5thGenRams Forums

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Oil Temp while Towing

fishslayer

Active Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2021
Messages
49
Reaction score
33
Location
Whiskey Bay LA
Its very hot here but my 2021 E-Torque Hemi has never exceeded 212* on coolant even towing 12,000# with A/C on and the trans stays under 190*. Oil temp between 210-230* .. I think the op needs to get his dealer to check it out..
 

JF19Longhorn

Ram Guru
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
734
Reaction score
517
Location
South Jersey
Towed my enclosed trailer roughly 9 hours (3+ hours there / 2 1/2 hrs between houses / 3 hours home) this past Saturday. She weighed anywhere from 3,600lbs empty on the way out to north of 8k lbs loaded moving my friends stuff from his garage to his new garage. A/C blasting the whole time.. it was hot as hell Saturday.. mid 90's F.

Temps were normal, even on longer uphill pulls at 67mph. (pic below) Trans never got above 187F, coolant got to 210F, and oil touched 230F for a few minutes when I was passing a semi.
Resized_20220625_070625.jpeg
Resized_20220625_150249(1).jpeg


If anyone cares, she avg Avg 11.9 mpg (empty) otw there, 9.7 mpg (loaded) between houses, and 10.6 mpg (half and half) between houses and trip back home.
 

SD Rebel

Spends too much time on here
Joined
Jun 29, 2019
Messages
4,078
Reaction score
3,498
Location
San Diego, CA
Coolant temps don't tend to go beyond 210 - 215 unless you are idling with no air getting to the radiator, like slow city driving, off-roading. Also when towing up a grade.

If you are cruising on the highway, even with a trailer you should be able to go through the low/high cycle of your thermostat and stay on the cooler side.

Even when idling in the heat in stop and go, your temps don't go beyond 204F? Also, aren't some trucks fitted with heavy duty cooling depending on the tow package, does yours come with one?
 

JF19Longhorn

Ram Guru
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
734
Reaction score
517
Location
South Jersey
Coolant temps don't tend to go beyond 210 - 215 unless you are idling with no air getting to the radiator, like slow city driving, off-roading. Also when towing up a grade.

If you are cruising on the highway, even with a trailer you should be able to go through the low/high cycle of your thermostat and stay on the cooler side.

Even when idling in the heat in stop and go, your temps don't go beyond 204F? Also, aren't some trucks fitted with heavy duty cooling depending on the tow package, does yours come with one?

I believe the Longhorn and Limited's all came with the heavy-duty cooling / tow package. Mine has the brake controller from the factory and 3.92's.

We had almost zero traffic and minimal idle time at traffic lights. Highest Temps I saw quoted below.
"Temps were normal, even on longer uphill pulls at 67mph. (pic below) Trans never got above 187F, coolant got to 210F, and oil touched 230F for a few minutes when I was passing a semi."
 

SD Rebel

Spends too much time on here
Joined
Jun 29, 2019
Messages
4,078
Reaction score
3,498
Location
San Diego, CA
I believe the Longhorn and Limited's all came with the heavy-duty cooling / tow package. Mine has the brake controller from the factory and 3.92's.

We had almost zero traffic and minimal idle time at traffic lights. Highest Temps I saw quoted below.
"Temps were normal, even on longer uphill pulls at 67mph. (pic below) Trans never got above 187F, coolant got to 210F, and oil touched 230F for a few minutes when I was passing a semi."

Yup, that makes sense to me.
 

IvoryHemi

Ram Guru
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
1,521
Reaction score
1,528
Did 1k towing in 95F heat last week.

Temps were a tad higher than my usual (172F trans and 230F oil).

Engine oil was a full ~10F warmer and hit 258-260F on long grades.

3AA1FA3B-A117-4AA5-8312-98C4CB5C2D28.png
 

should_have

Active Member
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
50
Reaction score
21
Pulled my Flagstaff 21DS yesterday from Baltimore, MD to Chenango Fork, NY up I83 & I81. Outside Temperature 81. My oil temp ran mostly at 230 running up the hills at 65. Was stuck behind an escorted wide load for an hour, Oil temp did touch 248. I do own a 2019 DT model, I guess I should check my transmission fluid since my temp runs hotter than IroyHemi.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20220714_100150_01.jpg
    IMG_20220714_100150_01.jpg
    109.1 KB · Views: 20
  • IMG_20220714_100158_01.jpg
    IMG_20220714_100158_01.jpg
    124.4 KB · Views: 19

ClancyO

Active Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
195
Reaction score
162
Digging up an old post here - I was looking for something on Tranny temps. I have a 24' v-nosed enclosed car hauler w/10k axles. I used it to move from the east coast (Philly area) to Las Vegas almost 2 years ago (with the 2020 in my signature). I was at max gross, legal on all axles with cat scale slips to prove it, but right at 17,000lbs combined. I watched temps all the way out and oil never exceeded 246. (Only over 240 twice the entire trip, generally down in low 200's). Truck was still new (~1700 miles at start of trip) - still had factory oil, which I changed immediately after arriving in Vegas. Trans temp - I don't remember but it was constantly over 200, probably 230ish. Last weekend we towed the same trailer, much lighter now (~6000 lbs outbound, 4200ish on the return trip) with my brother-in-law's 2020 2500 6.4 (4x2) from Vegas to Denver to Cheyenne to Denver (all loaded) and back to Vegas (left car in Denver, but still had tools/etc). His trans temps NEVER exceeded 170. Even on long grades where coolant and oil went into/over 230, his trans was locked on 170. I haven't done the research yet, but I do want to see if the 6.4 2500 has a different/bigger trans cooler than the 1500 5.7 (or different trans altogether). If its the same trans, then it has to be the cooler. By contrast, on a 10 mile errand yesterday I saw trans temps up to 194 yesterday in a completely empty truck. It is Vegas, air temps were about 104, but still.

Edit: I did look up the coolers - for the 1500 5.7 the part number is: 68312697AC For the 2500 6.4 it is: 68322494AC. So definitely different P/N/s.
 
Last edited:

JF19Longhorn

Ram Guru
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
734
Reaction score
517
Location
South Jersey
Could the 1500's be running hotter by design?
Maybe something to do with Fuel mileage?? ..the 2500's don't have to meet fuel mileage requirements, correct?
 

ClancyO

Active Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
195
Reaction score
162
Oddly fuel milage was a wash. On my 2400 mile trip 2 years ago, I was in the high 7's, low 8's the entire way. The last couple of legs I was around 8.6 and I swear the hardest climb was coming up off the hoover dam (may be that I was out of ducks being that close to my destination, I just flogged it on that climb!) The 2500 averaged 8.4 in the end. Also 4x4 vs 4x2 difference, and I-70 is much harder/higher than the I-40 route I used, although the trailer was considerably lighter (bit same frontal area being the same trailer.) So, in general terms, most things were close enough to be equal, except the drastic differences in trans temps.
 

IvoryHemi

Ram Guru
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
1,521
Reaction score
1,528
Digging up an old post here - I was looking for something on Tranny temps. I have a 24' v-nosed enclosed car hauler w/10k axles. I used it to move from the east coast (Philly area) to Las Vegas almost 2 years ago (with the 2020 in my signature). I was at max gross, legal on all axles with cat scale slips to prove it, but right at 17,000lbs combined. I watched temps all the way out and oil never exceeded 246. (Only over 240 twice the entire trip, generally down in low 200's). Truck was still new (~1700 miles at start of trip) - still had factory oil, which I changed immediately after arriving in Vegas. Trans temp - I don't remember but it was constantly over 200, probably 230ish. Last weekend we towed the same trailer, much lighter now (~6000 lbs outbound, 4200ish on the return trip) with my brother-in-law's 2020 2500 6.4 (4x2) from Vegas to Denver to Cheyenne to Denver (all loaded) and back to Vegas (left car in Denver, but still had tools/etc). His trans temps NEVER exceeded 170. Even on long grades where coolant and oil went into/over 230, his trans was locked on 170. I haven't done the research yet, but I do want to see if the 6.4 2500 has a different/bigger trans cooler than the 1500 5.7 (or different trans altogether). If its the same trans, then it has to be the cooler. By contrast, on a 10 mile errand yesterday I saw trans temps up to 194 yesterday in a completely empty truck. It is Vegas, air temps were about 104, but still.

Edit: I did look up the coolers - for the 1500 5.7 the part number is: 68312697AC For the 2500 6.4 it is: 68322494AC. So definitely different P/N/s.

That’s interesting. My picture in post #46 is towing ~15k lbs GCW.

The hottest I’ve seen my trans temp is 178-180F.

Ram 2500 has a similar but different transmission; 8HP75-LCV
 

should_have

Active Member
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
50
Reaction score
21
Digging up an old post here - I was looking for something on Tranny temps. I have a 24' v-nosed enclosed car hauler w/10k axles. I used it to move from the east coast (Philly area) to Las Vegas almost 2 years ago (with the 2020 in my signature). I was at max gross, legal on all axles with cat scale slips to prove it, but right at 17,000lbs combined. I watched temps all the way out and oil never exceeded 246. (Only over 240 twice the entire trip, generally down in low 200's). Truck was still new (~1700 miles at start of trip) - still had factory oil, which I changed immediately after arriving in Vegas. Trans temp - I don't remember but it was constantly over 200, probably 230ish. Last weekend we towed the same trailer, much lighter now (~6000 lbs outbound, 4200ish on the return trip) with my brother-in-law's 2020 2500 6.4 (4x2) from Vegas to Denver to Cheyenne to Denver (all loaded) and back to Vegas (left car in Denver, but still had tools/etc). His trans temps NEVER exceeded 170. Even on long grades where coolant and oil went into/over 230, his trans was locked on 170. I haven't done the research yet, but I do want to see if the 6.4 2500 has a different/bigger trans cooler than the 1500 5.7 (or different trans altogether). If its the same trans, then it has to be the cooler. By contrast, on a 10 mile errand yesterday I saw trans temps up to 194 yesterday in a completely empty truck. It is Vegas, air temps were about 104, but still.

Edit: I did look up the coolers - for the 1500 5.7 the part number is: 68312697AC For the 2500 6.4 it is: 68322494AC. So definitely different P/N/s.
ClancyO, unfortunately Ram decided to install a heater block on the side of the 1500 transmission vs straight through plumbing on the 2500... Folks have come up with ways to bypass said control to run cooler
 

ClancyO

Active Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
195
Reaction score
162
ClancyO, unfortunately Ram decided to install a heater block on the side of the 1500 transmission vs straight through plumbing on the 2500... Folks have come up with ways to bypass said control to run cooler

Well - that would make sense! (kinda!) The heater block is going to transfer coolant temps to the transmission, so they should track together. You would have thought there would be a valve or something to cut out the heater block once the transmission was at temp.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top