I'm Stumped 1996 ram overheating
#13
I'M getting a new thermostat from the dealer and a crank sensor cause it's throwing that code the sensors I got both from oreillys and they seem to be working cause u can tell the motors hot when it overheats I'm not losing any fluid either no leaks at all besides when it overheats it boils out the overflow bottle
#16
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Near NY for another contract
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I'M getting a new thermostat from the dealer and a crank sensor cause it's throwing that code the sensors I got both from oreillys and they seem to be working cause u can tell the motors hot when it overheats I'm not losing any fluid either no leaks at all besides when it overheats it boils out the overflow bottle
How it works is, the sensors are screened for OEM and, the ones that do not meet OEM specs are not bought off at the dealer level but are sold to brokers who, in turn, sell them for substantially less to 3rd party distributors such as Autozone and Kraigen, Pep boys etc.
Those places know full well that those sensors may not work fully to OEM spec and, at all the places I've purchased my parts, not one offers a refund on ANY electrical part. They set this up intentionally so that they do not lose any money on electrical parts as a result from returns that are defective. Even if they only make 10.00 per part, it's a win, lose, situation. They win and we lose. That is the relationship that we have to deal with.
But, if you're clever, there's ways to get around that so that they can not tell that the sensor was installed and, you get your money back. I had discussed an issue with O2 sensors a while back with a component engineer friend of mine who had informed me of aftermarket part testing and how, reman units skimp most of the testing and, if it powers up, or, puts out a voltage, it's stuffed.
While out on the east coast, my fuel pump died despite recently being installed. However, it was Pep boys / Carter pump. Well, from the moment I dropped it into the tank and fired it up, it was loud and, I knew to keep an eye on it. Well, the third week into the gig out here, it stopped working while doing 80 on the highway and, I knew exactly what went out.
I towed the truck into the Dodge dealer that very same morning and had discussed OEM parts vs. aftermarket and, yes, out here too, they are aware about brokers and this whole system after I discussed the OEM pump vs. aftermarket pumps. I got about 5500 miles out of the Carter after market pump. I still haven't gotten around to opening it up and seeing what the root cause for failure was but, soon, I will because, I want to know why it failed so soon.
I also noted another issue that cleared up with the OEM pump and that was, when hitting the thottle, the psi reading used to drop way down and then back up. It was bobbing. The aftermarket pump was not keeping up with the demand as, With the new pump, it drops a few psi and when hitting the throttle hard. After going through two after-market fuel pumps (Autoblown and Pep-boys), I am thoroughly convinced that OEM Mopar parts are the way to go when it comes to sensors, motors, starters, generators, pumps etc.
CM
#17
Those places know full well that those sensors may not work fully to OEM spec and, at all the places I've purchased my parts, not one offers a refund on ANY electrical part. They set this up intentionally so that they do not lose any money on electrical parts as a result from returns that are defective.
#19
Join Date: Jul 2009
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I would be surprised if the dealer offers a refund on electrical parts. AFIK, no refunds are granted on electrical parts unless it is a dealer installed item because the seller has no way of knowing whether or not the customer installed the part properly. He also has no way of knowing if the returned "faulty" part is the actual part that was sold or if the customer is trying to pull a fast one and get a freebie.
CM
#20
if you 2 sensors plugged into the tstat housing, then one is for the temp gauge and the other is for the pcm...just because you're getting temp readings from the gauge doesn't mean the pcm is getting that same message...i would double check the sensors and the wires supporting them...but if you say you don't have any problems with overheating when the tstat is removed, then all indications point to the tstat itself as the source of the problem, and as recommended by others, I would suggest trying a high quality tstat if you haven't already