2016 ram 2500 hemi keeps overheating

[djzap]

Hi folks, Recently purchased a used 2016 2500 ram with hemi. Was between a rock and hard place with 3500 ram with hemi aisian transmission failure (do not buy a truck with this) The 2500 we had to have for another work truck. Its been overheating, replaced two thermostats, just replaced thermostat again with water pump this time and that helped for a few days then this morning it overheated again. It says to park it on an incline, let it run, open the fill reservoir and let it 'burp' out any air. This has been done. Any thoughts?

Also wont go into 4 wheel drive, replaced bearing and sensor, sensor is acting weird, although those fail all the time..stupid item.

Lastly how...how...do we get dodge to do something with transmissions? They build a great truck but thier trannys are horrible

 

[62Blazer]

Really need some more details. There are a lot of reasons it can overheat besides the thermostat. I don't recommend just randomly throwing parts at it without a little bit of diagnostics or reasoning.
What driving conditions cause it to overheat? Will it overheat sitting at idle, or maybe stop and go traffic in town versus driving down the freeway at say 55+ mph?

 

[aszumilo]

Do you see any white smoke from the exhaust? Does your oil look like it has water in it (milky)? Does your reservoir show signs of boiling? Any of these could mean a head gasket. If you see the reservoir boiling, you are getting exhaust gases into the cooling system. You can pick up a cheap kit from Harbor Freight to check for this.

 

[Richard Kim]

I also have a 2016 2500 with the 5.7 Hemi at 169K miles. I replaced the cooling fan module at 150K. The head tech stated that these units usually fail at 100K. My coolant is at 197-203, trans at 170 and oil at 204-210 in the Texas summer heat. It was running hotter before I replaced the module. As for the 4WD, check the actuator located on the passenger side. The housing was cracked and stopped working. It's a 10 minute fix (plug and play).

 

[nlambert182]

Hi folks, Recently purchased a used 2016 2500 ram with hemi. Was between a rock and hard place with 3500 ram with hemi aisian transmission failure (do not buy a truck with this) The 2500 we had to have for another work truck. Its been overheating, replaced two thermostats, just replaced thermostat again with water pump this time and that helped for a few days then this morning it overheated again. It says to park it on an incline, let it run, open the fill reservoir and let it 'burp' out any air. This has been done. Any thoughts?

Also wont go into 4 wheel drive, replaced bearing and sensor, sensor is acting weird, although those fail all the time..stupid item.

Lastly how...how...do we get dodge to do something with transmissions? They build a great truck but thier trannys are horrible

They didn't offer the Aisin with the hemi. That is only available with the 6.7 Cummins.

The cooling system is inadequate on the 6.4 Hemis. It's a well known issue. Have you checked the fan? If you bring the rpms up, do the temps decrease?

4wd is another issue. Typically an actuator issue.


There's nothing wrong with their transmissions in the newer trucks, really.... Both their diesel transmissions are solid as is the 8 speed. If you had a 6 speed in a gasser then maybe. I think that was the 66RFE and they were a bit more problematic.

 

[joepeter1520]

Instead of parking on a hill to burp the system why not use a coolant fill kit like;
PITTSBURGH No-Spill Radiator Funnel Kit - Item 58423... pretty cheap....
Not a HF advertiser just a No Knowthing Garage tinker.

 

[Wild one]

Instead of parking on a hill to burp the system why not use a coolant fill kit like;
PITTSBURGH No-Spill Radiator Funnel Kit - Item 58423... pretty cheap....
Not a HF advertiser just a No Knowthing Garage tinker.

If you post a link to it,it's easier to find,and the page gets credit for the link

https://www.harborfreight.com/no-spill-radiator-funnel-kit-58423.html

 

[dieselscout80]

They didn't offer the Aisin with the hemi. That is only available with the 6.7 Cummins.

The cooling system is inadequate on the 6.4 Hemis. It's a well known issue. Have you checked the fan? If you bring the rpms up, do the temps decrease?

4wd is another issue. Typically an actuator issue.


There's nothing wrong with their transmissions in the newer trucks, really.... Both their diesel transmissions are solid as is the 8 speed. If you had a 6 speed in a gasser then maybe. I think that was the 66RFE and they were a bit more problematic.

He has a 3500, so is it a cab and chassis version?

In the cab and chassis models for sure in the 4500 and 5500 the 6.4 gets the Aisin transmission, so maybe they do it for the 3500 cab and chassis too.

They get the Aisin so they can have a transmission driven PTO.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Also were you buying parts store thermostats? We've been hearing more bad press on parts store t-stats. Mopar is probably more consistent.

One should really look at the airflow to the radiator. I replaced a car radiator for a guy recently where the condenser was nearly plugged with dead bugs, moth parts, etc. And between the radiator and condenser there was more debris. It took a bit to thoroughly blow and wash everything 'clean'. Frankly it's hard to imagine how it didn't grossly overheat. So that's another thing to look at. Ensure your fan clutch is working properly (watch a video how to test).

Hope you get things ironed out.