With those temperatures and based on your cooling system description, sounds like you have some crud/rust/muck in the block around the cylinders, too. Since you may put the truck on a lift, consider knocking out a freeze plug or two (the ones on the side of the block) and checking to see if you have any crud/muck around the cylinders. If you do, dig it out with a screwdriver/coat hanger wire. Knock out as many lower block freeze plugs that you can get to so that you can remove the crud/muck. The plugs are 1-5/8" and are pretty easy to replace. This stuff will stay trapped in the block, unless the freeze plugs are removed to get at it.

 

Will definitely do that. This truck has turned into the Goldwing that I just sold....always tinkering...and lovin it! Sometimes, I worry that I will run out of things to do, and that I will have to go back to working on my 1978 Kawasaki mini-bike restore project..Which is also very gratifying..

 

But I must say, the one thing that was never mentioned in this adventure, was the difficulty of changing the thermostat on a 96 Ram 1500.. OMG, this was a true PITA...For what ever unknown reason, my thermostat housing had some sort of useless tab, which prevented me from extracting the housing...I summarily snipped it off. Had to remove the alternator and the heater hose.. Dodge makes a nice truck, but the engineering is...at a loss for words..strange?? It's almost like they were trying to conserve space when it wasn't necessary, but I suppose this spills over into other models..The same engine in the Ram, fits the Durango...you get the picture..

 

And further more, if the crud that is residing in my cooling system, is any way representative of the crud in the crank case...I'm in big trouble...

 

next time you change the oil, go with 20w50. it'll help with oil pressure.
if you do drop the oil pan, install a high volume oil pump and clean or replace the pickup tube and screen.

if you do have sludge, do scrape out the pan and clean it but don't get aggressive about knocking it loose in other places where it could drop to the pan and clog things up.

here's my next tip for longevity and this will attract some flames but i don't care. use old fashioned STP oil treatment.

spray your block drain plugs regularly with PB-blaster or similar penetrating oil for a week or two and let it soak in. then see if you can get a good set of vise grips or a 6 point wrench or flare wrench on it. you'll get a lot of heavy goop out of the block. the red crap is rust.

add to your list of things to do down the road, get a csf 2969 all aluminum radiator for when the inevitable time comes when yours starts leaking at the seam between the plastic side tank and aluminum core. they all eventually fail at that seam. shop carefully as prices vary a lot.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-radiator.html

i cut both my heater hoses about the middle of the block and installed cheap dorman splices. it provides an easy way to backflush the heater core. someone used the flush kit splices instead of the dorman tubes. the flush kit has a screw on hose cap that provides a nice air vent.

 

Mr DH Vaughan, a fan of the Brothers, I see..Definitely going to drop the pan on my next oil change..Just don't know how long I can wait..I've heard a lot of "pro's and con's" on the heavier oil..will have to give that one some thought..My biggest concern about the oil pressure is the amount of wear on the main bearings...But I must admit, I get a little OCD when it comes to my projects. For the record, this is not a daily driver. Most of the miles come on the weekends. I just wish that I could have an old truck for trips to Lowe's and the dump..Just can't seem to do that...Oh well, it's a wonderful distraction, and don't we all need that..

My other shortcoming is that I live relatively close to a very nice "you pull it" junkyard...and the bargains abound.. $90 for a very nice set of factory "pleather" seats. (and the drivers seat is PERFECT)..$15 for a new vinyl/rubber/?? floor..$5.00 for a new blinker switch...$15 for a factory cd player.. Ecstasy ...

 

How much do they want for blinker fluid?

 

I'll ask them next Saturday! Good one! I am a newby, so I do have a lot to learn, but the one thing that I found somewhat unusual about this junkyard, is that they charge an admission fee. It will cost you $1 to get in the gate...But, if you are adventurous, you can spend $20, become a member of their club, and get a full years pass...and trust me, I have met some very strange and interesting people there..

 

Not unusual at all. They have insurance to pay for, and they need to keep random people from wandering around. Hence admission.