aggie2000
Enthusiast
Okay, it’s no miracle solution, but I just wanted to post my experience for the other novices out there. My 2002 RT/10 all of the sudden started overheating during a “spirited” low-speed drive through the hills: low speed/airflow and high revs. The overflow tank started puking fluid (not too much), and I could hear the coolant boiling inside the radiator. Temp spiked to 250. I cooled it down a bit and drove home in the highest gear I could muster to minimize revs and temps.
I spent 3 full days pouring through the forums, reading about which aftermarket radiator is best, how to “burp” a viper cooling system, etc. After burping and seeing no change, I decided to go back to the basics. If it cools when I’m hauling a$$ but not when I go slow, it’s probably an airflow issue. Radiator fins, etc. looked fine, so I looked at the next possible culprit: IS THE FAN EVEN TURNING ON?!? Well, in fact it was not turning on; I used my super-sleuth skills to comb through the wiring diagrams in the manual and trace the problem to a failed Radiator On/Off Relay. AutoZone didn’t have a specific relay for the Viper, but the helpful attendant found the same relay on the shelf (listed for a different car). Anyway, $6.87 later, no more overheating problem.
Moral of the story is: always check the basics first before you start digging into more complex problems. Novice mistake, but we live and learn. And thankfully I learned for less than seven bucks!
I spent 3 full days pouring through the forums, reading about which aftermarket radiator is best, how to “burp” a viper cooling system, etc. After burping and seeing no change, I decided to go back to the basics. If it cools when I’m hauling a$$ but not when I go slow, it’s probably an airflow issue. Radiator fins, etc. looked fine, so I looked at the next possible culprit: IS THE FAN EVEN TURNING ON?!? Well, in fact it was not turning on; I used my super-sleuth skills to comb through the wiring diagrams in the manual and trace the problem to a failed Radiator On/Off Relay. AutoZone didn’t have a specific relay for the Viper, but the helpful attendant found the same relay on the shelf (listed for a different car). Anyway, $6.87 later, no more overheating problem.
Moral of the story is: always check the basics first before you start digging into more complex problems. Novice mistake, but we live and learn. And thankfully I learned for less than seven bucks!