Hey guys, new member here, the names joe! i figure im always searching
google for answers to the questions about my 1986 dodge ram w150 and
often find them here so i'd thought i'd just make an account and join in haha

I had a 2001 dodge ram 1500 sport - all red - 41' iroks on 16 inch rims
with a 10 inch lift, dual down pipes that dump out over the exhaust
4.10s front and rear with locker, dana 44 front - chrysler 9 3/4 ton rear
360 5.9 v8 3 inch throttle body spacers - dual bats with 1200 watt amp
Ive attached two pictures of the old red dodge




I recently sold it and bought a 1986 dodge w150 with the 318 5.2 v8
for 1000$ solid body but didnt start or move and hadn't moved in
over 6 months. so far I've replaced the starter, all wires to the headlights,
headlights, headlight dimmer switch, power steering pump, steering gear box
steering column, steering pump, belts, alternator, ball joints, calipers,
rear drums, inner and outer bearings / seals, valve covers, ect. ect.
and the list goes on, ill make a post about all the before and afters



point being, I've replaced the alternator as well as the power steering pump
and cleaned up the water pump pulley and camshaft pully but theres still
a loud *** squeal when i rev the engine and accelerate while driving
its so loud to the point where i can hear it over the engine in 4th gear
driving down the road. as i said, i cleaned up the pulleys, replaced all the
belts, and still cant seem to figure out what it is, any help?

I was also wondering if anyone knew where i could get a tailgate for this
truck but the type of tailgate where the "dodge ram" is embossed ?

And, last but not least, the air doesnt work. nothing happens when you
turn it on haha i dont know a damn thing about air induction or pumps
or whatever it is that makes it work when i push the on button haha

nice to meet you and hope to hear from you soon, thanks again in advance!

 

Welcome!

You've had/got some nice trucks.

The noise could be a pulley bearing that is shot. Doesn't matter how clean the pulley itself it, if the bearing is gone, the noise will stay. Also could be that the belts are not tight enough. I usually do about 1/4"-1/2" deflection over a 12" span. You should look it up in a manual though just to make sure.

The tail gate I'm unsure about. I know which one you mean though.

As for the air, are you talking about the air condintioning?

 

Squeal. Agree with the above Remove one belt at a time and see if the squeal stops. You can safely run the truck for a few minutes until the engine starts to get a little warm. Should not take long.

A/C. I'm not familiar with the wiring on those, you have a shop manual or at least a wiring diagram? You need to trace the compressor clutch wiring, it probably is in series with some sort of low pressure control switch before it gets to the main switch on the dash. You might be able to find it, trace the larger (suction) hose/ tube from the compressor back to the firewall and look for a device with two wires coming off. You can temporarily short around that to see if the compressor will come on, but don't run it for more than "long enough to see."

If it comes on with the low pressure switch bypassed, it has a leak and or is low on refrigerant. If it does not come on, the problem is under the dash, either a bad fuse or bad connection or bad dash switch.

Very few systems that old are NOT going to be low on refrigerant.

 

Theres only three belts on the entire engine, one for the power steering pump and the two that run from the alternator to the water pump and around the camshaft pulley. ill try to switch them out one at a time but as i said before, the alternator and power steering pump pulleys are brand new and i installed them myself so unless its the water pump or the camshaft pulley bearings im not entirely sure where its coming from. I'm going replace the water pump pulley and see if it persists but after that i'll be completely at a loss.

As for the air, the truck doesn't have AC but theres no air at all, not when you turn on the heat, fan or max AC. Nothing happens when you turn any of them on. And my knowledge about the air system in a vehicle is slim to none because I've never tinkered with it but. thanks again for yalls help.

 

It is probably low on freon.. BE AWARE IT uses R12 - no longer available, and would have to be converted to R134. Would have to evacuate it and flush, change the oil in the compressor, pull a vacuum to check for leaks and re charge. If it has an idler pully I would check it..

 

There is a blower motor resistor in the air box behind the glove box insert. If you have no voltage to the motor check voltage in and out of the resistor and that should give you the answer. It looks like a small rectangular plate held in place with two hex screws and has 4-5 wire connector plugged into it. Common problem on older vehicles and easy to fix. Good Luck.