Help! What Lines Are These? Antifreeze Color?

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13_RAM_V6

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20201008_204712.jpg I recently bought a used 2013 Ram 1500 SLT V6 3.6L RWD with 8-speed Transmission from a dealer and I've had some issues that the dealer isn't handling well. Their mechanic is a very nice guy but he doesn't know these trucks at all. Long story short, there are 2 cooler lines that cross over the cat on the passenger side and I want to know if they carry anything other than antifreeze? I didn't have time to find exact problem or even look at truck before dropping it off. Drops are coming out of or off of one of the lines and dripping onto the cat causing it to smoke and smell like something burning. Mechanic is saying it's the valve cover but that just doesn't seem right to me. I dabbed a drop onto a napkin and it is a clear oil-like substance, but doesn't look like oil that has gone through the engine considering the oil that I took out when I did oil change 3 weeks ago was mud. Is it possible that one of these lines carry oil or transmission fluid? I'm pretty sure i saw that these 8-speed transmissions use clear trans fluid.

Also, does anyone know what color coolant is supposed to be used with these engines? I thought i saw a video saying it should be like pink or something like that. Not sure how much this matters but I just want to keep the truck as OEM as it's supposed to be to help get the most out of it since I emptied my savings to buy it. Currently it has regular green antifreeze.
 

tidefan1967

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View attachment 224039 I recently bought a used 2013 Ram 1500 SLT V6 3.6L RWD with 8-speed Transmission from a dealer and I've had some issues that the dealer isn't handling well. Their mechanic is a very nice guy but he doesn't know these trucks at all. Long story short, there are 2 cooler lines that cross over the cat on the passenger side and I want to know if they carry anything other than antifreeze? I didn't have time to find exact problem or even look at truck before dropping it off. Drops are coming out of or off of one of the lines and dripping onto the cat causing it to smoke and smell like something burning. Mechanic is saying it's the valve cover but that just doesn't seem right to me. I dabbed a drop onto a napkin and it is a clear oil-like substance, but doesn't look like oil that has gone through the engine considering the oil that I took out when I did oil change 3 weeks ago was mud. Is it possible that one of these lines carry oil or transmission fluid? I'm pretty sure i saw that these 8-speed transmissions use clear trans fluid.

Also, does anyone know what color coolant is supposed to be used with these engines? I thought i saw a video saying it should be like pink or something like that. Not sure how much this matters but I just want to keep the truck as OEM as it's supposed to be to help get the most out of it since I emptied my savings to buy it. Currently it has regular green antifreeze.
I’m pretty sure that those are the transmission oil cooler lines so that would be transmission fluid and not coolant. Check your user manual but I’m also pretty sure 2013 models used the purple OAT coolant which is MS 12106/90032.
 
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13_RAM_V6

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I’m pretty sure that those are the transmission oil cooler lines so that would be transmission fluid and not coolant. Check your user manual but I’m also pretty sure 2013 models used the purple OAT coolant which is MS 12106/90032.

That's what I thought and that would explain it. I find it hard to believe the valve cover is leaking that much and shooting 3-6" across to cooler lines. Valve cover is also leaking though and hopefully they fix that too. I didn't get an owners manual with the truck. Maybe I can download one though.
 

tidefan1967

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How many miles on the truck? Seems to be a common problem among all brands as the miles add up. You’re also going to want to check the level in the transmission when you get it fixed which is another can of worms.
 
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13_RAM_V6

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How many miles on the truck? Seems to be a common problem among all brands as the miles add up. You’re also going to want to check the level in the transmission when you get it fixed which is another can of worms.

Truck has 117k miles. It's in really good shape besides a few minor things. I figured I'd have to take it to Ram dealer after they fix it to make sure transmission fluid level is proper. May have them just flush coolant and put correct coolant in too while it's there. I'm jumping from a 2000 Silverado 2500 to this so I'm a little in the dark when it comes to working on this truck.
 

El Huapo

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I looked this online manual up and think it's like the one I downloaded for my 2019 Ram: 700+ pages with loads of info. Hope this helps. And yes, those lines in your pic look very similar to the coolant lines going to the transmission on mine, carrying engine coolant, not trans fluid. I understand that this helps warm the trans in extreme cold weather too.


https://ownersmanuals2.com/ram/ram-1500-2013-owners-manual-34606
 

Dave2018

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