Hi everyone I have a new problem with My 2002 Durango.It's runnig hot.My wife called me to tell me the temp gauge was way over to the hot side. told her to pull over and shut it off. She did it never overheated.I put water in the overflow she drove it home with no proplems. then she went to the store and it did it again.I turn the fan with my hand very easily. could the fan cluch be gone.

 

I leftout something My Wife had the heat tturn up on high when she drove ths durango home and she siad the heat in the rear was blowing cold air.Thanks for all your imputs.

 

Possible that your T-stat may be stuck. When you turn the clutch fan by hand, if the blade makes more than one complete turn, the clutch is bad.

As far as no heat, it may be possible your heater core may be clogged. You can check by feeling the two heater hoses going thru the firewall. If you notice a big difference in temperature between the hoses, the core is clogged.

With your overheating issues and possibly a clogged heater core, I may recommend you to have your entire cooling system thoroughly checked to make sure you covered the whole thing instead of chasing one problem after another.

 

usually if cold air is present there is a air pocket in the cooling system have a pressure check performed to ensure there are no leaks.

 

A few things to check...

1) Thermostat operation. You can test the thermostat by dropping it into a pan of ~210 degree water to see if it opens up. Then again, by the time you remove the thermostat, you might as well just replace it.

2) Make sure your coolant system is full - not just the overflow tank. Air pockets can hurt the coolant system, the 01+ trucks can get them relatively easy because of where the cap is set. You can help eliminate a bubble in the upper hose by removing the cap, lifting the hose up out of the cradle so it's level, top off the fluid level while it's up in the air, then replace the cap before you set it back down.

3) Make sure the radiator cap hasn't gone bad. The system needs pressure to prevent boiling, if the cap isn't sealing well you'll overheat as well.

 

To check thermostat operation, let the vehicle get to OT and grab the upper radiator hose. IF it is cold, T-stat is stuck. If you can hold your hand on it without too much discomfort, flow is restricted. If it becomes unpleasant in a few seconds, T-stat is not your problem.

If T-stat seems OK, check for cold spots on the Radiator. If the tanks are hot, but a significant amount of the core is cool or luke-warm, Radiator is clogged.

Bad fan clutch will only cause overheating while stopped or moving slowly. Above 30 MPH, the air being forced through the radiator naturally is more than the fan pulls. The electric's in my Apen are set to come on at 185*. They are always off unless I'm stuck in rush hour traffic or sitting at idle for 30 seconds or more.

 

I took the cap off and the hose was empty.So iadd some more antifreeze.then ilet it run in the driveway until it came up to OT the heat in the front was hot but the rear heat was cold.I'm taking it for a ride right now I'll let you know how things go.

 

I've never found the rear heat to be much. Turn the heat on the Dash to floor. I believe the rear heat gets it's heat from the same duct that the floor is on.

With that said, I don't know what engine you have, but I had a magnum 5.9. It used to go through coolant like nobodies business. AND I had a sludge problem. From what I gathered, the coolant leaked into the oil somehow. I had the engine flushed, the radiator flushed and I put a small tubeof coolant system sealant into the radiator. I have not used a drop of coolant since nor have I had a sludge problem. I changed my oil as I should, regardless of what any will say out of sheer denial. I was there, others who will swear on my trucks problems beiung this or that were not. Coincidence, perhaps, but I know this. The Forklift mechanic at work was the one who told me to use it. The same stuff is shipped with forktrucks and if you don't add it to the coolant before the first use, it will void the warrenty for the truck.

I know this isn't the most popular answer with the other guys and others will tell you to never add anything blah blah blah, but1 small 2oz bottle will not harm anything IMHO. I can see if you add several over time. ButI have no leaks, no sludge and skin melting heat. (upfront that is, seems to cool quit a bit by the time it gets to the rear...)

 

My drove the durango and had no problems the heat worked fine the temp never went up at all.It must of been low on fluid. I put some in last night maybe between 1/4 and 1/2 gal. Thanks for all of your imputs.Have a Happy thanksgiving