...Those are words I've heard other 4.7 owners say before. Which is a good idea no matter what engine you have. Anyway, at 173k miles, looking for suggestions on what I should do to make sure my cooling system is up to par. I know the water pump and thermostat has been done a few years back. I'll be flushing the coolant soon as well. Other than that, what other things should I be looking at?

 

How old are your hoses? They in good shape? Clamps good? Tight? A flush likely isn't a bad idea. Exploring the radiator with a temp gun wouldn't hurt either. That'll tell ya if you have blocked passages, etc.

 

I've actually overheated a few times, badly. Mtostly due to being an idiot and not closing the radiator cap all the way.

I have the tow pkg and there is an electric condenser fan in addition to the mechanical fan. Yours might have it too. Make sure it works. Mine didn't work for almost the entire time I had the truck but I couldn't tell, due to it being buried under the shroud. I didn't figure out the temp till I got one of those bluetooth readers that you hook up to the OBDII port and I could see the actual temp. Once I replaced it, I heard it kick on for the first time, LOL.

Anyway, here are a few threads that may interest you.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-radiator.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...0-degrees.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...the-4-7-a.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...or-shroud.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...hermostat.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...t-options.html

I've got more, but didn't wanna overwhelm you, lol.

 

Yes! I've noticed that electric fan and just like your experience, I've never heard it kick on. I've thought about replacing it while I've got the mechanical fan currently removed. Okay. I'll dig into your posts. Thanks!

Edit: You installed an aftermarket CSF 3516 radiator. How was the fit and finish? Easy to install? Direct fit? 13 years later would you do it again?

So far I'm not seeing the part about the electric fan. Do you recall which one you bought? I'm looking at the VDO / CONTINENTAL FA70172 on RockAuto. Hey it's got a heart by it.

 

The CSF has been great. Would I do it again? Yes! Won't need to tho. Distilled water and concentrate keeps things clean.

The fan I got is the TYC 620880.

 

- Okay, I ended up buying a Mopar Original Fan. It ended up costing less than the aftermarket.
- CSF 3516 radiator is on order
- MOTORAD 5420195 UltraStat 195 degree Thermostat on order

Shouldn't have to worry about the Durango overheating now

 

The radiator shipped from Portland and came to me overnight. That was a plus. Side-by-side the CSF 3516 is beefier looking unit. So far it appears everything is a direct fit. I like how they are using spring style back-up clips versus the square back-up nuts that want to spin in the plastic radiator housing. Took me about an hour to remove one of the A/C condenser bolts and one of them broke off. Currently I'm waiting on new hoses, thermostat and electric fan before I can finish the job.

 

Lessons learned on my 4.7...

Stopping the condensation snot that occurs in the fill tube. Not sure how long it has been since my last post on that thread but checked the fill tube on a cold motor a few months back in the winter & zero snot.

Preventing the 4.7 Snot in the Oil Fill tube - DodgeForum.com

I did install a 180* t-stat (with 1/16" hole drilled in the fixed part of it) and removed the mechanical fan aka m-fan. I used HP tuners to set my e-fan on/off temps to match the 180* t-stat. 90% or more of what I did is documented here.

HP Tuners Lessons Learned 4.7 engine - DodgeForum.com


Cleaning the internals was done with Hot Shots Stiction Eliminator, been using it in this motor for 25k+ miles & zero issues. The 1st time I used it (was doing my own oil changes) the drain of the oil had me cringe... there was a silverish tint to the oil & I thought for sure the motor was done & going to need a rebuild in the near future. I motored on & continued with royal purple 5w-30 oil & 16 oz of the HSSE on each oil change, zero issues. I suspect the HSSE cleaned out the engine & that is what gave the oil that odd look to it. The next oil change & subsequent changes were all as expected, oil had the purplish tint but dark (as expected). I did 2~3 more oil changes before having a shop do it with my oil & filter.

Been using the HSSE in the Ram for 100~120k miles now & zero issues... the pic below is what the rocker box looked like at the last valve adjust. IN the previous valve adjusts everything was coated with soot, which never caused an issue (504k on this motor, 490k by me since owning it).






Its been close to 3 years now with all of the mods I've done & estimating 50k miles (63k total since owning the truck, bought at 172k, now at 235k). Super reliable under the hood, trans has been serviced 2x (last at 230k) & would not blink an eye to drive it anywhere.


Edit: oh yeah, one more thing... before gas prices climbing to near $6/gal locally, I used to beat on this truck quite a bit, never missed a beat.

 

Look what showed up on my doorstep today. I ended up with two of these by accident. As you can they're Mopar Genuine NOS #52030033AE ->