Top Transmission Cooling Parts for 2019-2024 Ram HD Trucks!

Posted by Jason Locke on 8/9/2024 to News

The 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500s with 6.7L Cummins diesels are some of the mightiest trucks on the road, but they certainly generate a ton of heat, especially if you turn up their power, tow extremely heavy, throw down at the track, or rip around off-road. Heat's not great for basically any mechanical component, but it can be real killer for your truck's transmission, especially for the particularly finicky 68RFEs in the Ram 2500 and some Ram 3500s. The good news is that we here at Tier One offer more than a few transmission cooling upgrades that will keep your Ram's transmission temperatures under control, even if you are stacking on the power or using your Ram how it's meant to be used on the road, at the track, or out in the dirt.

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 PPE Thermal Bypass Valve

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Thermal Bypass Valves

One of the most cost-effective and easiest to install cooling upgrades in our inventory are 2019-2024 Ram Bypass Valves. Technically called "thermostatic bypass valves" or "thermostatic bypass blocks", these little guys replace the factory thermostatic valve that's a key part of your Ram's transmission cooling system. The OEM thermostatic valve features (surprisingly enough) a thermostat element, which stops transmission fluid flow to your truck's front-mounted transmission cooler until the fluid reaches a specific temperature. In theory, this allows your transmission to reach it's "ideal" operating temperature before fluid starts hitting the stock cooler to prevent under-lubricating the transmission's internal components in cold climates, but considering that your transmission tends to hold a decent amount of fluid inside it even after shutdown, it's generally an overblown problem that's not balanced out by the potential failures the stock thermostatic valve can induce.

The stock thermostatic valves have some issues that can cause high transmission temperatures which can lead to both limp modes, truck shutdowns, or even transmission damage if temperatures get consistently high enough. One of the biggest problems with the stock valves is the thermostatic element itself. The thermostat inside the valve is prone to failure and/or getting clogged up by debris. This can lead to the valve not opening at "proper" operating temperatures, which can then lead to transmission temperatures soaring into potentially dangerous territory.

Aftermarket Bypass Valves for 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500s delete the thermostat element completely so that fluid is ALWAYS flowing from your truck's transmission to its transmission cooler. The end result is the removal of a potential point of failure, and cooler operating temperatures during normal street driving and light towing. We have more than a few Ram 6.7L Cummins thermal bypasses available, though Tier One's preferred bypass is the 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 PPE Thermal Bypass Valve. PPE's valve has durable construction, comes with a magnetic maintenance plug that helps pull debris out of the system, and has enlarged internal channels that further reduces the chances of clogging. It also comes in at a great price, and let's face it, almost all of these bypass valves have similar designs, so why overpay?

Some thermal bypass valve manufacturers do warn against using them in cold climates, but it our experience, that's not really something to be worried about. You can't ever run a transmission "too cool", unless it's -100° Fahrenheit and the transmission fluid literally freezes, but at that point, your truck's transmission is the least of your problems. The worst that happens before a full warm-up in cold climates is some stiff shifting and a slight reduction in torque converter stall speed, due to the lower viscosity of the fluid. The transmission pump can still push fluid just fine, and plenty of fluid remains in the transmission components after shutdown.

In short, Ram thermal bypass valves are inexpensive and easily-installed upgrades that can make a big difference in your transmission's cooling capability and general reliability.

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Mishimoto Transmission Cooler

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Transmission Coolers

Even though thermostatic bypass valves can help you and your Ram out most applications at stock or near-stock power levels, a thermostat bypass may not be enough to keep transmission temperatures under control. If your Ram is throwing down more power than stock, towing extremely heavy, or using your Ram hard at the track or off-road, then adding a complete 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 transmission cooler is probably your best bet. We have both drop-in replacement transmission coolers, as well as remote-mounted universal auxiliary transmission coolers available so that you can really tailor your Ram's cooling capabilities to your specific application.

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Drop-In Transmission Coolers

Drop-in replacement transmission coolers like the 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Mishimoto Transmission Cooler do exactly what they sound like. These transmission coolers drop right into place of the factory transmission cooler and feature both a larger surface area and more efficient design when it comes to heat dissipation than stock. The stock transmission cooler isn't the most efficient thing in the world and has a fairly small surface area and a tube-fin design that's not as effective when it comes to heat dissipation as aftermarket transmission coolers. With the stock transmission cooler riding right next to the condenser and with the radiator right behind it, the factory trans cooler can get overwhelmed in a hurry. Towing heavy up an incline at low speeds, having to rev high while slow-crawling over obstacles off-road, or doing a few consecutive passes at the track can all lead to your stock transmission cooler getting in over its head.

Most aftermarket, drop-in replacement transmission coolers have much larger surface areas than stock and sometimes use bar-plate aluminum designs instead of tube-fin, which is much more efficient at radiating heat, but at the cost of blocking more airflow from hitting your Ram's condenser and radiator. The tradeoff is usually worth it for folks that push their trucks hard, since the effect on the A/C system and engine coolant temperatures are pretty negligible compared to the gains in cooling capability your truck gets for the transmission. Our personal favorite drop-in transmission cooler for the HD Rams is the 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Mishimoto Transmission Cooler. Mishimoto's transmission cooler drops right into place of stock and uses the same mounts and quick-disconnect fittings for the fluid lines, but features a much thicker core, triple-row internal design, and all-aluminum tube-fin design with a thicker core to greatly improve cooling.

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 Auxiliary Transmission Coolers

If you find that a thermostat bypass and a drop-in transmission cooler still aren't doing enough cooling for you liking, it may be time to jump up a universal auxiliary transmission cooler like the BD Diesel Xtrude Series. Auxiliary transmission coolers are essentially secondary cooling elements that you plumb into your Ram's factory transmission cooling system and work in conjunction with either the stock transmission cooler or an aftermarket drop-in transmission cooler to further reduce temperatures. Aux transmission coolers are really reserved for pretty extreme applications like extremely heavy towing or hot-shotting, really aggressive track applications with huge power numbers, or purpose-built off-road rigs that are going to be doing some serious desert running. That's not saying that auxiliary transmission coolers aren't handy or effective for more "normal" applications, it's just that they're usually not worth the hassle when thermal bypasses and drop-in transmission coolers exist.

The vast majority of auxiliary transmission coolers are universal and require you to find space on your Ram, build some custom bracketry, find the right fittings and plumb new lines into your stock transmission cooling system, run wiring (if a fan is included), and possibly drill or trim parts for your Ram for install. All that is a bit of a pain in the neck for your average truck user, but if you're still seeing high transmission temperatures after other cooling options have failed, then an aux cooler may be for you. We personally recommend the BD Diesel Complete Xtrude Auxiliary Transmission Cooler Kit which comes with a wiring harness, brackets, and at least some fittings. Depending on your specific setup, you may need longer lines or additional fittings, but this kit does give you at least most of what you need all in one place without breaking your bank.

2007.5-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 68RFE Brushed Aluminum Transmission

2019-2024 Ram 6.7L Cummins Transmission Pans

While most folks tend to install aftermarket transmission coolers just to get a drain plug and make fluid changes on their Ram a heck of a lot easier, most transmission pans can help reduce your truck's transmission temperatures fairly significantly. The factory transmission pan on the 2019-2024 Ram 2500s and 3500s is made out of stamped steel, which saves the manufacturer money and holds your transmission fluid in place, but that's basically all it does. Aftermarket transmission pans for 2019-2024 Ram 2500s and 3500s are usually made out of cast aluminum, have deep designs with higher fluid capacities, and many have additional fins to further increase their surface area. But how does all this lead to lower transmission temperatures?

While aftermarket transmission pans (especially deep pans) don't provide the same cooling potential as a complete transmission cooler or the reliability improvements of a thermal bypass valve, they do provide a reduction in temperatures and some reliability improvements over the long term. Transmission pans provide their cooling via two different factors: 1). their cast aluminum construction. 2). their increased capacity. Cast aluminum is more efficient at radiating heat than the stock steel pan, which helps expel heat out of the fluid that's in the pan itself. While most folks look at increased fluid capacity as more of a lubrication and reliability thing, the increased fluid volume serves a heat sink itself, which can help keep transmission temperatures under better control. Since most transmission pans come with additional cooling fins, the pan's cast aluminum surface area further increases, which also helps cool your transmission fluid down.

Tier One's favorite transmission pans for the 2019-2024 Rams come from our friends over at PPE. PPE's deep pans for the Ram 2500s and 3500s with both 68RFE and AS69RC transmissions have the deep design, cast steel construction, and cooling fins that all help lower temperatures, but unlike the competition, they have a few extras that make them our go-to pans for all of Tier One's Built Truck Transmissions. PPE's pans use an extra-large hex head for the drain plug, instead of a square socket or a large Allen key, which makes it far less likely to get stripped than other pans. PPE's pans also come with built-in 1/4" and 1/8" NPT fittings for potentially running a temperature sensor, internal baffles that reduce sloshing, and the drain plug is also magnetic to help pull particulates out of your fluid. We have the following 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 PPE transmission pans available:

2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500 PPE 68RFE Transmission Pans:

2019-2024 Ram 3500, 4500, 5000 PPE AS69RC Transmission Pans:

Transmission Cooling Conclusion

Keeping your Ram's transmission cool can be a challenge, especially if your truck is churning out more power than stock, towing extremely heavy, or using your truck in extreme applications. That being said, bypass valves, aftermarket transmission coolers, and deep transmission pans can be the Holy Trinity that finally tames your Ram's high transmission temperatures. Many of these bypass valves, transmission coolers, and transmission pans are in stock and ready to ship, so grab them today to get your Ram's cooling system in proper order!

Top Transmission Cooling Upgrades for 2019-2024 Ram 2500 & 3500s!