How to Change a Thermostat on a Dodge Ram Truck

The Dodge Ram truck was designed to work hard and play hard and it's a safe bet that most Dodge Ram owners will put that tired old saying to the test. However, when a vehicle such as the Ram is exposed to aggressive driving, the cooling system can break down. The thermostat is the point of failure in most case. Swapping out the thermostat with a working one is the key to getting that Dodge back on the road.

Instructions

1

Remove the top radiator hose from the intake tube of the thermostat housing by loosening the clamp that squeezes the hose onto the the tube. Use a flat head screw driver to pry the clamp loose. Slide the clamp down the hose and then pull the hose off of the intake tube. To prevent fluid from leaking out of the hose, hold it vertical so the fluid flows back into the radiator. Once the hose is empty, push it off to the side so you can reach the thermostat housing easily.

2

Remove the bolts that hold the thermostat housing onto the intake manifold of the Dodge Ram. Use a box wrench or adjustable wrench to remove the bolts. New bolts are not supplied with the new thermostat so the old bolts will be reused.

3

Lift the thermostat housing off of the intake manifold of the Dodge Ram and then lift the old thermostat out of the intake manifold. Now remove the old thermostat housing gasket. Depending on the age of the Ram, you may need to scrape the old gasket off. If this is the case, the hole that the thermostat was sitting in should be plugged with a shop towel to prevent anything from getting into the engine while you scrape the old gasket off.

4

Place a small bead of RTV silicone around the hole in the intake manifold and around the holes that the thermostat housing bolts go into. The bead should be a continuous line of silicone so when the housing is bolted on it forms a seal.

5

Remove the shop towel from the intake (if you needed to put one in) and then place the new thermostat into the intake manifold. There is a lip that sits just beneath the radiator fluid inside of the intake manifold. The thermostat sits on this lip and is not bolted into place.

6

Bolt the thermostat housing back onto the intake manifold and then replace the radiator hose on the intake tube of the thermostat housing. Some people discard the old retaining clip and opt for a band clamp since it can be tightened tighter then a retaining clip.