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coolant temps too hot while towing, climbing grades.

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P20EE code

Coolant bypass hose part number?

2018 3500 drw, bought new, 210 K miles. towing a 6 horse trailer, empty or lightly loaded most of the time around the western US. rarely more than 10-11K trailer weight. Coolant goes to 230-235 pretty quickly will get to 240 if not downshifted and keeping up to 22-2500 RPM's, this is with the AC off and the vent fan on high and full heat setting. plenty of power, plenty of throttle if not manually downshifted. I have replaced the thermostat, flushed the coolant, blew out minimal dust, replaced the water pump, hoses, fan clutch tested okay (can hear it howling normally) tow/haul on, or off makes no difference. Trans temp never more than 175..
system held pressure all weekend at the shop. the low coolant light has been on for a few months, coolant level is good, coolant temp issue started before. Any ideas? Im thinking of an aftermarket radiator, maybe original is clogged? this is the 5th or 6th ram Ive had and never had any overheating issues. Thank you for any input!
 
Have you made sure you got all of the air out of the system?
yes, thank you, good question. symptoms started before any work done. Thank you again, also I replace the water pump as routine maintenance around 200K with all the Ram's Ive had.
one more thing... I do smell coolant sometimes, but no visable leaks, or coolant loss
 
yes, thank you, good question. symptoms started before any work done. Thank you again, also I replace the water pump as routine maintenance around 200K with all the Ram's Ive had.
one more thing... I do smell coolant sometimes, but no visable leaks, or coolant loss

If I was a betting man, it sounds like a clogged radiator.
 
Maybe get a “second opinion” on the coolant's temperature using a remote temp sensor. I suggest this because what if the original coolant temp sensor is going bad and the actual coolant temperature is normal?

exactly, its always a good idea to check any gage or reading against another known good gage before going down the troubleshooting rabbit hole.

other than that I'd say its either going to be the fan or the radiator being the issue, if it truly is an issue.
 
My radiator after 10 years and 100K - same problems as you experience.
Cleaned the whole stack thoroughly and all is good again.

PXL_20240524_215444545.jpg
 
My radiator after 10 years and 100K - same problems as you experience.
Cleaned the whole stack thoroughly and all is good again.

View attachment 141901

That is what my Kubota turbo diesel tractor looks like at the end of each season. Luckily you don't need to remove much to get a good clean.

Oh, and don't use a pressure washer!!!

I was told at some point that WEB Coil cleaner works great at dissolving/cleaning radiators and CACs?
 
Is the fan clutch not engaging at ~215? On the rare occasion mine hits 215, the fan engages and the buck stops there. (Gross weight 19k, hot outside, sustained interstate grades.)

Do you have access to a scan tool that can test the fan clutch?
 
My '17 had cooling issues as you describe. Ended up being two issues, one computer, one mechanical. Replaced the radiator for the mechanical issue, made a significant improvement. I also did the chemical flush of the cooling system (MOPAR flush solution), I could not believe the amount of crud that came out. If you hear your fan spooling up and it's really howling when you hit 235* and you see a temp drop, it's not that.
 
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