Oil cooler options?

New to the forum. Apologies in advance if this has been extensively covered in the past. I searched quite a bit.

I have a new 2016 Ram 1500 Sport, CC, 4x4, 5.7 Hemi. Unloaded and 30 degrees outside my oil temps are consistently running as high as 221 degrees and I want them brought down in the 185-200 range.

- Will the police package oil coolers for Chargers fit? Any suggestions for a preferred sources to purchase a kit?

- Other oem options? Did 4th Gen Ram's come with oil coolers in any configuration?

If no factory options exist, I will go with the Derale however, how many tubes would you suggest?

Thanks !

Welcome to the forum from LA (Lower Alabama)


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Umm you might want to have it taken in for service. Unloaded there should be no reason why the oil temps are that high unless you are at full throttle 3/4 time you are driving...

On a completely stock 1500 with the 5.7, with the 203 degree thermostat, and the radiator shutters functioning, oil temps can get high. On my 2017, I saw 219 degree oil temp a few times while cruising around 60 mph. After I removed all the shutters except the top and bottom row, my coolant temps stay @ 203 - 204 degrees, and my oil temps have not climbed over 212, even driving hard. Trans temps have gone down a bit too.
Once I install a cooler thermostat, the coolant and oil temps will go down even more. I plan to replace the stock 203 degree thermostat with a 190 degree unit. I would use a 180 degree thermostat, however there is a good chance I'd get a CEL.
Installing an oil cooler (air to oil) is always a good idea if you plan on working the truck real hard, but I would strongly suggest getting one with a thermostat in line with the oil flow. The thermostat would not let oil flow thru the cooler until it's temperature reached 180 degrees. Setrab makes great unit, and you can source parts from Earls Performance Plumbing to do the same thing, but they both are pricey.

Motörhead: once my motor has reached operating temp I normally see oil temperatures around the 195 to 220° F. (this is after 20 min or 30 min at cruising speed's @ 75-85 mph on the Interstate or turnpike).

I completely removed my active grill shutters from the front of my ram. As far as I know I do not have any type of air to oil cooler installed from the factory. According to my build sheet.

I am perfectly fine with that. To me that is the ideal temp to make sure all the moisture and carbon contaminants are cooked or evaporated out of my oil. Today's oil's can very easily handle those temps.

Maybe just maybe my oil viscosity that I am using may play a little part in my higher oil temps? But I am quite comfortable with that choice! But with that said I also question how accurate these factory digital gauges are that's in the dash.

Thanks for all the replies

Thanks everyone for the observations and assistance and thanks for the welcome notes.

Update: I installed a Mishimoto 180 stat a couple hours ago. Warmed up at idle it ran 185 coolant and 185 oil; outside air is 30 degrees. I took it out and leaned on it a bit, off and on; not too hard as it only has about 200 miles on it. Coolant would rise to 195 and within a minute, drop back down to 185. Oil would rise to 200 and drop back to 195 within 5 minutes of cruising. Before, the temps were swinging unpredictably up and down. Now they rise and fall perfectly consistent and proportional and no CEL. Again, its 30 degrees outside so I would expect higher temps in the summer here in Northern Virginia.

I am happy and pleased with the results.


Now, can someone please point me to a thread or tell me how to remove the shutters? I'll tackle that one tomorrow.

Thanks everyone !

Motorhead; would be interested to hear if you stay without a CEL running that 180 degree thermostat after a few months of use. Have read of others who installed one and initially got no CEL, but after a period of time, did get one. Happened to me as well with a Jeep. I know, different vehicle and engine, but same thing; changed to 180 degree thermostat, was fine for a few months, and then bingo, CEL. Forget the exact code, but error was effectively engine not reaching operating temperature quickly enough. Fixed by returning to OEM thermostat. Lot of folks here running the 180 degree thermostat are also tuned. Pretty sure I don't want to spend ~$1k to void my warranty, despite the increase in responsiveness tuning yields.

I'll keep the board informed. So far no negative issues, only positive results. Last couple of days it has been dropping into the low 20"s outside and all temps have remained as previously posted. It is quite relaxing to look down and see the temps at 185/195/175 Coolant , oil , Trans. They go up proportionally when I lean on it and come right back down within minutes. I will be taking on several road trips soon and will let you know if any CEL's appear.