Just stumbled across this,and thought some of the 3.6 owners would be interested

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Wild one

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SitKneelBend

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My 2014 has an aluminum housing from the factory but there will definitely be folks interested in this.
 

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I don’t recall ever seeing a thermostat housing failure on this forum, not just for the pentastar. I have seen plenty of radiators, oil cooler housings, and the odd 3 way valve.

I have seen the nightmare of finding a good thermostat.

So long as the stock one works, it’s staying.
 
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Wild one

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I don’t recall ever seeing a thermostat housing failure on this forum, not just for the pentastar. I have seen plenty of radiators, oil cooler housings, and the odd 3 way valve.

I have seen the nightmare of finding a good thermostat.

So long as the stock one works, it’s staying.
Lots of guys complaining about how hot their 3.6 runs though. Looks like this thermostat will drop it's temps a bit.
 

SitKneelBend

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Lots of guys complaining about how hot their 3.6 runs though. Looks like this thermostat will drop it's temps a bit.
I didn't even notice that it's a lower thermostat, I'd consider it even though mine's aluminum already. The wife's Pacifica with the 3.6 stays 195-205 while my Ram will run 215-226 in the same conditions.
 

DILLIGAF

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I got my aluminum housing for 30$ and put in a 180 a few years ago now.
 

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I like the way my Hemi acts with the 192° tstat. My temps stay under 200° mostly. I have seen 208° very fleetingly.

I'd try to keep my temps lower with any engine, those 220's scare me.
 
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Wild one

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SOP on the 3.6 Ram (I think the Jeeps too)...the fan doesn't even turn on LOW until 228!
If the A/C is on,i think it kicks the fan into gear. Even on a stock truck this should show some benefits when driving ,as there's usually enough airflow through the rad,the fan doesn't need to run to maintain a cooler operating temp
 

SitKneelBend

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If the A/C is on,i think it kicks the fan into gear. Even on a stock truck this should show some benefits when driving ,as there's usually enough airflow through the rad,the fan doesn't need to run to maintain a cooler operating temp
I did ALOT of testing. Turning on the AC does turn on the fan every time BUT the AGS is actually the primary means of cooling on the 3.6.

After about 20mph the fan shuts off and the truck relies solely on AGS. I monitored this using the graphing available in AlfaOBD. The turn on for about 1/3 fan speed (regardless of vehicle speed) is 228 and it shuts off again after it gets down to 219.

Another thing I learned in all this is the 3-way coolant bypass doesn't cool the transmission so much as it warms it up to reach a target temperature around 190. If you turn the heat on it closes off the transmission from the "cooling" loop and the temperatures will rise very slowly and even cool down at speed in cold weather (I have a PPE pan which I'm sure helps). I'm going to use this trick to widen the timeframe in which to get the transmission fluid temperature in the right window for filling at my next drain and fill.
 
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Wild one

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I did ALOT of testing. Turning on the AC does turn on the fan every time BUT the AGS is actually the primary means of cooling on the 3.6.

After about 20mph the fan shuts off and the truck relies solely on AGS. I monitored this using the graphing available in AlfaOBD. The turn on for about 1/3 fan speed (regardless of vehicle speed) is 228 and it shuts off again after it gets down to 219.

Another thing I learned in all this is the 3-way coolant bypass doesn't cool the transmission so much as it warms it up to reach a target temperature around 190. If you turn the heat on it closes off the transmission from the "cooling" loop and the temperatures will rise very slowly and even cool down at speed in cold weather (I have a PPE pan which I'm sure helps). I'm going to use this trick to widen the timeframe in which to get the transmission fluid temperature in the right window for filling at my next drain and fill.
Ever thought of pulling the middle shutters out for the summer? I'm old school,i still swap thermostats twice a year,in the fall the stock 203 goes back in,and in the spring the 180 goes in,i even do that on my 300,lol.That way i also get to add new anti-freeze to,saves on doing a complete cooling system flush every few years :waytogo:I've never been one to run anti-freeze to the 10 year period,as i hate doing heater cores or water pumps on anything with a hemi, and keeping fresh anti-freeze in the system,means i've never had to do either on any of my vehicles;) I always did my 8 speed services over a 12 hour period,i'd pull or drain the pan the night before while the transmission was still hot,let it drain overnight,then do the fill procedure in the morning when it was cold,that way i'd be through the drive cycles before the transmission hit 105f
 

SitKneelBend

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Ever thought of pulling the middle shutters out for the summer? I'm old school,i still swap thermostats twice a year,in the fall the stock 203 goes back in,and in the spring the 180 goes in,i even do that on my 300,lol.That way i also get to add new anti-freeze to,saves on doing a complete cooling system flush every few years :waytogo:I've never been one to run anti-freeze to the 10 year period,as i hate doing heater cores or water pumps on anything with a hemi, and keeping fresh anti-freeze in the system,means i've never had to do either on any of my vehicles;) I always did my 8 speed services over a 12 hour period,i'd pull or drain the pan the night before while the transmission was still hot,let it drain overnight,then do the fill procedure in the morning when it was cold,that way i'd be through the drive cycles before the transmission hit 105f
I did but when I realized they are almost always open I thought it wasn't worth the mod (until they give me trouble).

You may want to do one flush of your cooling system. I found a bunch of sand (casting?) in mine.
 
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Wild one

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I did but when I realized they are almost always open I thought it wasn't worth the mod (until they give me trouble).

You may want to do one flush of your cooling system. I found a bunch of sand (casting?) in mine.
I've always pulled at least 1 block plug out on the first thermostat change just to check for sand,and so far all my hemi's have been good as far as sand goes
 

SitKneelBend

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