2013 V6 3.6l normal temp gauge reading?

[tfeni52355]

Cylinder Heads being replaced on my 2014!

The dealer has had my 2014 Ram 1500 Crew Cab V6 with 13 K Miles for two weeks now. I took it in twice to have the overtermp issue resolved. First time they told me nothing was wrong.

Second time I saw 260 degrees for Coolant Temp when the last Engine Overtemp Alarm went off. This happened two days in a row with only me in the truck and no load driving to work.

Dealer worked with Chrysler to troubleshoot and ended up replacing the coolant temp sensor. That did not work.

Today (7/15) they will begin replacing BOTH cylinder heads. I will be pushing to have the warranty extended on this engine and drivetrain to 150K miles. Chrysler did this on the 2012 Pentastar Cylinder Heads issue they had to help keep the customers satisifed.

Needless to say I am extremely disappointed having a new truck with 13K miles on it being ripped apart.......

 

[toofart]

Oil pressure seems a bit low, too. I wonder if they are related.

 

[ClydeR]

The dealer has had my 2014 Ram 1500 Crew Cab V6 with 13 K Miles for two weeks now. I took it in twice to have the overtermp issue resolved. First time they told me nothing was wrong.

Second time I saw 260 degrees for Coolant Temp when the last Engine Overtemp Alarm went off. This happened two days in a row with only me in the truck and no load driving to work.

Dealer worked with Chrysler to troubleshoot and ended up replacing the coolant temp sensor. That did not work.

Today (7/15) they will begin replacing BOTH cylinder heads. I will be pushing to have the warranty extended on this engine and drivetrain to 150K miles. Chrysler did this on the 2012 Pentastar Cylinder Heads issue they had to help keep the customers satisifed.

Needless to say I am extremely disappointed having a new truck with 13K miles on it being ripped apart.......

Hello tfeni,

Our RAM dealer requested a "Star Center" report concerning the Minimum and Maximum temperature parameters for our particular truck, but seems to be having difficulties obtaining it! I had no idea "Alarms" went off when maximum is reached. Have your alarms gone off more than once? Our coolant and engine oil temperature are both nearly identical much of the time and hover around 230 degrees. Our truck is a 2013 with just over 4,000 miles.

I am going to call my dealer service department tomorrow to see if they have received the Star Center report yet. I'm so sorry to hear about all your serious sounding problems. Please keep sharing with us how it turns out and what they find wrong. I sure agree with you...I wouldn't want my new engine "ripped apart" either! I don't think a warranty extension is asking too much either!

I have noticed my oil pressure all over the place too. From the 30's to the 90's. Seems to depend a lot on engine RPM.

Gas mileage on our Crew Cab, 4x4 is quite consistent at 22 mpg with a pretty equal mix of foothill and freeway driving plus AC on in this hot Fresno weather. But when I hitch our 16' long x 8' tall Retro 150 camp trailer (pretty squarish), our mileage drops to about 11 mpg and pulls in 6th gear on level terrain. Not as good as I'd hoped, but I'll make up for it when unhooked and empty. The trailer weighs about 2,000 lbs.

The "hot" smell that I alluded to in my last post has gone away. It must have been protective oil based products being burned off.

I really hope everything works out well for you, tfeni!

So far I Love my truck - I just hope it Loves me back !! (Alright guys...that Smiley is supposed to be my TRUCK kissing ME back)!!

~Clyde

 

[csuder99]

I have noticed my oil pressure all over the place too. From the 30's to the 90's. Seems to depend a lot on engine RPM.

Right, the V6 has a 2 stage oil pump which increases pressure at 3000-4000 rpm. It's supposedly around 29 psi low and 65 psi at high rpm, but there obviously are many factors affecting the pressure. Plus, it's electronically controlled based on temperatures etc.

 

[tfeni52355]

Update on my truck - hi temp condition

Got the truck back last night after 25 days in the shop! Here's the rundown:

7/1 - take truck to shop
7/3 - change coolant sensor - no difference
7/23 - change both cylinder heads - no difference and head gasket blown
7/24 - change head gasket - no difference
7/25 - change thermostat - Voila!

Amazing - 25 days in the shop and they just discover changing the thermostat.

Coolant temp runs around 200 now. Oil temp right there. Trans runs 180-190.

200 for coolant is normal - NOT 230!

If you have a V-6 that runs hotter than this, spend $20 and change the thermostat. You'll be smarter than the dealer and Chrysler.

I will be meeting with the Service Manager next week to see how Chrysler and the Dealer are going to make me happy after they tore my engine apart twice for no reason........ Not to mention the stupidity of not changing the thermostat FIRST!

AMAZING!

 

[tfeni52355]

Hello tfeni,

Our RAM dealer requested a "Star Center" report concerning the Minimum and Maximum temperature parameters for our particular truck, but seems to be having difficulties obtaining it! I had no idea "Alarms" went off when maximum is reached. Have your alarms gone off more than once? Our coolant and engine oil temperature are both nearly identical much of the time and hover around 230 degrees. Our truck is a 2013 with just over 4,000 miles.

I am going to call my dealer service department tomorrow to see if they have received the Star Center report yet. I'm so sorry to hear about all your serious sounding problems. Please keep sharing with us how it turns out and what they find wrong. I sure agree with you...I wouldn't want my new engine "ripped apart" either! I don't think a warranty extension is asking too much either!

I have noticed my oil pressure all over the place too. From the 30's to the 90's. Seems to depend a lot on engine RPM.

Gas mileage on our Crew Cab, 4x4 is quite consistent at 22 mpg with a pretty equal mix of foothill and freeway driving plus AC on in this hot Fresno weather. But when I hitch our 16' long x 8' tall Retro 150 camp trailer (pretty squarish), our mileage drops to about 11 mpg and pulls in 6th gear on level terrain. Not as good as I'd hoped, but I'll make up for it when unhooked and empty. The trailer weighs about 2,000 lbs.

The "hot" smell that I alluded to in my last post has gone away. It must have been protective oil based products being burned off.

I really hope everything works out well for you, tfeni!

So far I Love my truck - I just hope it Loves me back !! (Alright guys...that Smiley is supposed to be my TRUCK kissing ME back)!!

~Clyde

Clyde,
My alarms went off twice. The second time is when I saw the 260 degree coolant temp.

Please change your thermostat. You will see a noticeable difference in your coolant and oil temps. Your engine and oil are cooking. See my updated post.

 

[ClydeR]

Clyde,
My alarms went off twice. The second time is when I saw the 260 degree coolant temp.

Please change your thermostat. You will see a noticeable difference in your coolant and oil temps. Your engine and oil are cooking. See my updated post.

tfeni, Thank you so much for both of your 'update' posts and that great explanation of what temps should be normal!

My local Dodge Dealer in Dinuba, CA will be changing our thermostat and water pump with updated versions on July 30 (in a couple of days). Both items are in stock and tagged with my name! I'll let everyone know what happens with our warranty service and temperatures. Tomorrow, I get a complementary oil change from the dealer where we purchased the truck.

So sorry you had to endure such a round about way to the proper solution! They should extend your warranty after all that!

Just one other question regarding oil. Are you considering running Synthetic Oil in you Pentastar, a blend, or just the normal Petroleum based Oil? I haven't made up my mind yet. Anyone else have any advice?

Thanks,

Clyde

 

[toofart]

Oil pressure seems a bit low, too. I wonder if they are related.

Learn something every day.

"A chain-driven, vane-type variable displacement oil pump adjusts the flow rate and pressure as commanded by the engine management system, which uses a solenoid to drive the pump into low or high pressure mode. For example, below 3,500 rpm, the pump conserves energy by using low pressure; at speeds over 3,500 rpm, the pump switches to high pressure.

A force balance mechanism inside the oil pump adjusts the size of the pumping chambers to alter oil flow. If the oil is cold, the pump reduces the size of the internal chambers. When the oil is hot and thinner, more oil is needed, and a spring increases the size of the pump chambers. This also saves energy."

Pentastar Engines: Overview and Technical Details

 

[ClydeR]

Learn something every day.

A force balance mechanism inside the oil pump adjusts the size of the pumping chambers to alter oil flow. If the oil is cold, the pump reduces the size of the internal chambers. When the oil is hot and thinner, more oil is needed, and a spring increases the size of the pump chambers. This also saves energy."

Pentastar Engines: Overview and Technical Details

I couldn't help thinking how much all this sounds like a 'human heart' and the way it tends to operate! No wonder parts for these 'smart' engines are so EXPENSIVE!

 

[ClydeR]

An update on our Pentastar heating problem:

We had the thermostat and water pump replaced by our dealer yesterday. Unlike tfeni52355's truck, it did nothing for our over heating problem. It still reaches 233 degrees without a load on a 90 degree day. A new report was sent to Chrysler and the case was kept open, awaiting further decisions by Chrysler Corp. Our technician said the next step will probably be to replace both heads. I asked how many variations of those heads have been manufactured and he told me he knew of at least 4. I'm thinking probably more like 10 have been made. I wonder when they will just start sending out dyno tested, crated engines and simply swap them out. Then they could take the 'replaced' engine back to the factory and make it run right, with all the variations of parts they have at their disposal! Hey, but that probably makes too much sense ! The saga continues...with more to follow.

Clyde

 

[Bigbird]

I have about 5800 miles on my 2014 RAM. I have found this thread very interesting. Here is a photo of the EVIC on a very hot day while not towing. The temperature gauge is almost up to half. So far I have towed 2 different trailers a total of 2900 miles and have never noticed any over heating. Next time I tow I'll get some more EVIC photos.

 

[ClydeR]

I have about 5800 miles on my 2014 RAM. I have found this thread very interesting. Here is a photo of the EVIC on a very hot day while not towing. The temperature gauge is almost up to half. So far I have towed 2 different trailers a total of 2900 miles and have never noticed any over heating. Next time I tow I'll get some more EVIC photos.

Bigbird, I'm really glad you posted this and the photo. Now I can take a copy of your post to my dealer (when they get back to us) and let them know that there are other Pentastars that behave properly.

Our RAM was located in the State of Washington and was acquired by the dealership where be purchased it (in California) through a "Dealer Swap". So I don't know for sure if it even has all the California Emissions crap on it. California cars and trucks are supposed to run hotter so as to please more "Global Warming" kooks...me thinks !

 

[Bigbird]

I have about 5800 miles on my 2014 RAM. I have found this thread very interesting. Here is a photo of the EVIC on a very hot day while not towing. The temperature gauge is almost up to half. So far I have towed 2 different trailers a total of 2900 miles and have never noticed any over heating. Next time I tow I'll get some more EVIC photos.

Bigbird, I'm really glad you posted this and the photo. Now I can take a copy of your post to my dealer (when they get back to us) and let them know that there are other Pentastars that behave properly.

Our RAM was located in the State of Washington and was acquired by the dealership where be purchased it (in California) through a "Dealer Swap". So I don't know for sure if it even has all the California Emissions crap on it. California cars and trucks are supposed to run hotter so as to please more "Global Warming" kooks...me thinks !

I am glad this might help. If there is anything else I can do then let me know.

 

[Bigbird]

Just thought I would post one more photo of a good running V6 on a hot day.
Not towing.

 

[ClydeR]

Bigbird, once again...Thank You.

We are taking our RAM V6 to the dealer tomorrow night, so they can have a cold engine to run an "engine block test". They want to find out if there may be a head gasket leak or some related problem, before they move on to the next step. We can't let them do any work on the truck this week because we are leaving Monday, the 18th, for a full week of camping in our White Water Retro 150. It will be about a 7 hour trip with our 2,500 lb trailer in tow. The Heart Bar Campground is situated at 6,800 ft elevation in the mountains near Los Angeles, CA. This will be a good test of the engine to see how well it pulls our trailer, how hot it gets and if it survives!

I will take both of your nice photos with me to show to the dealer, if you don't mind. I'll post the results of the 'engine block test' when I get the results.

Clyde R

 

[Bigbird]

That sounds like quite a test for your engine pulling that trailer. We recently completed a 900 mile round trip pulling our 4500# trailer and the V6/8 speed did a great job. We have a 2000 mile round trip planned for next month. I'll be interested in your block tests. Good luck.

 

[lonewolf2873]

I know I'm running the Hemi but even with my 180* thermostat I'm hitting 188-190 on a 65* day.

 

[Bigbird]

I know I'm running the Hemi but even with my 180* thermostat I'm hitting 188-190 on a 65* day.

That temperature sounds reasonable. What is the temperature running on the hottest day you normally experience at 65 mph?
Oh, and why did you change the thermostat?

 

[lonewolf2873]

She runs better running cooler. Plus other benefits that escape me right now but read it in my research here.
When it's 90-95 I'm running 198-204. If I turn A/C on its more like 198.

 

[Bigbird]

She runs better running cooler. Plus other benefits that escape me right now but read it in my research here.
When it's 90-95 I'm running 198-204. If I turn A/C on its more like 198.

That seems pretty normal to me. I don't think you have anything to worry about.