I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 (5.2 liter V8), that has about 178,000 miles on it. I've been going thru a full container of antifreeze about every 800-1,000 miles now for 2 months now, and I've discovered that I'm leaking some anti-freeze from my floor heater ducts and underneath the chassis on the passenger side.

I suspect it's the heater core has sprung a leak, but is it entirely possible that it's a leaky hose or something less expensive to replace? I know a heater core replacement (full works, including flushing the coolant out and removing/reinstalling the dash) is probably going to set me back $750. If it's just the hose, can they just replace that and not charge me an arm and a leg? If I take it in to a repair shop, how will I know if it's the heater core or something else less expensive to fix?

Thought's anyone?

The hoses and the heater core meet at the fire wall if you do have coolant leaking in the cab bad news for you, needs a heater core

Yep! The heater core needs to be replaced without a doubt! It's really not that bad of a DIY job, But, you also have to deal with the AC evap core(if you have AC) which you should replace also since you are in there. Check this out,http://dodgeforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114317