Hey folks, have an issue with my truck. It's a 1995 Ram 1500, 5.9L, 2wd. It overheated for the longest time, replaced a bunch of stuff (waterpump, fan clutch, thermostat, bypass hose, heater core, timing cover due to leak, etc) and it ran cool for about a week. Then it started overheating again. It runs up to about 220-240 and holds steady but sometimes it will go higher. In this Kansas summer, A/C is a neccessity but it just makes the temp run up. Both hoses for the inlet/outlet on the radiator are hot so I know there's circulation. Maybe another thermostat would help? Ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

Make sure the fins in the radiator and AC condenser are not clogged or damaged. Other than that , since you replaced almost everything except the rad, I'd consider the fact that your radiator is corroded and not flowing properly. (interior wise)

 

When I bought the truck about 7 years ago, the radiator had just been replaced with an aftermarket aluminum one. Not sure what kind, so it coulda been poor quality and already have issues.

 

7 years? an important part of the cooling system in a vehicle you have no idea how it was maintained deserves a look. And btw, the OEM rads are aluminum and not all that great. Who knows what quality rad was put in it 7 years ago.

 

Start by pressure testing the cooling system, fix any leaks and report back. We'll take it from there.

 

did you do all the work yourself? if so what color was the antifreeze when you drained it? also if you havent already check your oil and tell us what it looks like

 

did you flush the block out before you put all the new parts on?? pull the block drain plugs,all kind of gunk builds up in there. maybe that it is all flowing better some crap came loose in there and is blocking up the t-stat or head ports near it. always use distilled water in the rad. also,so that white crust does not build up in the rad. cores. good luck

 

I honestly don't know if the radiator is good quality or not. I'll pressure test the system as soon as I get a day off. Most of the work was done by myself. Coolant looked good and the oil was clean, no head gasket leak there. I had flushed the system a couple times for good measure but never got anything that looked unusual. I had wondered if maybe a water passage was clogged or something but it's hard to say. I can think of a handful of possibilities but always hope it's something simple that I'm overlooking.

 

are you losing coolant at all?

 

Not losing any at all.