[jadams80]

when i crank up the heat on the defroster i smell antifreeze. there isnt water in the oil so i dont think its head gasket. my question is there any sealants that work to fix it to get through the winter and are they safe?

 

[bigfatdakota]

Not really. All you'll do is f up the whole cooling system it's not worth taking the chance. Sorry to say it but you have a lotta work ahead of you

 

[95neonman]

Yeah if you smell antifreeze then your heater core needs replacing. Its not too bad a job, Just search theres a few thread on it.

 

[GWhaley]

Yeah if you smell antifreeze then your heater core needs replacing. Its not too bad a job, Just search theres a few thread on it.

Boy your idea of "not too bad" of a job must be a lot different than mine. lol
Pulling the whole dash out isn't fun at all. It can be done, but not something that I would want to do unless I had to.

To the OP - climb under and check for leaks first - I had a faint antifreeze smell and it turned out to be a leaking block heater.......

 

[00bluedak]

yea replacing the heater core isnt an easy job in these trucks. you dont have to completely remove the dash out of the truck, but you do have to unbolt it and the stearing column and pull them back to access the heater core from the top. i have been through two parts store heater cores that lasted around a year a piece. the last time, i just got one from the stealership and had them install it. knock on wood, it has lasted almost 2 winters now.

 

[bigfatdakota]

not a bad job huh? man you must be good. do yourself a favor when you change the core. get yourself a new blower motor resistor its buried under the top of the dash and if it goes bad later you gotta do it all over. a little extra cash but worth it in the end.

 

[GWhaley]

not a bad job huh? man you must be good. do yourself a favor when you change the core. get yourself a new blower motor resistor its buried under the top of the dash and if it goes bad later you gotta do it all over. a little extra cash but worth it in the end.

Just a heads up - the blower motor resistor is by the passenger side footwell and is about a 5 min job. Unless you are referring to the blower motor itself?

 

[bigfatdakota]

blower resistor is located on firewall plenum below right side windshield on the 2000 models

 

[GWhaley]

blower resistor is located on firewall plenum below right side windshield on the 2000 models

I stand corrected lol. Guess mine is a little easier to change.

 

[bigfatdakota]

ya not one of their better ideas!!

 

[jadams80]

thanks for the replies folks. i havent been able to log in since i made the account. but i just wanted to thank a'll