Hi, overheating can be caused by a number of things, but it depends on the situation, if there a greed fluid (coolant) dripping under your car than you are losing the coolant which keeps your engine from overheating, if there are no signs of leaking, than you might have a bad thermostat which is either not opening, or opening at too high of a temperature. If this is so, than i recommend replacing the thermostat. (make sure to use the same temperature rated thermostat as the one that is currently in the vehicle) also when you put new coolant back in the engine, make sure that it is a 50/50 blend of coolant and water, because a too rich mixture of coolant can also cause overheating.
Check the following after the usual fluid and belt condition/tension checks:
1. Fan clutch may have died, or be dying. It is filled with a silicon oil and should lock or get very stiff when the engine is hot. After warm-up, turn off the engine. If the fan spins a bit clutch is bad. If it doesn't severely resist turning by hand it is likely bad. If it has over 100k on it it is likely time to replace it. If the electric fan runs often under normal conditions it is bad. Hayes makes a good replacement. When I changed mine I increased miliage by 1.2 mpg because at cold start it takes a while to distribute the oil inside the clutch, and a new one does that better and faster. BTW - That is why the engine roars so much when first started and shortly gets quiet.
2. If overheating under heavy load shift out of overdrive, or downshift as operators manual instructs, and slow down some. Use the tachometer to avoid running at too low or too high an RPM. Turn off air-conditioner under heavy hot loading.
3. Keep the fins on the front of the radiator free of debris like bugs and dirt. CAREFULLY straighten severely bent fins to promote airflow.
4. If you find yourself in an overheating situation and are pretty sure that it isn't a severe mechanical fault, then try turning on the heater(s) with all of the windows open. The heater cores are small radiators, and more fluid is now running through the system. Of course, the air-conditioner is off already. This trick got my wife and 12 year old son safely to Mammoth up a steep grade - he thought of it!
5. If this condition continues after these issues resolved there is likely a mechanical fault that needs a professional mechanic- like water pump, clogged radiator, failing hoses (hard to tell how bad they are inside of the hose!), head gasket leak, timing, spark plugs, or other such fault with emissions systems (although these will likely give a "check engine" warning), and poor fuel.
Take care
SOURCE: overheating 2003 dodge durango. What could be the problem??
When engine running, ensure no engine combustion gas bubbles in coolant resevoir (if so, the head gasket is blown).
Check cooling fans are operating ok (when required when car warms up), if not check
1) fuse,
2) relay operation,
3) heat sensor switch.
Replace thermostat.
When re-filling cooling system, bleed off any airlock as necessary.
Check for collapsing (soft) coolant hose on suction side of waterpump when engine revs above idle.
SOURCE: 2003 Dodge Durango is overheating
are you sure that you put the t stat in the right way??is there anything blocking the rad mud ect ect???did you put more coolant in it after changeing the t stat?...is the water pump working proper?...the head gasket may be leaking..this should help solve your issues
What exactly is the "round plug type thing" near the firewall [passenger side]? Is it a sensor of some type? I, too, have a coolant leak here on my 2001 Durango; its tucked in rather tightly near the hood/firewall corner. My electric fan is not kicking on; vehicle overheated tonight. (4.7 liter)
SOURCE: Need 2004 Dodge Durango Belt Diagram
need to fix the auxillary coolant pump? WHERE IS IT LOCATED AND IS IT HARD TO DO.
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