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Diagnose a Bad Thermostat DIY, Made Easy: Dodge Ram Edition

There's nothing worse than to be on the I-10 around Phoenix and to have an overheat. Except for maybe when it's that Dodge truck you poured your heart and soul into that's overheating.

Imagine. The metal in that engine gets hot enough, a piston can weld itself right into the cylinder. And you know what that means. Total engine replacement. For a pickup like Dodge Ram 1500, that's a huge bill.

Luckily, sometimes, you can chalk overheats up to simple causes. One's a bad thermostat. That's got unique symptoms, too, which can make it easier to tell that's the problem.

Signs a Thermostat's Failing

Other than a Check Engine light on the dash, they include:

How to Replace a Thermostat

Unfortunately, these symptoms aren't always definitive. Good thing you came to us here at First Choice Mopar Parts for more advice on figuring out what's happening.

It's recommended to check your truck's temperature gauge first. If it reads constant (if the needle's centered, or even in the slightly cold range), then the thermostat's likely working fine. If the gauge reads hot, though, it may not be. Turns out you need to replace it, the job's pretty straightforward. All you need, a lot of the time, is a ratchet, some pliers, a gasket, a metal scraper, fresh coolant, and a drip pan.

What if the Thermostat's Not the Problem?

Maybe your Dodge Ram is still overheating, but the thermostat's good (and the housing gasket's fine). In this case, you could have a coolant leak, either at the water pump in the cooling system, at its heater return tube O-ring, or even at the intake manifold gasket or timing cover gasket. This is a common problem with Dodge Ram 1500 models from between 1994 and 2010, after all -- those with around 160,000 miles on the odometer, give or take.

If you're still not sure what's going on or what to do about it, though, get in touch with a Dodge dealer or an authorized Dodge service center; the pros will be glad to help.

Shop Mopar Thermostats from Avondale AZ

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