Sorry to have disappeared - too busy for my own good some days. Speaking just from my '96, by all means, open the thing up and clean it out. Mine was making a terrible noise that turned out to be nothing but leaves. The AC evaporator was just out of view, so I was glad I didn't use a sharp instrument; past that, it was easy, and fan runs quietly again.

My dripping sound _might_ have been from the coolant reservoir. Last weekend, I decided to simply replace the suspect heater hose and both clamps. More below on how all that came to be, but it clearly had been leaking, and I didn't trust it. I removed the hose at the core first, and then had the new one ready for a quick change at the water pump to minimize the spill. It did not lose much, and I added much of that to the radiator and then fed it more in the reservoir hoping it will drink as needed - if there is another secret to de-airing, please let me know.

On my next drive after that, I heard a small thumping noise that sounded like it was coming from the engine. It stopped (actually just got a lot quieter) while I was getting close to finding it, and then I tracked it back to the reservoir - opening the cap made it a lot louder. I can't help wondering whether the other sound also came from there too?? That was/is a dripping sound though.

So what's all this about the leaky hose? A while back, I replaced the hoses, and had a LOT of trouble with the one that was leaking recently. Pushing on the hose moved the heater core, so it was difficult to get it in the right place, and I ended up clamping it on top of the bump in the tube. That finally ended up leaking, so I opened the plenum, found the missing screw that had been left for me to find, and while I was there, I stuck a brand new $20 core in it, closed the plenum properly, and got the hoses to fit better as a result. However, I suspect the one hose was damaged a bit from my first attempt. Anyway, it's gone now, and the leak appears to be corrected.

I am starting to trust the truck not to break down every mile or so, and it is once again getting some regular exercise. That means a couple of short trips each week, but it's something. The level in the back tank appears to be climbing slowly. Actually, I wish I had photographed the gage, though I also slightly distrust the sending unit. It is between two marks now, and if it gets close to the next one, then it will be time to replace the pump. Rumor control suggests that our Harbor Freight store will open in a few weeks, and that sounds like a nice way to get a tranny jack. At the rate the filling is happening, I should have plenty of time to wait on them - I can always siphon off some more fuel if needed.

Bill

 

First of all, welcome back!

Second, I need some clarification - I'm getting the wierd sound over near the heater core too... what exactly did you take apart to get leaves out of? The blower motor in the engine bay?

Third, if you let the rear tank get full, it will quit cross-filling and maintain decent pressure until you get the pump replaced.

 

I mentioned a couple of sounds, so let me try to make some sense of it.

The drip. Not sure where it originated. It might have come for the reservoir, but remember that a friend of mine said to look for something dripping on the wheel well. I didn't buy it either, but there WAS something dripping on the wheel well around that time, the source being a leaky heater hose, now hopefully fixed.

The thump. This was the most recent noise, and I am 99.99% certain it came from the coolant reservoir, presumably caused by the truck taking in coolant as it finishes topping itself off after I replaced the suspect heater hose.

About the blower, it sounded like what kids do with a piece of plastic on bicycle spokes, though not quite that fast or loud, but enough to drive me nuts. I removed the blower motor and fan, and they are located in the engine bay on my truck. I found it necessary to remove some type of emissions-control looking thing (black plastic, looks like a cross between a football and a fat hot dog) on the right wheel well. It is held by three screws from underneath, aka inside the well, and has a line or two connected to it. I also had to disconnect a wire or two from or near the AC accumulator. Four screws hold the blower and fan in place, which just slides out with the other stuff out of the way.

With the blower removed, I had a fairly good view of leaves inside the air ducts. Just around the corner to my right (my truck is a 96) was the evaporator, which I was glad I never clobbered. I will admit that it took me a few minutes to notice it.

I put it all back together as I found it, and the fan ran quietly.

Does that help?

For my pump, if the filling trend is real, it will hopefully rise another gallon or so and really get my attention in the next couple of weeks. Right now, I could still pass it off to sending unit madness and damping in the fuel gage itself. I hesitate to really let it fill, as I think that is what caused the leak from the vapor system??? My plan is to get a small tranny jack from Harbor Freight, which should be open in town in a few weeks. That should be just about right.

Bill

 

Thanks - the blower motor was what I wondered about. Mine is making a very similar sound, and judging by the amount of leaves in every other crevice of the truck after I got it, I think this might be going on with mine too. I'll take a look when I get a chance.