My truck only has luke warm heat

I ended up changing the heater core and it fixed the problem. It took about 6 hours and was a pain but the heat is HOT now. Good luck!

thanks cvalcik for posting back here for the update... WE thank you...(2carpros.com) sorry no one posted back in Dec..

thnks jess s

I have the same problem with my 96 4x4 ram 1500. I've tried everything listed in the posts and more. It all started after the recall dodge had on plennums. They have had the intake off mine a few times while under warranty and ever since then I can get very little heat. I'm just kind of living with it now.. Sucks when it is minus 40' C. I hate to just change the heater core and then find out thats not the problem. I've already had the dash out once. I even cut the heater hoses and inserted pressure sensors to see what the pressure was like...Everything seems good and yet very little heat.

Now my 4 wheel won't engage. I'm thinking acuator. Has anyone a suggestion here. Does it work on vacume and acuator.

[quote:52878bce10="donvan"]I have the same problem on a 1998 W1500 5.9.
I've replaced water pump, flushed heater core, changed thermostat, replaced all hoses, and still only get barely warm. Did flush out some gunk from the heater core, but still no hot. If you get an answer that works, let me know please.[/quote:52878bce10]do you over heat? if so I would check under your oil cap. If you have a white film on ityou need to replace your Head gasket. I had the same problem on an older truck but I also replaced what you did and i was getting pretty mad.

Hey donvan my truck has never overheated. I have pretty much given up on the heat problem and learned to live with it.

Do you know how the 4x4 engages. Is it engaged by an acuator or vacume or both. Mine just quit for no apparrent reason.

Timm the 4 wheel drive is ran by vacuum and my 98 has the same prob havn't got it fixed but thats what mine is!!!

Cvalcik how much did ur heater core cost???

It turned out that the acuator was not my problem at all. It turned out the vacume line was off on the intake manifold. It was hard to see right away. Make sure your vacuum lines are hooked up or they are free of holes..

timmm

I own a 1998 Ram 1500 and I am having all of the symtoms. Poor heat, 4x4 shift fork will not engage. I have troubleshot the vacume to the transfer case valve. I get no vacume out of the 2 lines going to the shift fork. I am trying to find out i fmaybe the lines are clogged aor if I am goint to have to pull the transfer case to go in to detail on this. I have also thought of just bypassing the valve and just put in a manuall valve to engage the axle. Any suggestions? Also when I really romp on the accelerator my heter controll redirects the the air flow??

Also am having the same problem as jjandrick. I noticed either heat or a/c on when you accelerate it diverts the air to the defrost and then when you let off it sounds as if there is a door in the middle of dash that closes. I see there is a vaccuum actuated diaphragm on the side of the heater box under the dash. Is this getting weak or is the another problem.

I have a 1996 dodge ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.9L that I am having similar heating issues with. I bought the truck about a year and a half ago with a blown head gasket and a host of other problems, and have fixed several vacuum leaks flushed the cooling system 2 or 3 times to get rid of the sludge from years of neglect replaced the thermostat and even replaced the heater core last fall trying to get good heat in this truck and it still is only lukewarm most of the time. The heat in this truck has been this way for years even before it blew a head gasket (it used to be the shop truck where I work so I have been dealing with it for years). I did discover last weekend that if I let the engine get up to temp in park the heat works great, but as soon as I put the truck in gear to start driving it only blows lukewarm put it back in park and it starts to blow hot again.

Sounds like the thermostat is sticking. Open.