OEM 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Van Thermostat

2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Van Thermostat Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to service and repair the thermostat on 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Van?

  A: Be careful not to loosen the radiator draincock or cap while the system is under pressure and hot or you might get hurt by the hot coolant. Check that the coolant is clean and put it aside to reuse. Make sure the replacement thermostat fits the vehicle and engine you are using. Before draining the cooling system, take out the negative battery cable first. For cars that have air conditioning, open the engine cover, unscrew the support bracket near the rear generator, partially remove the generator by loosening the drive belt with a wrench, rotating the tensioner pulley bolt clockwise and taking the belt off the generator pulley. Before you remove the bolts, just loosen the wires; after that, rotate the generator so you can access the thermostat gasket. Be sure not to remove any wiring when you unfasten the three Pcm mounting bolts and set the Pcm down. While wearing safety glasses, use tools made for servicing constant tension hose clamps, for example, special clamp tool number 6094 and Snap-On tool Hpc-20. Take off the upper radiator hose clamp and unbuckle the hose where it's attached to the thermostat housing before moving the wiring to the thermostat. Unbolt the thermostat housing, open the housing, remove the tank's gasket and take out the actual thermostat. Never use abrasive tools when cleaning the areas where the intake manifold and thermostat housing meet. Place the spring side of the thermostat into the recessed groove on the intake manifold and then add the gasket. Line up the housing on the intake manifold so that Front is visible from the front of the car and attach the two bolts, tightening them 24 Nm (18 ft. lbs.). Fill the upper radiator hose into the thermostat housing, then for air-conditioned cars, reconnect the generator and tighten the bolts to 41 Nm (30 ft. lbs.) and finally put the support bracket in place and tighten the bolts to 54 Nm (40 ft. lbs.). Make sure the serpentine belt is connected so that the idler pulley is always covered, install the belt around all the pulleys, except the idler pulley and turn the tensioner clockwise with a socket/wrench to put the belt over the idler pulley before removing the wrench. Reinstall the Pcm, fill the cooling system, connect the negative battery cable, start the engine, let it warm up while checking for leaks and add the engine cover (If A/c is present).