2005 Dodge Grand Caravan overheats but still has fluid in the radiator when I check it. Do you think it is the thermostat?

have you checked radiator fluid and transmission fluid ?

Check your coolant for any trans fluid mixing,& ck the trans fluid for coolant, the radiator may have an internal leak (trans/ coolant), If they are mixing within the rad, radiator needs replacement. If OK then there may be 2 separate problems. The cooling system may need service or the rad is rusted and there is a separate trans problem. Ck for fluid mixture first!

not good wendy, most likely cause is a blown cylinder head gasket, but have someone check to make sure the thermostat is opening( if you let the engine idle for around 10min the top radiator hose will get hot when the thermostat opens if the engine overheats before the top hose gets hot then replace the thermostat) if the thermostat is poening then supect the head gasket.

I see your post was a while ago. I hope this helps you or anyone ells having Dodge over heating issues.

I have a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 and a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. I also owned a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan. ALL of them had thermostat issues. When you replace the thermostat make certain you get the proper heat rating. If it is rated tool low, then the check engine light will trigger the code that the engine is not heating up fast enough. I also recommend going with a 'fail-safe' thermostat. These thermostats fail OPEN rather than closed. My 2002 RAM factory thermostat failed closed, built up pressure, then blew half the water out from under the radiator cap. This happened in less than 35k miles. The dealer replaced it. After a couple of years it failed again. Make sure you have 50/50 mix of anti freeze to water. This raises the boiling point of the water, makes it more efficient for cooling the engine, treats the water so it does not corrode and scale up the cooling system and helps keep the liquid from boiling off there by reducing the volume of fluid in the cooling system. Also, BOTH my 02 RAM and 05 caravan developed a leak in their radiators. They were slow leaks and I did not notice it until I did some standard checks and found the coolant was low, Most shops can run a pressure test for less than $40 to let you know if your radiator is leaking.

You should also make sure that your AC cooling fans is running. There are fuses and solenoids in the fuse box that can sometimes go out. When you AC is on this fans will turn on. If not, it could create a lot of extra heat.

Shawn

Hello and welcome to FixYa!

If you have overheating problem, it can lead to multiple issues. You may be running on low coolant that's why the vehicle overheats. If that's the case, please add coolant and make sure that it sits on the right level, too much coolant can cause overheating too for coolant will overflow.

The vehicle may have a faulty or worn out radiator blower motor that's why it overheats. If that's the case then you will need a blower motor replacement to resolve the issue.

If the radiator is clogged with dirt and rusts this issue occurs too. The coolant doesn't flow normally on the cooling system if it's clogged. If that's the case, I strongly suggest that you have the radiator flushed to drain out dirt and rusts. If you think that the radiator served you enough then it's better to have it replaced.

Please do check the radiator hoses, If you have worn out hoses it can cause coolant leakage which can result to overheating. A tiny hole is good enough for the vehicle to overheat.

A faulty thermostat sensor can cause the issue too. If you have worn out thermostat, the fan may not trigger that's why the fan won't work when under stressed conditions. A blown radiator blower fuse can cause this issue too so I suggest that you check the radiator blower fuse and replace it when necessary.

Hope you find this information helpful enough and thank you for using FixYa! Have a good one!

Replace the thermostat. The Thermostat is not functioning correctly. It is closed = not allowing the radiator fluid to flow when the engine is cold. When the Thermostat reaches a certain temperature, it is suppose to open = allowing the radiator fluid to flow.
Your Thermostat is not opening, causing the engine fluid to reach boiling point. When this happens, the sheer pressure will 'blow' boiling radiator fluid out the radiator cap. The Radiator Cap is designed to do this if operating properly.
Change that Thermostat and the over boiling should disappear. And yes it is something you can do yourself without much problem.
Let me know if this helped, or if you have additional information or questions. Feel free to contact me at FixYa.com!
Please include your engine size on any additional information or questions..Thanks,

Change the Thermostat.

You may have a stuck closed thermostat which get's worse when the car overheats. All the symptoms you describe indicate this.
Buy a new thermostat and replace the old one. Do not continue to drive the car for any distance other than a distance that prevents the knocking.

Locate the thermostat by following the top radiator hose to were it attaches to the block. The stat is located under the flanged piece that the hose is connected to.

Check rad fan relay & or fuse under hood in fuse/relay box on drivers side fender area. Map is on underside of cover.

sounds like a head gasket problem not much other than replacement can fix that. if it is not a bad leak and you want a short term temperay fix try iron tight but i suggest trading it in after adding iron tight because it will stop the leak for short term but cause major problem in the long run any local parts store should have iron tight. good luck