i got a question..we have a 1996 dodge 1500 with the 5.9l...it seems to run hot...but im not sure...i have already replaced the thermo..with a 180...but while towing our trailer with this truck for the first time..we just bought it..while going up a slow grades in the mountains..it got up to 240-250 degrees before the fan clutch kicked in and cooled her down....is this normal...that just seemed a little high ...but im not sure...it has a factory tow package..with heavy duty cooling..tranny cooler...hitch..etc...the truck has 60,000 miles on it...so is this normal..do the make the fan clutches in different temp settings..im thinking either adding an electric fan...or taking off the motors fan and putting on maybe some dual electric fans...what do you think...thanks

 

first off, welcome to DF. Here is a link to a topic that we were discussing this morning. https://dodgeforum.com/m_808429/tm.htm the best thing to do is search overheating or cooling or anything along those lines. there will be a lot of info in there that you can read. but on a side note. check to see if your fan is funtioning correctly. you might have a worn out clutch fan. there has also been alot of topics on the electric fans. if you search that you will also find a lot of info. good luck.

 

That is waaaay to hot.

There is always the chance that the thermo you put in is defective and allows it to get to hot, or just takes to long to open.

Before replacing the thermo I would give the cooling system a COMPLETE flush. Do this by draining the coolant from the rad. Then take off the upper and lower rad hoses. Remove the thermo housing and t-stat itself. Get a hose and run water through the engine block for a few minutes until its good clear water coming out. Do the same for the rad itself, and the rad hoses. Also doing it to the heater core doesn't hurt. Take a peak into the rad and see if theres gunk all over the fins clogging them up.

Refill the cooling system with GOOD coolant. Don't go to Wal Mart or Auto Zone and get the pre mixed stuff, it sucks. Go to a real parts store and get some Etholyne Glycol (the green stuff) straight, unmixed. Do not get the GM Dex-Cool stuff (which is Propolyne Glycol). Get the Etholyne Glycol and mix it to whatever you desire, the more Etholyne Glycol the better cooling characteristics it will have.

If this doesn't work try another t-stat.

The reason I doubt its your fan clutch is that 99% of the time when fan clutches get old or stop working right they stay engaged ALL the time, meaning even when the engine is cold they still are engaged.

See how that helps.

 

I too have a '96, 5.9, used to pull a travel trailer in the mountains, and havehad some cooling issues. After replacing the 195 T-stat with a 180 and flushing the system twice, I had a mechanic check the viscous fan drive . (His check was to spin the fan & if it didn't free wheel it was ok. He thought the problem was the T-stat which I changed again.) I then installed a 2'nd tranny cooler & gage from the output of the tranny to the input of the radiator which helped the tranny temp but not the eng temp. After changing the water pump, I took it to a radiator shop who removed the radiator, flow tested it OK, but found the outside dirty as well as the factory tranny cooler which he cleaned. His test found the fan drivedefective. His test, similiar to the factory service manual. (1) drill a hole in the fan shroud & drop in a thermometer, away from the fan. (2) cover the radiator & run the engine at a fast speedfor several minutes. (3) when the thermometer reaches 165-180 the fan will begin to engage and the fan sound intensity would increase. (4) remove the radiator cover & the fan noise will decrease at 135-175 deg F. The factory manual saysto connect a timing light & when pointed at the fan you should be able to see the fan speed change at thetemps above. Nearly all repair shops have an ifra-red temp gun, point & shoot measuring device.At temp on a hot summer day the top of my radiator, inlet, reads 180 deg. the outlet reads 140 deg. If yourradiator temp & the eng temp are different, it may be the temp. sensor, located on the passanger side underneath the alternator. By the way, when pulling in the mountains I've found that keeping the rpms's up around 3000 keeps both the tranny and engine cooler. Over drive always off of course.

 

thanks for the info guys....i pulled the thermo..and tested in water heating up on stove...it opened when it was suppose to...so the question still is..do they make fan clutches that work at different temp???? and has anyone taked off the motor fan.. and replaced with electric????thats what im really wanting to do...but i did notice that im thinking my serpintine belt might need to be replaced...it seems alittle loose...i dont know...i am going to flush...for sure..i guess its the fans....maybe i should add an electric pusher in front of the radiator...by the way..it runs fine..any other time...justing pulling slow grades..with aload...thanks

 

I am thinking you either have crud in the cooling system that is causing a blockage, OR, the water pump is the culprit.

 

You didn't mention anything about the trailer weight, frontal dimensions, gearing, etc. All these things will play hell with engine & trans. temps.
Never heard of different temp. fan clutches, but normal and heavy duty ones. If the vehicle is more than 5-6 years old, I would change the clutch just a a matter of maintenance, especially if you tow. I have done my '01 already. The fluid doesn't last forever.
I would also NOT go to ONLY electric fans for towing purposes. Most trailering and radiator shops will advise against it. However, they can be ADDED to compliment each other. And by all means, flush and refill the cooling system. Again, just as a matter of maintenance.
WC

 

Why would they recomend against it when they work better?

Electric would be much better imo. Get an electric thermo thats set to kick the fans on around 140-150. There are flex-o-lite fans on ebay for good prices but it seems Shott has had a problem with them recently, his are only a year or 2 old I think and they crapped out.

I recoment getting a Ford Taurus fan from a junk yard or ebay (used is fine and much cheaper) They flow the most out ANY factory electric fan, they flow over 4000 cfm and have 2 settings which is VERY nice. The only drawback is that they suck a lot of power, 33 amps continous, and up to 100 amps on start-up. This means you need a good size alt (the 136amp stock alt will work fine). I'm running one in my Jeep and know at least 4 others I can think of off the top of my head that run them.

My experiances with them. Some people have them only wired to a switch. While hanging out in a parking lot or on the trail just idleing they forget to turn it on. Before long they start to overheat and coolant starts to boil over, they run and flick the switch and probably 10 seconds pass and its alot back to running temp. They flow that much.

Here are some articles from Pirate about them.

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120931

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/taurus/

 

Great info. But I would have to comment on two points.
1. E-bay...
...enough said.
2. How many Tauruses have you seen towing a 5-7K lb trailer?
(if within tow limits of a Ram)

 

You can get alot of good stuff on ebay, if you don't like it thats your opinion. You can always get them from a junk yard.

The Tarous fan flows WAY more then the stock fan does, and WAY more then any Flex-o-Lite, (and even some dual Flex-o-Lite setups) so even if the Taurus isn't meant to pull anything the fan is still much better. If you read one of those links or searched more you'd see guys running then with engines from 6 cylinders all the way up to 500+ CID's in 100+ degree heat on a trail rig which, on a trail, never really sees anything over 15 mph and is at all times working the engine very hard.

Most guys on Pirate4x4 really know they're crap, they're not hacks and beat the living **** out of everything,and only use the best of the best so if they say it works, I believe them.

It would be hard to overheat anything with one of those.

You don't always have to go my "the book" or service manual, many things that aren't in "the book" are way better and much more practical. This is because 90% of Mech. Engineers (Notice I said 9 out of 10, not ALL ME's are like that) that design this crap and these books are really not Mechanically inclined themselves and go by how things work in the perfect world. Just my experiences.