2014 Ram 1500 coolant bypass valve

[Fastlane85395]

Ok so it all started out with Rams stupid idea for a plastic oil cooler /filter housing which I had replaced at shop cost about $1200 well instead of upgrading to the all metal one they put in another plastic on that didnt even last 2 yrs. So of course it failed filled my radiator with oil made a hell of a mess . Well so i replaced myself with all metal one finally got all the oil out of system and believe it or not the radiator flush they sell at parts stores is crap . You want to flush it out good you use about a teaspoon of dawn dish soap and run it a couple days then dump , flush ,and refill . So then i started to hsve a problem with headlights one would go out then the other i would wiggle harness they would come back on. We all of a sudden i got a code for coolant bypass valve . So i replacrd it . Code wont clear . I followed wires from coolant bypass valve and the seem to share either s power or a ground from headlight . So what i am wondering is if this code is being triggerd by the faulty harness to headlights and how do i fix it?

 

[Atcer2018]

Ok so it all started out with Rams stupid idea for a plastic oil cooler /filter housing which I had replaced at shop cost about $1200 well instead of upgrading to the all metal one they put in another plastic on that didnt even last 2 yrs. So of course it failed filled my radiator with oil made a hell of a mess . Well so i replaced myself with all metal one finally got all the oil out of system and believe it or not the radiator flush they sell at parts stores is crap . You want to flush it out good you use about a teaspoon of dawn dish soap and run it a couple days then dump , flush ,and refill . So then i started to hsve a problem with headlights one would go out then the other i would wiggle harness they would come back on. We all of a sudden i got a code for coolant bypass valve . So i replacrd it . Code wont clear . I followed wires from coolant bypass valve and the seem to share either s power or a ground from headlight . So what i am wondering is if this code is being triggerd by the faulty harness to headlights and how do i fix it?

When you say coolant bypass valve are you talking about the three way valve that sits at the front of the passenger side engine bay down low and looks like a LP gas regulator with an electrical connection on the side of it? I’ve had two of those replaced under warranty. They are known to fail and set off the CEL and give various codes.

Don’t want to bring out the parts cannon and start replacing perfectly good equipment but they are known to go bad.

 

[Fastlane85395]

Ya well so it turned out the oil in the radiator turned out to not be oil at all it was transmission fluid . Because of Dodges smart idea of running coolant lines to the trans heater on side of trans . When they fail they not only pollute your coolant with trans fluid they also flood your trans with coolant. . I found this by undoing one of the quick disconnect lines that go up to trans cooler / ac condenser. Sure enough it was making milkshakes in transmission and sending them via coolant lines connected to trans heater back up to radiator. The biggest mess you ever tried to clean up. So i replaced trans heater on side of tranny and also replaced 3 way coolant bypass valve not once but twice. Still cant clear code and uppper radiator hose feels like its going to burst . So i changed water pump and tstat. Still cant make valve work. And on top of that the cooling fan comes on and spins for about 30 secs then off. So i did a test i removed the hoses from 3 way bypass valve and bought a 3/4 inch barbed brass T . Sure enough slow speed fan popped righ on but now there is no heat . So from what i gather is the 3 way valve makes it real hard to purge all the air from heater core . So i guess im going to have break down and buy the tool that vacuums the coolant all the way through the system . If they never would have ran coolant lines to the transmission i wouldnt be going through this utter hell. Just a **** poor design that causes near catastrophic results when it fails .

 

[Wild one]

Ya well so it turned out the oil in the radiator turned out to not be oil at all it was transmission fluid . Because of Dodges smart idea of running coolant lines to the trans heater on side of trans . When they fail they not only pollute your coolant with trans fluid they also flood your trans with coolant. . I found this by undoing one of the quick disconnect lines that go up to trans cooler / ac condenser. Sure enough it was making milkshakes in transmission and sending them via coolant lines connected to trans heater back up to radiator. The biggest mess you ever tried to clean up. So i replaced trans heater on side of tranny and also replaced 3 way coolant bypass valve not once but twice. Still cant clear code and uppper radiator hose feels like its going to burst . So i changed water pump and tstat. Still cant make valve work. And on top of that the cooling fan comes on and spins for about 30 secs then off. So i did a test i removed the hoses from 3 way bypass valve and bought a 3/4 inch barbed brass T . Sure enough slow speed fan popped righ on but now there is no heat . So from what i gather is the 3 way valve makes it real hard to purge all the air from heater core . So i guess im going to have break down and buy the tool that vacuums the coolant all the way through the system . If they never would have ran coolant lines to the transmission i wouldnt be going through this utter hell. Just a **** poor design that causes near catastrophic results when it fails .

You live in AZ,why don't you delete the heater off the side of the transmission,and then go back to the older 5/6 speed heater hoses and totally bypass the 3 way valve on the frame.That removes all coolant flow to the transmission,and good chance it'll improve your heater output.
If you got coolant into the transmission,i think i'd be flushing the transmission cooler,and doing at least 3 fluid changes on the 8 speed,as coolant in the tranny fluid will kill your 8 speed in a hurry.
Start reading about here to see how i deleted the heater off the side of the transmission.

RevMax 8 speed thermostat bypass

I'd do exactly what I did with my Harley. Heat the thermostat up and take measurements of it when it opens up. Then make a solid plug (likely aluminum) that copies those dimensions. This way, the cooler/heater operate exactly as the factory designed it to when the trans is HOT. It would just...

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