We were motoring down I-95 about 120 miles from Savannah when the 5500's MIL came on with a ding. Speed was 62. All gauges were in the normal ranges. A/C was cooling just fine. We were pulling the fifth wheel. We pulled off at the next rest stop and shut her down. I immediately restarted but the MIL was still on. We read the manual and it said that as long as the MIL was not blinking, we could continue.

We had lunch at the rest stop and I started to get back into the truck when I noticed coolant dripping from the engine. I popped the radiator cap off and saw that the radiator was full. The coolant reservoir was empty. I found a couple of Canada RVers that were heading to Tampa for the winter that had some more antifreeze that I could use....about a quart. I poured it into the reservoir and we got back on the road. Debbie began checking "the Next Exit" book to find a Walmart. We found one about 50 miles or so further down I-95 and stopped and bought 2 gallons of Prestone. When I opened the hood to add a gallon, I noticed that the quart I had already added was gone. I poured the rest in and we hit the road. Of course this was happening on a Saturday.

We got to Savannah at the Savannah South KOA and got set up in our site and sure enough it was still dripping. We spent Sat and Sunday at the rig. This morning, we got up at 6:30 so that we could be at the local Dodge dealer when it opened at 7:30. We got there and they took the truck in around 8:15. By 9:30 we had the diagnosis. The MIL came on due to the failure of two temperature sensors. The coolant was dripping out due to a bad water pump. They ordered the sensors and water pump from Atlanta and we get to go back tomorrow at 7:30 for the actual repair.

My thoughts/question is this: Why didn't the truck start to overheat when driven at highway speeds pulling a 16,000 lb fifth wheel if the water pump was not operational?

We drove it back to the trailer today since this dealership did not offer any type of loaner service. The temps stayed right around 200 degrees both on the highway pulling and today at city speeds with no trailer. Is that because of the temp sensors being bad?

I'm ready for this to be fixed. This has been our first problem on this truck other than the shock absorber TSB. I really love this truck, but I want it back to normal.

We've extended our stay in Savannah for another 3 days since we've been here 3 days already and have seen basically none of it.

Joe

 

The water pump went bad in my 2006 @ about 78,000 miles. Like you, my truck never overheated either. I just happened to see coolant dripping from the front of the engine while pulling my boat. I have owned four (4) Dodge CTD Pickups and this is the FIRST one that EVER had a bad water pump! Dodge covered the repair under warranty with no problems. My Dodge Technician told me that in some cases the water pump continues to work alright but will leak while operating and steadily get worse as it wears more. You added the extra fluid, so there was probably enough coolant there to keep the truck cool. I am very glad that Cummins designed the water pumps like they did so we know when they are going bad. They are pretty easy to change out too. Good luck on your repair.

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John_P

 

Joe,
Be sure the anti-freeze you added is compatible with what was already there. My 05 takes a special type that will turn to a jello consistency if you add the wrong type to it. I forget what that special kind is called but the only place I found it was at NAPA. Good Luck

 

Thanks Sam,

I added Prestone, but they drained the system and put in the Dodge stuff when they changed out the water pump. They installed 2 new sensors and the new water pump Tuesday morning. By 10:00 we were out of there and happy. By 11:00 we were back at the dealership because the MIL came on again. They took it back in to the bay and rechecked everything, reset the computer, and brought it back. We drove it for about 25 miles.........the light came on again. We took it back, left it, and got a rental.

Fast forward to today. I called them about 2:00 and they had no idea why the MIL was still coming on. They had put in a call to Chrysler and were waiting to hear back from them. It is now 4:25 and we have not heard anything yet. I don't look to get it back today.

On the bright side, we do have a 2010 Dodge 1500 to drive and it is a SWEET ride. Unfortunately, it will NOT pull my 39 foot fifth wheel so I won't be trading for it.

Joe

 

The water pump will still move water if it's leaking. Also at hwy speeds, there's alot of air moving over the front that helps.

 

Got a call this morning around 10:30 that they had ordered and received a new sensor "package" and that they were also going to install a new air filter. They would then drive it and would call me with the results. About an hour later, they called and pronounced it fixed.

We finished lunch, took the rental truck back to Enterprise and then went to pick up our truck. We have driven it around town, out of town, on the freeway, stop and go around 80 miles and have had no check engine light. So I am happy to be back in my own truck!!

We have one more day in Savannah and will leave here Saturday morning and push on to Tallahassee, Florida for that night.

Joe

 

Sorry for the bad luck. Sounds like the water pump bearing started to go and the seal started weaping fluid. That's the normal sign you get before the water pump goes caput. Hope you got to take some tours in Savannah.