My dad has a 98 Dodge with a 318 and the engine will not come up to temp.
We have put in OEM and aftermarket thermostats and get the same results 120-140F.
It seems coolant is bypassing the thermostat. When we pull it back apart everthing seems to have sealed correctly.
Help, It's -24F this morning.

 

At -24 it might not get up to temp. Try putting cardboard in front of the radiator.

 

No, cardboard is not the proper fix

 

Your right it's not, but there is no fix at -24 .

 

is the sending unit good?? it maybe it's giving a bad reading... are you getting heat?

 

Why not?

I guess you need to move to a warmer climate then...

 

LOL, that's what I wanted to say. That will fix it for sure.

 

I new going to a Dodge site wouldn't be a good idea.
Reminds me of a saying "Lifes tough, it's tougher if your stupid"
My chevy heats fine and my brothers Ford heats fine.
Thanks for your help

 

You didn't say you had no heat!A better description of whats going on would have been nice! Since it now looks like you are talking heat in the cab also, these trucks do commonly have a heat issue, which can be a number of things.

Blend door for heat control
water pump
clogged or bad heater core
air bubble in heater core (or elsewhere in the system)
thermostat should be checked in boiling water with a thermometer(and installed in the right direction)


And btw, this is the best site on the web for Dodge info. Next time give a complete description of the problem. I for one would rather answer a question, as opposed to asking questions to get a complete picture of the prob.
Not to mention if you had done a search you would have found tons of threads about this topic.

 

agreed, more info would be more helpful.

zman pretty much hit all the common problems regarding heating issues.

welcome to the site oldcrow..... that warbird was awesome! Jack Roush owns it I believe