For me the culprit was the t stat housing. Mine was slightly tweaked just enough to not really notice but still leak. Got a new housing and some non setting gasket sealant and gave a good ring around the seal area and housing area then torqued down to 20 ft lbs and it was good to go. The way you were talking about tiny amounts of coolant every now and then it almost sounded like there was air in the system and it kept burping from the overflow.

 

Had same issue. finally found the radiator was leaking slightly at the top. Black plastic tank was separating from the core. Easy fix - $140.00 for a new radiator and about 2 hours. to remove and replace.

 

Hello everyone! I have a question related to the coolant leak at the thermostat housing on my 3rd Gen 2003 Ram 2500 with 5.7 Hemi. Over the last 2 winters I had a drip from between thermostat housing & water pump housing during cold weather when engine was cold. It looks like the original gasket (15 years old) around the thermostat lost its elasticity because when I removed the bolts & housing it was flat as a pancake. I assume that the metal housing expands & contracts at different rate then the aluminum pump housing which may cause some warping. When engine runs at operating temperature the gap between the housing is most likely nice & tight so no leaking. My main question is does anybody know the proper torque specs on the thermostat housing bolts? Looking on the internet I have seen many places listing various different torque specs. My official Dodge Ram 2003 manual even has conflicting torque specs! My Dodge manual under 5.7L thermostat install procedure (section 7 page 49) says 200 inch pounds (16.6667 foot pounds) but under the 5.7L engine specs (section 9 page 191) it states 250 inch pounds (20.8333 foot pounds) Online places like Autozone say 112 inch pounds (9.33333 foot pounds) for the 5.7L & other Dodge forums etc mention under 100 inch pounds. Does anyone really know what the true torque spec is for the 2003 ram 2500 Gen3 with 5.7 Hemi?

 

I don't think I have ever used a torque wrench on thermostat housing bolts. If it actually has a paper gasket, I'll put a thin coat of RTV on both sides, tighten it down, and call it a day. For the stats that just have the o-ring around them, and no other gasket, same thing. If it is leaking when cold.... I would be tempted to sand it flat. (use some 120 grit paper, on a flat, hard, surface, and just sand it till the whole mating surface is clean and shiny.)