I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 Sport model... rattling around the fan assembly. The noise comes and goes. Had a guy at a shop look at, grab the fan and move it up and down, and say that it wasn't supposed to be able to do that. Noticed water under it the other day, but also had a supposed mechanic tell me that it sounded like the fan clutch.
A) Is this the water pump?
B) Is this the fan clutch
C) If it is the water pump how difficult is it to replace / fix?

Please HELP! :confused:

Sounds more like the water pump. Anytime you see water coming out of the weep hole in the water pump - the pump is going and you need to replace it before all the water is expelled from the engine. The repair is not that had to do - just time consuming that's why it costs so much. The part is cheap compared to the labor involved. If you are not that familiar on how to repair your car it is best left up to a professional to do. You have to drain all the antifreeze from the engine to properly change the pump also.

Unless you had the a/c on in the vehicle there is never supposed to be any water under the car after you turn it off or when the engine is running. My mechanic always taught me that the only fluid under the car is supposed to be water if the a/c has been turned on and used. Never any oil, transmission fluid, or radiator fluid or you have something leaking and it needs to be attended to. Always check under your car before you drive it to see if there is any strange fluid on the ground. Also, a good rule of thumb - the louder the noise your car makes the more expensive the repair.

What did you see under the truck: water or antifreeze? A water pump will leak antifreeze, not plain water.

A clutch fan should not move up & down, so odds are the guy at the shop was right.