I have a 2000 Dak that recently blew the top radiator hose (w/cap). I replaced the hose and now it overheats and spits fluid from the cap. I added water and it still overheats. I never had overheating problems until after I replaced the hose, even with a split hose it still didnt overheat. Could it be the water pump? Also I read on a few other posts about heating issues. This winter it stopped blowing hot air, is this related?

 

Sounds like you may have air in the system. When you installed the new upper hose, and put in the new anti-freeze/water did you bleed the air out? On my 2001 there is a bleed valve where the upper hose meets the engine. I know I have to replace my upper soon and my mechanic said to make sure you bleed the air out of the system or there's a good chance it will overheat.

Try that. Keep us posted.

 

Ok, I found the bleed plug, now how is this done? Do I remove it completely or just loosen and when cold or warm? Thanks for you help!

 

The bleed valve is not necassary. the fact that its spitting water out the radiator cap means its no good... spend $4 and buy a new one. fill the radiator with water and leave the cap off... let it run till it gets to operating temp. While keeping the truck filled with water wait till all the bubbles stop coming up. You are burping the system. shouldnt take more then 10 minutes. If the truck still over heats you have a different issue.

 

This is actually the third cap installed, but I will try to "burp" the system and see what happens. Thanks

 

the reason i say the cap is because under no situation should water come out of the cap. it should open under pressure and allow it to pass to the overflow bottle

 

Ok, I checked and filled coolant level, ran engine with cap off until no more bubbles. Put the cap back on and ran engine for 30 mins with A/C/Heat on just to see any temp changes. The temp never rose above 210 and no leaks. I turned truck off then it started spitting from the cap and overflow (too full, I get that) but what was odd was I noticed fluid on the top of the engine block near the spark plug bubbling. Didnt appear to be the gasket but could it be a failed water pump? How do you check this?

As for the cap Ill buy another cap but is there a better brand? 2 previous caps are 20 (PSI?) and 1 is 18 (this one fits tight and is hard to get on and off) Which should I get?

 

caps are pretty much all the same. Not being sure which motor you have, my spark plugs are on the side no-where near my water pump. showing a picture of the area which you are refering to might help alot. By spark plug for me indicates the head may be leaking. A Block tester kit may be in order.

 

Sounds like your radiator is stopped up & not letting the coolant flow like it should ,, just experienced this with my own truck and now i have to replace head gaskets !! Mine had started running hot this year and i figured it was just the clutch fan going bad because everything pertaining to the cooling system was still new and checking out as "ok" and my temp gauge never showed anything over 210 at the hottest ,,, i never really got alot of heat from my heater either , even when the truck was running hot and it has a new heater core in it ! one day in town traffic it all the sudden started shakeing and idleing rough for no reason and i could smell a hint of antifreeze every so often while driveing , got it home hooked up the scan tool and no codes , but the temp was at 221 on the screen and my gauge showed just under 210 ! i raised the rpm`s up by holding the throttle open and thats when i saw ( after it was too late ) the problem , when i raised the rpm`s the hoses swelled up at the connections/clamp area and the heater hose that runs along the back of the engine area was kinda pulsating ? and then they would go back to normal for a few seconds and then start the process over again ,, i let it go back to idle and pulled the cap off and looked into the radiator and i seen what was happening , the pump would suck the radiator dry on the outlet side and build up pressure and then force the fluid through the the engine and back into the intake side of the radiator where the outlet side would fill up again and start the process over !!!!!!!!!! I went and bought a new radiator from A/Z and put it in and now everything works like it`s supposed to , no pressure build up or surging in the hoses , nice even flow when the t-stat opens and the temp on the scan tool never goes over 200 even with all the accessories on and a/c idling in the driveway , and ,,,,,,,,, i have excellant hot heat ( not luke warm like before ) blowing out from the heater now !!! but i still have to replace the head gaskets though , the pass side is leaking to the outside of the engine ,, which is better than to the inside !!

 

Actually, I had the very same problem with my 98 5.2L Magnum V8 when it
was newer. Antifreeze was leaking out of the gasket where (top hose) and
the thermostat housing/hose flange was attached to the engine block. It was
seeping from the gasket. I thought it was a bit unusual at the time, but
the seepage wasn't that bad, and over time it seemed to have sealed itself
more or less.

On the subject of overheating, thermostats if partially stuck can cause overheating,
not just plugged up rads or rad caps. Rad caps typically
run at 15psi, but I don't know what the cooling system calls as I have
never had to replace mine. I just drain coolant by opening the lower rad
hose, and pour in 50-50 mixture through the top of the rad and and leave the rad
cap off for awhile while idling the engine to get rid of the air pockets.