Truck is overheating

Tiny
KCATES
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 DODGE RAM
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • MANUAL
  • 163,000 MILES
My truck is overheating when I am idoling at stop signs, drive throughs, etc. It will heat up to the red and the check gages light will come on. When I turn the ac off it helps a little but when I give it gas while parked it starts to go back down into the normal range. When I am driving it varies in tempature but stays in the normal range not in the red. The upper hose to the radiator is not flat it is staying full even when it is hot. What could be my problem?
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 AT 1:03 PM

37 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Hello,

This sounds like you have a fan clutch that is not working right here is a video and a guide to help you fix the problem.

https://youtu.be/N_-MLVlBHk8

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

Please run down these guides and report back
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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 AT 1:34 PM
Tiny
RBRTWEIR
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Thank you for this post I got a new fan clutch for $98.00 and watched the video all fixed! I love this site.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM
Tiny
ALERTEDSOUL
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1998 DODGE RAM
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 140,000 MILES
I have a 1998 dodge ram 1500 318. It keeps overheating and shooting water out of overflow.I have checked the radiator, replaced the thermostat. The water pump doens't seem to be leaking and the fan clutch isn't lose.I looked online and found a way to see if it was a blown head gasket and it passed fine.I have 2 questions.1) is it possible the water pump is bad even though it doens't leak? And 2) what else could be the problem?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BMRFIXIT
  • MECHANIC
  • 19,053 POSTS
Check water flow
water pump may not be leaking but its very possible its bad and its not circulating the coolant through
remove thermostat and start car coolant should circulate if not or slow flow replace water pump
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
CCOLLINS1981
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1996 DODGE RAM
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 110,000 MILES
A couple of weeks ago I noticed my temperature gauge jumping up and down. That is, it would show that the engine was hotter than normal and then suddenly it would jump below normal. During this same time I noticed my heater would only blow warm air when the RMS were above about 3000.

Now, the vehicle is overheating if I drive it on the freeway (about 230-240 degrees), and will consistently stay way above normal (about 215-225 degrees) if I drive on side streets and keep the RPM's low. Also, the heater does not blow any hot air what so ever, which has changed from before. However, the vehicle is not losing any fluid, the radiator is completely full.

I am thinking it is probably the thermostat but I am not positive. What do you think?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BMRFIXIT
  • MECHANIC
  • 19,053 POSTS
Change the thermostat as a 1st step
check coolant level and adjust
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-1
Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DANDYDAN2
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1997 DODGE RAM
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 125,000 MILES
Hi - I have a 1997 dodge Ram 1500 4WD. The water pump was replaced 1 year ago. The outside temps are around zero here. I ran the truck for close to 20min and had no heat inside the truck and the needle was in the red. Pulled into my driveway and had steam under the hood. Also the coolant started leaking from below the front of the engine. Also tried to turn my thermostat control FROM all the way up in the red TO all the way down into the blue but could not turn it down past halfway. Would a stuck thermostat cause all these things or heater core? What could this be?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
No heat is an indicator of an empty heater core. Need to fix the leak before anything else can be diagnosed. Also replace the t-stat.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
MLAVIGNE30
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1998 DODGE RAM
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
I am not sure what to do. I repalced the theromsat and flushed the radator and my truck is still over heating. Can you tell me what I would need to replace now?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
Is this a diesel engine? Are there any troublecodes?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
MLAVIGNE30
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
It is gas. And there are no trouble codes. It started over heating on my way to work the other day and I thought by replacing the thermosat it would fix it but I guess I was wrong. Please help this is my only vechile.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:51 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
Are there signs of overheating besides the temp gauge? Is the coolant recovery bottle trying to fill?

With the flushing, do you think, you may have air trapped in the engine? Around the temp sending unit?

With the engine cold, open the radiator and start the engine. When it get to normal operating temp, check to see if the coolant is circulating in the radiator.

If it is trying to overheat, the cooling fan should kick on, is it?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
MIDNIGHTDODGE
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1996 DODGE RAM
  • 5.2L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 153,649 MILES
96 dodge ram 1500. The car is reading that it is overheating.I have replaced the following. Radiator cap, thermostat, water pump, radiator hoses, heater core hoses, temp sensor, coolant sensor. Checked radiator for leaks but it still reads that its running hot please help also there is no water mixing in the oil. Please please help
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Does it overheat at highway speeds or only when in traffic at an idle? Have you flushed the radiator and engine block?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
MIDNIGHTDODGE
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
It overheats at both. I have done the radiator flush
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Everything has been replaced, so either the radiator is still partially plugged, there is a head gasket issue, or the timing is wrong.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BILLTHEHULK
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1988 DODGE RAM
My truck over heated doing about 65mph so I came to a slow and pulled over. I got pushed off the highway and pulled into a parking lot.
I had enough coolant so I replaced the thermostat
Car still wouldn't kick over just made a c"CLICK" noise
waited a day and we thought it might be the starter so we replaced the starter charged the battery up and the car wouldn't kick over
the Fan and the pullys would move maybe a half inch everytime you tried to turn the key What could the problem be?
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DPWD23
  • MECHANIC
  • 136 POSTS
Sounds like a terminal failure. It could be possible to loosen the engine back up for a while, but once it has seised up once, the chances of it being even OK ever again are slim to none.
A full engine overhaul or one from the junk yard is probably in order here.
Try moving the crank shaft by hand. Place a braker bar on the large bolt in the center of the crank pully and turn in the direction of normal operation. It should turn w/o too much force. If you can't get it to budge, it's a goner.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ROCKWOOD84
  • MECHANIC
  • 103 POSTS
Yep sounds like the bearings in the motor got toasted. You can pull the oil pan and take the crank caps off one at a time and see if the bearings are blue. If their blue or scuffed the time for a rebuld or another motor.
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ZXVTRP
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • DODGE RAM
I have a 1984 Dodge Ram 318 cu. In. With A/C and 125,000 miles. The first time it overheated, I noticed my top radiator hose was very tight, like it was going to explode. Ah ha, I thought, a stuck thermostat. After it cooled down, I removed the thermostat. I drove about 20 miles and notice it was overheating again. I checked my heater, but it was blowing hot air. I popped the hood and saw my top hose was very tight again, like it was going to explode again.
Is my engine water jacket or radiator plugged up? Is my water pump at fault?
Thanks to whomever responds.
Steve
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 11:52 AM (Merged)

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