no heat and overheating 2004 common rail

[sydro]

Hello everyone. I just bougt a 2004 Quad Cab 4x4 with 198,000 miles. It was a one owner and seems to be well taken care of.
This morning it was foggy, so I turn the heat up (levers anyway) and put it on defrost. I got no change in temp from the vents.
Later in the day it was a little over 80 degrees and when moving slow or climbing it would get scary hot! On one 30-40 mph mile climb it got almost to the shut it off line. After coasting down the other side of the hill it got below 200 so I checked under the hood and the radiator was full, I could see no leaks and the cooling fan looked to be spinning fine.
What might be wrong with my beautiful truck?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Power247]

Hello everyone. I just bougt a 2004 Quad Cab 4x4 with 198,000 miles. It was a one owner and seems to be well taken care of.
This morning it was foggy, so I turn the heat up (levers anyway) and put it on defrost. I got no change in temp from the vents.
Later in the day it was a little over 80 degrees and when moving slow or climbing it would get scary hot! On one 30-40 mph mile climb it got almost to the shut it off line. After coasting down the other side of the hill it got below 200 so I checked under the hood and the radiator was full, I could see no leaks and the cooling fan looked to be spinning fine.
What might be wrong with my beautiful truck?
Thanks for your help.

Welcome!! It could be as simple as a bad thermostat and as big as a bad heater core or blown head gasket. When you checked the radiator, what was the level in the overflow tank?

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

 

[sydro]

Hi Greg. Thanks for replying. The rad was full and I could not see where the overflow tank level was at do to it's location, but I put about a half gallon in it to bring it up.
Still had the same results after that.

 

[Power247]

Hi Greg. Thanks for replying. The rad was full and I could not see where the overflow tank level was at do to it's location, but I put about a half gallon in it to bring it up.
Still had the same results after that.

There a guy on another forum that went through the same thing on his '09 last year. It took him several weeks to figure his out. Here's a link to the first thread: https://www.igotacummins.com/threads/9934-Cooling-system

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | MM3 tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

 

[Power247]

Hi Greg. Thanks for replying. The rad was full and I could not see where the overflow tank level was at do to it's location, but I put about a half gallon in it to bring it up.
Still had the same results after that.

The main reason I asked about the overflow tank is that often when you have a blow hg, exhaust will leak into the water passages, pressurizing the system which pushes coolant into the overflow. The exhaust can also get trapped in the heater core which affects how much heat can be transferred for the air vents in the cab.

I'm not trying to jump to worst case scenarios first. It still could be a simple as a bad thermostat or rad cap.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

 

[sydro]

Thanks again. I'm going to go out now and see where levels are at cold.
I just did and they are both right where they should be...
I will go get a new cap and try that first.

 

[sydro]

New radiator cap, no change. Doesn't seem to be loosing coolant...
The radiator is full and expansion tank is on the full mark.

 

[Power247]

New radiator cap, no change. Doesn't seem to be loosing coolant...
The radiator is full and expansion tank is on the full mark.

Dang. The only other cheap fix is a new thermostat. After that you are probably best to bring it to a shop to have it diagnosed.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

 

[sydro]

Yes. I think I will try the t stat and a new fan clutch. I'm hoping that maybe its the clutch not fully engaging, so even though it is turning, it's slipping and not turning as fast as it should...

 

[sydro]

OK, I am quite sure I have found the source of the overheating. The wires to the fan clutch are severed and 2/3 of the front of the radiator is (was) covered and caked with dirt and oil. The truck must of had a power steering or transmission cooler leak, maybe even A/C condenser leak at some point that put oil on the radiator and it never got cleaned. I scraped the bulk of it off then put degreaser on it then hot pressure washed it. It looks beautiful now! You can hold it up to the light and see through the fins, like it was a new radiator.
I am yet to put it back together, but I bet it runs nice and cool.
However, I don't think it is going to do anything thing for the lack of cabin heat...I hope I don't have to change the heater core!

 

[Power247]

You are making good progress. Hopefully the heater core just had some air trapped in it and all will be well once you get it put back together and all the air purged from the system.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | MM3 tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

 

[sydro]

I feel kinda dumb! The moral to this story is, CHECK THE BASICS FIRST. I have not towed, but i did drive slowly up long hills and it barely cracked 200 degrees in 89 degree temps.
The heat was definitely better ie; I coulld feel some, but I still don't think it will be good enough for New England winters...