My trk just started overheating a couple of days ago. There is plent of coolant and the cooling fan works as well. I am pretty sure its the thermostat on the trk cause the bottom half of the radiator is pretty warm and the top half is cold. Plus it got hot to where my check gauge light came on and no water boiled out at all. Also if i turn on my heater it comes hot as can be for the first ten minutes then it gets alittle cooler and it stays a little ways above normal on hwy but if I am sitting it heats up really bad. So I was wondering where is the thermostat on this trk and is this really the problem. I ve talk to a couple of mechanics and they seem to think its the thermostat as well. So how hard is it to replace one those and what all will I need to do it. thanks for any info. I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 4.7 liter V8 quadcab.

 

Very simple replacement, its at the inlet of your water pump. Just pull the hose off of it and you'll see it right there. There should be 2 bolts you'll have to remove.

 

yea i woud definitely reccomend replacing the thermostat first.. it sounds like it is the problem... if its not we can try and troubleshoot it from there

 

Yea Iam going to do it tuesday on my day thanks for info and I will get back and let you know if that solve it or not.

 

I bought a 2002 1500 Quad Cab last month, my first Dodge and I really love it. When I arrived at the parking lot at work this morning I noticed that the air from my heater was cool. I turned the temp setting to the hottest position and turned the blower up a little and the air remained to be cool. I then noticed that the temp gauge started creeping up a little so I turned the engine off and went on in to work. Driving home the air started out hot and then cooled off. I kept my eye on the temp gauge and noticed the needle fluctuating from normal to just above normal and back down to normal. When I arrived at home and let the engine idle, again the heater air was very cool and the temp gauge started creeping up again. I'm guessing that the thermostat probably needs replacing. The truck has 77,000 miles, 4.7L, 2-wheel drive. Can someone tell me where the thermostat is located? I can't locate the usual "bubble" where a thermostat is housed. The top hose on the radiator connects to the fairly long extension tube from water pump and has a coolant bleeder screw at the hose connection. Is the thermostat located where the hose connects to the water pump or is it located on the bottom hose? Thanks.