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2003 4.6L expedition overheating after 15-30 minutes driving city or interstate. coolant bubbling into overflow and mechanical radiator fan was turning while in overheat, no signs of coolant leakage from hoses, seep hole or into crank case or exhaust. after cool down fluid in overflow at back to normal level and vacuum present when overflow cap removed while running. where do I start? on older vehicle i would cool down remove radiator cap and start to wait for fluid movement not sure with this car.
changed the thermostat and same thing (overheat), the overheat is pegging the temp gauge which is what alerted my wife to point out the problem. after changing thermostat and running till overheat I checked the lower hose to make sure it wasn't collapsing and noticed a rather significant temp in upper hose to hot to touch and lower hose which could be comfortably held. still not sure how to determine it proper flow is present through radiator.
changed the thermostat and same thing (overheat), the overheat is pegging the temp gauge which is what alerted my wife to point out the problem. after changing thermostat and running till overheat I checked the lower hose to make sure it wasn't collapsing and noticed a rather significant temp in upper hose to hot to touch and lower hose which could be comfortably held. still not sure how to determine it proper flow is present through radiator.
water pump will be best economical try next with flush out which i have not tried, i was hoping that there was a way to determine coolant flow but i guess if it's not thermostat then pump/radiator/blockage is all that's left?
water pump will be best economical try next with flush out which i have not tried, i was hoping that there was a way to determine coolant flow but i guess if it's not thermostat then pump/radiator/blockage is all that's left?
thanks, i'll be sure and have the stat out when i flush, i don't have water pump or radiator in stock at local stores and wish i could know for sure what needs to be replaced in the interest of saving time and money. In my previous experience with water pumps they always leaked out of the seep hole when "bad" and this pump has no leakage.
thanks, i'll be sure and have the stat out when i flush, i don't have water pump or radiator in stock at local stores and wish i could know for sure what needs to be replaced in the interest of saving time and money. In my previous experience with water pumps they always leaked out of the seep hole when "bad" and this pump has no leakage.
It can be normal for coolant to be returned into the overflow tank when the engine is hot. Is your temp gauge going off the dial to confirm that engine is actually overheating?It can be normal for coolant to be returned into the overflow tank when the engine is hot. Is your temp gauge going off the dial to confirm that engine is actually overheating?
AnonymousMar 24, 2014
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan radiator needs to be refilled after most trips over say 30 minutes or so. No puddles under the vehicle. Used a pressure tester from Autozone and both the cap and system hold pressure as required. 1 thing I did notice with the cap off and engine running, the radiator fluid level will rise and fall, high enough to where I think the fluid is being forced in to the overflow tank. It is not overheating according to the gauge. This problem started after changing the radiator. I have removed the 2 lines that go to the rear heater / ac unit due to they had holes in them and I want to fix this prior to installing them again. Any ideas?2005 Dodge Grand Caravan radiator needs to be refilled after most trips over say 30 minutes or so. No puddles under the vehicle. Used a pressure tester from Autozone and both the cap and system hold pressure as required. 1 thing I did notice with the cap off and engine running, the radiator fluid level will rise and fall, high enough to where I think the fluid is being forced in to the overflow tank. It is not overheating according to the gauge. This problem started after changing the radiator. I have removed the 2 lines that go to the rear heater / ac unit due to they had holes in them and I want to fix this prior to installing them again. Any ideas?
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how about the water pump? did you try flushing the system? it could be cloggedhow about the water pump? did you try flushing the system? it could be clogged
when you reflush the system, it is best to have the therostat out so everything flows straight through.when you reflush the system, it is best to have the therostat out so everything flows straight through.
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It would appear your thermostat is stuck in the closed position , find where it is on your engine, drain coolant and remove thermostat housing and stat, replace housing(liquid gasket OK) and coolant. now run engine, turn heater controls to hot leaving filler cap off, top up any water to max and replace cap now warm up to temp until fan comes on. if all ok replace thermostat with a new one and new gasket, you could also flush the sytem out at the same time with a hose pipe by loosening one of coolent pipes and flush radiator.
first check coolant level in radiator coolant level sound low.if coolant overflow jug empty.coolant sysyem low, when add coolant to coolant overflow jug coolant level should stay at full cold mark.if coolant level okay,engine overheat while sitting or moving in slow traffic either coolant fan relay or fuse could be bad.or engine coolant temperature sensor could be bad. coolant sensor turn on cooling fan at certain temperature.hot wire check to make sure cooling fan motor not bad or short in wires.if all is good have pcm check it controls fan relay to through the coolant temperature sensor signal when coolant get hot.
Bad news is the air bubbles are actually exhaust gases entering your coolant, you have a blown head gasket, and or bad head, which is also the overheating concern.
You have air in the top of the engine. The antifreeze spewing out of the overflow happens due to your perfectly functional radiator cap passing the overheated coolant/air mixture out of the system into the reservior (in an attempt to relieve overpressurization of the cooling system) The sudden nature of your overheating comes from the boiling of the inadequate amount of coolant/antifreeze in your engine, since it cant properly cool the engine, except for the first 10-25 minutes of operation - after that, it boils (overheats quickly), then pressure rises immediately within the cooling system. The Fix is free: locate and open the (air) bleeder port at the top of the engine, and add the usual 50% coolant/50% water mixture to the radiator until the radiator is full to the level indicated in your owner's manual (or the "Full" line). Then close the bleeder port and replace the rad (radiator) cap. The air bleeder port is normally located near the thermostat, and should be opened each time that coolant is added to the radiator. The air bleeder port need not be opened when adding 50/50 coolant to the reservior, since the rad cap is going to be closed while adding coolant to this part of the cooling system. Warning: driving beyond the point where your engine temperature gauge indicates overheating will destroy the car's engine - it'll seize up due to overheating, and the only fix for a seized/burned-up engine is replacement (of the engine). Seizing an engine is really easy with an air bubble in the top of the engine - you could easily burn up/warp the head, necessitating replacement of the head and head gasket.
No, you can't add too much coolant. Rather, it does not hurt anything if you do. Did you add it to the radiator, or to the overflow tank?
Let it cool, then remove the radiator cap, and if needed, add coolant to the radiator. Put the cap back on, and fill the overflow tank to the "full - cold" line. Start it and run it a few minutes and look for leaks. If you find no leaks, drive it for a day or two, then let it cool and check it again. If it is down a lot (without overheating), you have a leak somewhere. If you lose enough coolant, that will make it overheat. However, if it overheats, that can cause loss of coolant, when you stop the car, you will see steam and smell coolant, and often hear it boiling.
If it overheats again, make note of when it happens: driving on the highway, or stop-and-go around town. Overheating on the highway usually indicates a clogged radiator, while in-town overheating usually indicates a bad cooling fan (you don't need the fan above about 30 MPH). A bad fan is usually the fan relay, but it can be the fan thermostat (different from the engine thermostat), or a bad fan motor.
SOUND LIKE COOLANT FAN NOT COMING ON.WHEN YOU ARE IN CITY.YOUR ENGINE RADIATOR NOT GETTING MUCH AIR FLOW IN THE CITY.BECAUSE YOU STOP AND GO ALOT.DUE TO A LOT OF STOP LIGHTS.CHECK COOLANT FAN RELAY AND FUSE.IF BOTH GOOD.COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR SENSOR.IF ALL IS GOOD HOT WIRE COOLANT FAN TO SEE IF IT RUNS.IF NO FAN MOTOR BAD.IF YES FAN MOTOR RUNS WIRE CONNECTOR IS OPEN OR DAMAGED.
Make sure the radiator cooling fans are both coming on when the A/C is turned on. This cools down the condenser which is mounted in front of the radiator. Dodge has had issues with the fan controls for years. There is a fan control module which turns the fans on when the a/c is activated or the engine temp reaches a prescribed level. I would replace the thermostat as well if the vehicle has been previously overheated or has high mileage.
Good luck
changed the thermostat and same thing (overheat), the overheat is pegging the temp gauge which is what alerted my wife to point out the problem. after changing thermostat and running till overheat I checked the lower hose to make sure it wasn't collapsing and noticed a rather significant temp in upper hose to hot to touch and lower hose which could be comfortably held. still not sure how to determine it proper flow is present through radiator.
water pump will be best economical try next with flush out which i have not tried, i was hoping that there was a way to determine coolant flow but i guess if it's not thermostat then pump/radiator/blockage is all that's left?
thanks, i'll be sure and have the stat out when i flush, i don't have water pump or radiator in stock at local stores and wish i could know for sure what needs to be replaced in the interest of saving time and money. In my previous experience with water pumps they always leaked out of the seep hole when "bad" and this pump has no leakage.
It can be normal for coolant to be returned into the overflow tank when the engine is hot. Is your temp gauge going off the dial to confirm that engine is actually overheating?
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan radiator needs to be refilled after most trips over say 30 minutes or so. No puddles under the vehicle. Used a pressure tester from Autozone and both the cap and system hold pressure as required. 1 thing I did notice with the cap off and engine running, the radiator fluid level will rise and fall, high enough to where I think the fluid is being forced in to the overflow tank. It is not overheating according to the gauge. This problem started after changing the radiator. I have removed the 2 lines that go to the rear heater / ac unit due to they had holes in them and I want to fix this prior to installing them again. Any ideas?
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