I have a 1997 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.9. I have been having trouble with no heat. I put a new thermostat in last friday with little change, I am getting just enough heat to keep me from freezing. After the install I filled the radiator and allowed the truck to sit and idle with heater running for about 30-45 min to burp the system (I like to think I got all the air out). After I stopped getting air bubbles and before I put the cap back on I checked the temp gauge and it read 200 degrees and the heater was blowing hot air, I then grabed the upper rad hose and it was hot, I grabbed both heater hoses and they were hot, I grabbed the lower rad hose and it was cold, then I put my finger in the coolant and it was cold. I waited a little longer to see if any more air would come out, put to cap back on and went for a 30 mile drive with heat and that was the last time I had good heat. I tried to burp it again today and only needed to add only a few cups of coolant, I drove home from work and no heat still. I have been working on all of my vehicles for the past 22 years and I am a pretty decent wrench but this has got me baffeled what am I missing.
Please give me your input these Northern Illinois winters get darn cold.
Thank you for your help,

Brian

 

During the "no heat" are both the htr hoses hot? what about the upper rad hose? what does the temp gauge indicate?

 

all three hoses hot gauge says 200 degrees

 

probably have a bad heater core, thats whats wrong with mine right now. And Wisconsin winters suck with no heat, so i know what your dealing with.

 

Hey newbie.. Do use a favor and use the search function! You are like the 15 "noheat" post this week!!!

 

LOL iwhitne, what a way to make that your 1,000th post!

 

Changed the thermostat and nothing happened? Why oh why do people always go about swapping parts rather than trying the easy fixes first? By this I am referring to the heater core hoses and back flushing it.

For future reference, if it were the thermostat then the engine temp gauge would read very cold or perhaps not even budge.

 

^ because he's a NEWBIE and didn't you the SEARCH FUNCTION


op- don't mean to rag on you or anything.. welcome to DF and I hope you are able to slove your problems and future problems with the help of this online community of dodge lovers! (just use the search function in the future )