Matrix110
Junior Member
Overheat Problem
I know this has been discussed and I have read them all but I am still hoping I can get a new direction to look
A little background, I purchased my 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab Short Bed 4.7 Eng new, and have taken good care of it.
It now has only 41K miles.
When I start it cold, it takes about 20 minutes to get to normal operating temp, just before the halfway mark on the heat gauge, but now at that point, it is boiling coolant out of the fill cap.
The upper radiator hose is too hot to hold but the lower is just warm. I changed the thermostat but it seems it never opens as the new coolant level is still full with only 2 1/2 gal added.
I flushed the block and radiator by removing the thermostat and using a water hose in the coolant fill neck. All the nasty stuff cleared up after about 15 minutes of running water that flushed out of the lower radiator hose and thermostat hole in the engine block.
I did a pressure test on the coolant system and it held 12 lbs for a long time and I could find no leaks anywhere including tailpipe! The belt tension and fan clutch seem ok.
I don't know what else to check, The water pump is kind of hard to diagnose unless you pull it off, I can't detect any shaft-to-bearing play and no noise from a bad bearing. I'm out of ideas on what to try next.
Any Help Would Be Appreciated
I know this has been discussed and I have read them all but I am still hoping I can get a new direction to look
A little background, I purchased my 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab Short Bed 4.7 Eng new, and have taken good care of it.
It now has only 41K miles.
When I start it cold, it takes about 20 minutes to get to normal operating temp, just before the halfway mark on the heat gauge, but now at that point, it is boiling coolant out of the fill cap.
The upper radiator hose is too hot to hold but the lower is just warm. I changed the thermostat but it seems it never opens as the new coolant level is still full with only 2 1/2 gal added.
I flushed the block and radiator by removing the thermostat and using a water hose in the coolant fill neck. All the nasty stuff cleared up after about 15 minutes of running water that flushed out of the lower radiator hose and thermostat hole in the engine block.
I did a pressure test on the coolant system and it held 12 lbs for a long time and I could find no leaks anywhere including tailpipe! The belt tension and fan clutch seem ok.
I don't know what else to check, The water pump is kind of hard to diagnose unless you pull it off, I can't detect any shaft-to-bearing play and no noise from a bad bearing. I'm out of ideas on what to try next.
Any Help Would Be Appreciated
