. Mo antifreeze smell. Nothing. If you were in my posistion what would you do first?

Thanks.

[Hamburger]

no help then . so whats the optimum temp for normal operation?

[The Boss]

clean the radiator out (i.e. wash mud from fins)

[penche]

Get that checked out. Check the Radi, change the Stat, check the waterP, lines etc, etc. How many miles does the engine have? Normal temp on my mill is about 190.

[DieselRam]

stock is a 195 thermostat i believe.. flush the radiator and clean the fins

[Hamburger]

Thanks guys, the radiator is clean as a whistle, so I should probably go and change the cheapest thing first until symptoms are gone. and I need to be around 190.Oh and forgive me for another question, why is it so difficult to get into 4 wheel drive, I mean I realy hav e to finesse it(nuetral/reverse/drive and then only sometimes can I pull back on the 4x4 lever., Just wanting to see if this is normal/ or needs some work. I only paid 5 grand for the truck and am willing to put 4 or 5 thousand more into it, just trying to see where the money needs to go. thanks again.

Oh I almost forgot, the funny part of the story is that my neighbors Ford Fx4 super duper special truck that he is always bragging on was sunk up to his axels in the same sand pit I went through, course his boat trailer didnt help him much. He had to call a wrecker as noone had a rope. So sad. NOT.

[DesertRam]

Id replace your thermostat for a 180, it's only a couple of bucks, and check your water temp sender. It may be bad? If not, check your oil, and change the filter. Also, you said you just did your brakes? Well, I have a funny story too, I did my front brakes, and I messed something up. Well, either way, they were way too tight, and I drove for like 3 days wondering why my temp was high and why my truck had no power! I was scratching me head for those 3 days getting madder and madder, and then I noticed all the brake dust on my front rims! Ha! Well, I took them off, put 'em back on, and everything was fine. Still don't know why they were messed up, but they work fine now!

[sephox]

Quote:On 2004-04-26 16:14, The Boss wrote:
clean the radiator out (i.e. wash mud from fins)

[Madd Ramm]

Quote:On 2004-04-26 16:29, Hamburger wrote:
Oh and forgive me for another question, why is it so difficult to get into 4 wheel drive, I mean I realy hav e to finesse it(nuetral/reverse/drive and then only sometimes can I pull back on the 4x4 lever., Just wanting to see if this is normal/ or needs some work. I only paid 5 grand for the truck and am willing to put 4 or 5 thousand more into it, just trying to see where the money needs to go. thanks again.

It probably hasn't been used in 4x4 mode much. When a part time t-case isn't used often it can be hard to shift. Also, when going into 4lo, it is best to put it in neutral and either not be moving or just slightly coasting whil in N and shifting to 4lo.

I would recommend checking the fluid in the t-case and just start engaging it more and it should become a little easier.

[Red_Rattler]

ha I have the same prob, runs from anywhere from 200 to 210 to 220, everything is clean rad was flushed and refilled with new 50/50 mix... i dunno whats up, its always ran like that....