Coolant Gremlins

[NCRaineman]

131k... most likely the water pump

 

[Pull Ya]

I'm positive they have all been really gentle miles. LOL
Jay

 

[S0CAL]

I'm positive they have all been really gentle miles. LOL
Jay

It's your fault. You gunned it. You broke my truck.

 

[Pull Ya]

And a great truck it is/was LOL
Jay

 

[S0CAL]

OK it came off easy. Since I didn't have to **** around with a fan clutch (yay eFan!), getting to everything was pretty easy. 13mm ratchet and an extension, as well as a 15, 18 and 19 (one-off bolts).

After the drain, the serpentine belt came off with a turn on the tensioner pulley.

 

[S0CAL]

closed the petcock on the radiator, moved the drip
pan over to the heater hoses and lower radiator for removal.

 

[S0CAL]

removed temperature sensor and bracket (attached nut to the bracket so I don't lose that l'il *******)

 

[S0CAL]

Started removing the 13mm bolts. Again various sizes so imperative to track the locations. This template works.

 

[S0CAL]

and she is away with a little tug.

 

[S0CAL]

Moved the thermostat and temperature sensor over to the new pump, installed new gasket.

 

[S0CAL]

Grabbing some grub, going back out there in a few minutes to scrape the block down with 0000 steel wool, a little brake cleaner/rag action and reassembly time.

 

[Pull Ya]

You can check it out if you wanna drive a little and we can meet for a diet beer somewhere. LOL
Jay

 

[S0CAL]

OK, reassembled, torque'd to 18 ft/lbs. added 50/50 again. Turned on the heater. The fan kicked on at 180, I never saw the T-stat kick in with the fluid dropping (t-stat may be defective or -- and I doubt it -- I put in in backwards. The truck climbed to 237 before I threw in the towel.

Now I have to wait, drain the coolant again. I am going to pull the T-stat completely, leaving the grommet in there and see if the temp normalizes.

I am honestly beside myself. It may not have been the w-pump after all.

 

[JB1]

Damnit

 

[S0CAL]

Damnit

I'll say.

 

[Hemi395]

Well that blows........

When I flushed my coolant without the tstat installed it wouldn't go above 150*. Granted it was February in New England but still with all that coolant going continuously through the block yours shouldn't be much higher than that even in the summer in Texas.

How did everything look inside? Clean? Corroded?

EDIT: Did you pull the bleeder plug out when you filled the system with coolant? Could it be airbound?

 

[McBroom]

SoCal I wish I had been down there to help ya diagnose and fix your truck.
Look at the bottom of your old pump there should be a hole in the casting. If water was leaking from there then pump is bad.

I Love my 18 Ram 2500 4x4 CC U.S.M.C.(ret) CPL

 

[S0CAL]

SoCal I wish I had been down there to help ya diagnose and fix your truck.
Look at the bottom of your old pump there should be a hole in the casting. If water was leaking from there then pump is bad.

I Love my 18 Ram 2500 4x4 CC U.S.M.C.(ret) CPL

Nah, oil pressure good, no leaks. Thanks man. This is really freaking me out.

 

[S0CAL]

Well that blows........

When I flushed my coolant without the tstat installed it wouldn't go above 150*. Granted it was February in New England but still with all that coolant going continuously through the block yours shouldn't be much higher than that even in the summer in Texas.

How did everything look inside? Clean? Corroded?

EDIT: Did you pull the bleeder plug out when you filled the system with coolant? Could it be airbound?

Possibly. I will let it cool, then pull the bleeder plug and go with it until water flows out, then reinsert. Craziness.

 

[SYKRAMMAN]

That sux man, all that work n nothing. Maybe a partially blocked rad/cooling system, idk.. got me stumped.