3.6L Radiator Fan Problem?

[SitKneelBend]

If you can get the block drains to come out,you'll get alot more coolant out of the system,as there's probably a good gallon or more in the bottom of the block that won't drain through the rads petcock

I thought I read or watched something that stated the 3.6L doesn't have block drains?

 

[Atcer2018]

I thought I read or watched something that stated the 3.6L doesn't have block drains?

This would be great! Totally justify my lack of ambition lol

 

[Wild one]

I thought I read or watched something that stated the 3.6L doesn't have block drains?

Apparently they do have one,but it uses an oddball size 5/16 / 8 mm square plug to remove it.Some guys are grinding down a short 3/8" extension to fit,and i've seen other guys saying they used a piece of 5/16" bar stock and cresent to remove the plug.But it sounds like it's easier to just flush the system with water a few times instead.


The block drain is not an easy thing to get to...or remove. It's not a hex head, nor an allen, nor a torx. It's a 5/16" SQUARE plug. Since there is no readily available square wrench socket. You have 2 options.

Use a 3/8 ratchet extension (that you don't need) and grind all four sides down to make it 5/16 til it fits, then remove the plug and when you're done replace it with a regular hex head plug...

 

[SitKneelBend]

Thank you for that information. These are typical temps I see except in Fahrenheit. lol Only when the outside air temp climbed into the 33C range did my coolant temps rise with the AC on at highway speeds. Just not sure why that is as I was expecting the e-fan to bring them down. My truck runs much cooler without the AGS but since it was originally equipped with the shutter system the PCM probably has the cooling profile stored as such for the fan. What’s more concerning is my oil temp is always ten degrees higher than coolant temp after the thermostat opens.

I may be wrong but I think the oil being a higher temperature than the coolant is exactly what you want to see. If the coolant were hotter the oil would have nowhere to dump that heat too. If my understanding of the coolant system is correct, the temperature sensor for coolant is at the thermostat just prior to coolant entering the engine but after traveling through the radiator hence the cooler reading. On the 3.6 since there is an oil cooler with coolant running through it you can technically treat it as a second coolant reading since I believe the oil temp sensor is also on that oil cooler.

In short, coolant temp can be treated as "radiator temp" and oil temperature as "engine temperature" (I think)...

 

[Atcer2018]

I may be wrong but I think the oil being a higher temperature than the coolant is exactly what you want to see. If the coolant were hotter the oil would have nowhere to dump that heat too. If my understanding of the coolant system is correct, the temperature sensor for coolant is at the thermostat just prior to coolant entering the engine but after traveling through the radiator hence the cooler reading. On the 3.6 since there is an oil cooler with coolant running through it you can technically treat it as a second coolant reading since I believe the oil temp sensor is also on that oil cooler.

In short, coolant temp can be treated as "radiator temp" and oil temperature as "engine temperature" (I think)...

Ok that makes sense. I wasn’t even thinking about heat transfer of the oil to the water jacket. As you know there is some debate about the Dorman all aluminum oil cooler running hotter than the OEM plastic/aluminum cooler. I elected to use the Dorman after my cooler failure and now trying to keep an eye on temps which I should have done when the OEM was still working. Thank you.

 

[Yardbird]

My oil temp is higher than the water after driving a while.

 

[SitKneelBend]

Ok that makes sense. I wasn’t even thinking about heat transfer of the oil to the water jacket. As you know there is some debate about the Dorman all aluminum oil cooler running hotter than the OEM plastic/aluminum cooler. I elected to use the Dorman after my cooler failure and now trying to keep an eye on temps which I should have done when the OEM was still working. Thank you.

Not saying that it is but it "could be" that the Dorman runs hotter because (if the sensor is located there) it is transferring more heat from the cooler to the engine bay through the aluminum housing. So maybe the housing gets hotter because it is letting more heat through/out?

 

[Atcer2018]

My oil temp is higher than the water after driving a while.

Thank you good to know real world experience mimics my own experience.

 

[Atcer2018]

Not saying that it is but it "could be" that the Dorman runs hotter because (if the sensor is located there) it is transferring more heat from the cooler to the engine bay through the aluminum housing. So maybe the housing gets hotter because it is letting more heat through/out?

Way above my pay grade lol
Anything is possible and I just don’t have any background information other than the Dorman unit was well built with a smooth mating surface that included all seals and accepted the new OEM sensors without issue. Overall I’m pleased with it coming up on six months installed. Didn’t you do the Dorman unit also?

 

[SitKneelBend]

Way above my pay grade lol
Anything is possible and I just don’t have any background information other than the Dorman unit was well built with a smooth mating surface that included all seals and accepted the new OEM sensors without issue. Overall I’m pleased with it coming up on six months installed. Didn’t you do the Dorman unit also?

That was my plan but my cooler failed just before my extended warranty expired so it had to be an OEM replacement (dealership repair). If it happens again I will use the Dorman.

One thing I'm kinda surprised by in all of this is how pink the coolant still is after 10 gallons through. It probably drove/idled at least three hours of cycling and the color really only changed on the 10th gallon and there was also a sudsy like accumulation coming out of the burp funnel on the last gallon burping which I assume was the remnants of the Blue Devils degreaser coming out (it might account for the dirtier look of the coolant towards the end too)...

 

[Atcer2018]

That was my plan but my cooler failed just before my extended warranty expired so it had to be an OEM replacement (dealership repair). If it happens again I will use the Dorman.

One thing I'm kinda surprised by in all of this is how pink the coolant still is after 10 gallons through. It probably drove/idled at least three hours of cycling and the color really only changed on the 10th gallon and there was also a sudsy like accumulation coming out of the burp funnel on the last gallon burping which I assume was the remnants of the Blue Devils degreaser coming out (it might account for the dirtier look of the coolant towards the end too)...

At ten years the flush detergent was a good call. I only used the rmi25 to get rid of the oil cooler contamination. Was kinda surprised that there wasn’t as much contamination as I assumed. My flush water was pretty pink also until the 6th gallon or so and then quickly ran clear so I stopped at 10 gallons. It’s odd that the antifreeze going in is purple and it comes out pink lol

 

[SitKneelBend]

At ten years the flush detergent was a good call. I only used the rmi25 to get rid of the oil cooler contamination. Was kinda surprised that there wasn’t as much contamination as I assumed. My flush water was pretty pink also until the 6th gallon or so and then quickly ran clear so I stopped at 10 gallons. It’s odd that the antifreeze going in is purple and it comes out pink lol

Went down the color rabbit hole on this and apparently the pink tinge could be a reflection of suspended particles in the coolant. If you filtered it it may look purple again. You can make the brand new fluid look pink/orange too by placing it in a clear container and shining a light through it.

This guy explains it well...

Coolant Testing CHRYSLER, JEEP, DODGE, RAM, SRT with Refractometer

The Chrysler Corporation, as well as other modern car manufacturers, is using a new coolant mixture for newer engines. Chrysler's new OAT coolant is purple o...

www.youtube.com

 

[Different Drummer]

My RAM must be weird. 85% of the time my coolant Temp. is 197 degrees and my oil Temp. is 193 degrees. Oil Temp. will rise above coolant Temp. during prolonged city driving. I will see 220's Temps. for both oil and coolant in warm weather and stop and go driving. I ran with all but the top and bottom grill shutters removed for a while. I now run with two shutters installed top and bottom. No particular reason why. Just experimenting to see if there is a difference. I don't notice any difference between 2 shutters and 4 shutters.
As far a when the E-fan runs? I honestly cannot say that I have ever heard it run! I have tried the A/C on vs A/C off. Stood in front of the truck while running with someone else cycling the A/C. I think the threshold for the E-fan to activate must be pretty darn high. Higher than what I would like but it is what it is I guess.

 

[SoFLRam]

My RAM must be weird. 85% of the time my coolant Temp. is 197 degrees and my oil Temp. is 193 degrees. Oil Temp. will rise above coolant Temp. during prolonged city driving. I will see 220's Temps. for both oil and coolant in warm weather and stop and go driving. I ran with all but the top and bottom grill shutters removed for a while. I now run with two shutters installed top and bottom. No particular reason why. Just experimenting to see if there is a difference. I don't notice any difference between 2 shutters and 4 shutters.
As far a when the E-fan runs? I honestly cannot say that I have ever heard it run! I have tried the A/C on vs A/C off. Stood in front of the truck while running with someone else cycling the A/C. I think the threshold for the E-fan to activate must be pretty darn high. Higher than what I would like but it is what it is I guess.

When I got the HP tuner, jumped right into the fans. Low: 210°F. Med : 224°F. High 234°F

Way hotter than I wanted. So I changed them.

 

[Atcer2018]

My RAM must be weird. 85% of the time my coolant Temp. is 197 degrees and my oil Temp. is 193 degrees. Oil Temp. will rise above coolant Temp. during prolonged city driving. I will see 220's Temps. for both oil and coolant in warm weather and stop and go driving. I ran with all but the top and bottom grill shutters removed for a while. I now run with two shutters installed top and bottom. No particular reason why. Just experimenting to see if there is a difference. I don't notice any difference between 2 shutters and 4 shutters.
As far a when the E-fan runs? I honestly cannot say that I have ever heard it run! I have tried the A/C on vs A/C off. Stood in front of the truck while running with someone else cycling the A/C. I think the threshold for the E-fan to activate must be pretty darn high. Higher than what I would like but it is what it is I guess.

I have all but the top and bottom row of AGS deleted and see pretty much what your numbers are. On very hot days running over 70mph on the highway with the AC on both oil and coolant temps approach 220 but go back down if I slow down or turn off the AC.

 

[SitKneelBend]

When I got the HP tuner, jumped right into the fans. Low: 210°F. Med : 224°F. High 234°F

Way hotter than I wanted. So I changed them.

Yeah, I'm not seeing my fan behave this way at all. I see it come on (sometimes) at 175 and then nothing until 228-230 where it appears to be on medium to drop the temp back down to 220 then cuts off again.

 

[Different Drummer]

When I got the HP tuner, jumped right into the fans. Low: 210°F. Med : 224°F. High 234°F

Way hotter than I wanted. So I changed them.

Thanks, I have been trying to find those numbers for quite some time. No tuner in my tool box. Question now is if those parameters apply to a 2017.

 

[SitKneelBend]

I'd appreciate the effort if someone with AlfaOBD tries to turn on their 3.6L fan using the commands in AlfaOBD. When I attempt to, the fan does nothing and I'm wondering if that is because the fan is faulty and no longer comes on when commanded to at the proper intervals. Having someone else confirm theirs turns on with the Alfa test would help me in my troubleshooting.

 

[Different Drummer]

I have all but the top and bottom row of AGS deleted and see pretty much what your numbers are. On very hot days running over 70mph on the highway with the AC on both oil and coolant temps approach 220 but go back down if I slow down or turn off the AC.

One of the reasons I say my RAM is weird! Probably 85% - 90 % of my driving is long distance highway. I can drive all day long at 75 MPH and my Temps will remain rock solid at 197 coolant and 193 oil. It is the slow driving or stop and go when my temps rise. That is when I wish my fan would activate. I would love to be able to install a manual switch but I think the electrical architecture prevents that.

 

[Atcer2018]

I'd appreciate the effort if someone with AlfaOBD tries to turn on their 3.6L fan using the commands in AlfaOBD. When I attempt to, the fan does nothing and I'm wondering if that is because the fan is faulty and no longer comes on when commanded to at the proper intervals. Having someone else confirm theirs turns on with the Alfa test would help me in my troubleshooting.

I don’t mind trying if you tell me what I’m looking for and under what category the fan is found in.