So I have a 96 dodge Ram 1500, 5.9l, A/t.The truck overheats even at a idle. Found a hole in the radiator hose and also replaced the thermostat and housing as well. Still overheats. The radiator tho doesnt get very hot when the the guage inside the cab shows about 250. You can hear the coolent gurgeling somewere in the motor tho as if its boiling. I'm not sure what to think. This is my first dodge truck.

 

Welcome to DF. Before doing anything else, please read this.

I will move this to the 2nd Generation Ram section for you, get you some help. (1994-2001 Ram trucks)

 

I would start by burping all of the air out of the system. It can be a long process so take your time and drink a beer. Read: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...ystem-diy.html
It also helps to raise the front of the truck while doing this. Once the thermostat opens I give the upper and lower radiator hose a squeeze occasionally for good measure. Watch the fan while doing, don't want to loose an arm.

If after doing all of that you still have problems, go to autozone and use a pressure tester and check to see if it is holding pressure. Also check the rad cap. Should be a 16lb cap. Make sure the seal is in good condition. You may want to change it for good measure. They are cheap anyway. If it doesn't build pressure it will affect flow and can cause you to overheat. Let us know what you find.

 

Ok so I did the burping procedure and all I got out of it was coolant pumping out of the radiator at the cap.There was a lot coming out so I stopped the procedure and let the engine cool down a bit and did it again. Same prob. I did get a new rad cap but it did not help.Both me and my father-in law are at a loss as were to go next. Maybe pressure test the cylinders to see if the heads are goin out?? The water pump is new, the radiator is newish, the thermostat is new. Not a lot of options left. Thanks for any help

 

Have you checked for a blocked radiator/hoses? I see you said it is newish, so it may not be of concern. When you said the radiator isn't even hot it made me thing the coolant isn't even circulating in your system. Also a lot of thermostats come Dead on Arrival so boil yours in a pot of water and see when it opens. Also there is a good chance your gauge or the sender is the problem.

 

i would temporarily remove the t-stat to see if that helps any at all. with no t-stat, an engine with properly working cooling system should run around 140.

the next thing i would try is a compression test. this is the unmentionable - but a leaking head or head gasket can leak compression into the water jackets, which pressurizes the block and interferes with proper coolant flow.

if all that's ok, the next check would be water pump or radiator.

 

I have to ask, dod you mix the coolant with water? Some people forget to mix it.

In arkansas, I made a 30/60 coolant/water mix. Water helps dissipate more heat than straight coolant.

HOWEVER, if your radiator is not even hot, then I am guessing that their is a blockage. Either the T-stat not opening, or the hose/rad itself.

Another reason would be the water pump being totally shot. But you said it was new.

 

On some of the GM vehicles, there were two different water pumps, designed to rotate in opposite directions, so, if the parts store gave you the wrong one...... the pump would be trying to circulate coolant in the wrong direction.... which just doesn't work. Could this be the case here?

 

Ok so I pressure tested the motor and the readings were all really good. I ran it again last night night and got it hot. the top radiator hose was hot but the bottom hose was cool to the touch.Plus there was a spot on the rad that was cool as well. Goin to put in a new rad today and see what happens.How would I know if the water pump was spinning in the correct direction?

 

That was just a stab in the dark. So far as I know...... there aren't any applications that spin the pump the other way..... I was hoping someone else could shed a little light on that topic as well.