Hello everybody,

I got a 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4.7 that has been overheating. I've been searching thru the forum and I'm still unsure about my problem. A little over a mouth ago, my truck began to run hot, to the red. I turned the heat on so I wouldn't blow a head, and went straight to the shop I use. Got my radiator flushed and refill with Mopar coolant. No problems until this past Thursday when it began to run hot again. I checked the reservoir tank and it was at minimum. I put in some more Mopar coolant mixed with distilled water I kept around just in case. I drove to work later that night, needle was at 12 o'clock. When I left work that morning, it began to run hot again. I ran the heat again full blast, the needle dropped to 12 o'clock while the heat was on. When I got home, I touched the radiator, it was cold on top but the upper hose was hot.(I couldn't reach the lower). I don't know what I should try next. Any help is appreciated. (Sorry for the long post.)

 

Sounds like the radiator is clogged, the normal life on an aluminum & plastic radiator is about 8-10 years so it's probably about radiator time...

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm was hoping otherwise but I will replace the radiator and thermostat Monday. Any other thing else I should take care of while I'm at it?

 

I do the upper and lower hoses with a radiator swap. Yeah its another $30 a piece (or like $70 with actual Mopar ones) but even if they look fine the walls weaken after thousands of miles of heating/ cooling and will constrict under pressure considerably. I've seen new hoses alone reduce engine temps by 15-20*...