okay i am looking at buying this truck on friday just 4 days from now! the truck has 200k on it with a tranny that was rebuilt 8k miles ago. the body of the truck is kinda shot needs the typical rockers cab corners and fenders as well as a little skin on the wheel wells in the rear. the major concern i have right now is the truck has what looks like a coolant leak on the intake side of the block. theres oil/coolant nice film all down the side. I am buying this truck to use for plowing it will be my first diesel and first year plowing. i cant afford any major breakdowns! what would this leak be from? headgasket is my guess. is this a pretty easy fix? im not scared to rip into a motor but i have never worked on a diesel. please help

just an FYI im buying the truck for $2500 with an almost new plow

Depends on where the leak is at on the intake side.

If its on the rear corner,closest to the driver,then it could be possible that the water temp sending unit is cracked and could be leaking.It also could be a freeze plug or one of the blind pipe plugs that are also in the intake water jackets.Otherwise it is probably a headgasket which would be my first guess since the truck is priced so cheaply with a fairly new plow.

it would be best to try and use a long inspection mirror and look around under the intake shelf and see if you can tell where its coming from or pressure test the collant system if they will allow you to find the leak.....Andy

Hammer's Sig:

1998 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 12v 5spd Quad Cab
Flame Red Sport
Mason-Dixon Turbo Diesel Club Event Co-Ordinator
MITCHELLized

The truck was actually 3500 asking price it looks like garbage to the average person. the body looks horrid. under what was rotted was all clean go figure! and the alt was frozen up and needs a new belt! i mean it has its issues but the coolant system was not under pressure. so no gushing leaks. the whole side of the block was coated with oilly/coolant/hydro fluid from the pump it could be old staining but the truck fired up like it was new.

ok so as of right now there is no belt on the truck. the altenator seized and snapped the serp belt. i can not get any pressure on the system with out the water pump right? will i still be able to see the head leaking just from the pressure blowing threw the head? if its not the head gasket where should i look? im guessing the leak is on the front side of the motor. is this truck even worth buying? it has 200k on it now and is going to take atleast a grand to put on the road.

The best thing to do is get a radiator pressure test kit from the auto parts and you can get pressure without even starting the engine. Autozone has a free tool rental program if there is one near you. Some other parts stores have a similar program. It is easier to look for a leak if you don't have to worry about getting into moving parts. If no one has a rental program in your area it would still be worth the investment to buy one.

i do have an autozone near me that rents tools. can some one give me a little info on the pressure test and what to look for? i am clueless on these motors!!!!!