Hello all,
just had a quick question about the flow of the radiator on 97 Dodge ram 1500.

IfI run thetruck and the top radiator hose gets really hot after a long time sitting at idle, should n't the coolant at the cap side be hot also ? I can take the cap off and the coolant at the cap feels cool when I put my finger in it.

Tried flushing out with prestone flush kit with petcock open and radiator cap open. Still same results after driving around a few miles.

I also put the garden hose in the inlet of the radiator and water seemed to flow freely from the outlet at the bottom.

I'm thinking a new radiator is needed, but wanted some input from the dodge forum group.

Also I thought I should add that the water pump is new.
Thanks for any help
Jim

 

the cap side is on the cool side of the radiator..

one thing i have found is that these radiators are extremely efficient.

the left side (near the cap and bottom rad hose, overflow tank, etc.) will stay cool while the right side will be hot.

 

Thanks for your reply.

I guess the needle fluctuation on the temp gauge could be coming from airpockets trapped in the system as I can hear it in the heater core in the truck cab when driving.

Jim

 

yah these coolent systems can be a PITA to bleed, helps if you drive thr front up on a set of ramps, if the truck is level the heater core is slightley higher than the rad, so if you evevate the front then the rad is higher, then leave the rad cap off and "burp" it