That "A/C-only" mod is a bad idea, and Begel doesn't understand the differences between 12v and 24v heater plumbing. Done that way it is a piston 5-6 killer. 5.9s of all varieties in everything from Dodge trucks to stationary gensets have always had heat issues at the back of the block. That's why piston 5 and 6 are always the first ones to go and you always put EGT probes on the back 3. A mod like this can be done to help the A/C, but it doesn't do as much as some seem to think and you have to bypass the flow with a 3-way valve to do it right or else you are starving the back of the head for coolant flow, right where you need it the most.

 

i know opie has one as well as eep and theirs is pretty cheap as well but you can also just put an electric water pump on there. thats what i did, does the same thing and about half the price. being electric it keeps the flow at the same steady pace as where the higher rpm pushes the pressure too high and causes the freeze plugs to blow out. plus you could gain a couple extra hp from removing the belt driven one. I can get the dr p water pump pretty cheap just let me know if interested

 

interested, how reliable is the electric one though? cause i've been told to steer clear of them, never with any reasoning behind the statements but still they have been said

 

well to be honest havent heard anything bad about them as far as longevity but havent ran man near long enough to see how well it would do over time. Most people i know who are running them are on pullers so they dont get driven on the street much or see many miles but for around or just under 300 bucks as apposed to 5-600 i tried one...

 

might have to look into the electric water pump a bit more, cause these coolant by pass systems are a bit on the ridiculous side, I know there's some engineering that goes into them but not $600 worth, and I know the parts can't be that much

 

All you need for a simple coolant bypass is to pull the plug out of the head above #6, install a 1/2" NPT barb and tee it back into the heater return. They plumbed the heater that way on the later trucks for this very reason in the first place.

 

Here you go Bobcat67:

Cummins coolant bypass

Cummins rear freeze plug plate

 

I know this is a little late in the thread but.....could you add some detail to what you just said regarding why the later trucks did this? I'm looking to add a coolant bypass but am not seeing why the kits are $300+ for something that looks simple.

 

TTT for this respone.

Also interested in this, or an electric water pump.

 

I have a 2001 ram 2500, and the heat sucks. It barely gets warm. Drove 50 miles and was able to remove the radiator cap right when i got home and coolant did not spray out. Put my finger in it and just luke warm. Temp gauge says 190. Very confused, anyone have any ideas?