SO i got a 90 dodge dakota 3.9 L and been having overheating issues since i got the damn thing. replaced my thermostate 195 unfortionately i put stop leak in which worked for a while then my radiator blew. got a new radiator and it worked for a while then my heater core got clogged blew it out and ran fine for a couple weeks started smelling coolant then realized my heater core was messed up again im gonna replace it but i bypassed it for now and my truck is still overheating. top rad hose still getting pressure any help would be great??? also where is a good place to get parts?

 

ive read a few related post and im thinkin a lower temp thermostate but im new to this workin on my own vehichle thing and would like some re assurance or advice.

 

The stop leak clogged up everything. I'm sure that stuff is still in the system and clogging stuff up. NEVER use that junk. Flush out the entire system 1 piece at a time all hoses ect.

 

yea a 180 degree thermostat will help. while you got it out remove bottom radiator hose at radiator and run water thru the thermostat hole and flush the block good. then flush the radiator good get any left over stop leak out. i run a 160 thermostat in my 90 3.9. gets 1/4 hot....

 

One thing to check for that seldom occurs to people is the lower hose. Since it's on the suction side of the water pump, it can collapse under the suction when the engine's running, especially if the pressure cap on the radiator isn't keeping normal pressure in the system. There's supposed to be a spring inside that hose to keep it from collapsing, but these can sometimes shift around a bit, rust in two, or become flattened. I've even see where the person who installed the hose removed the spring!

The bugger about this is you can't see the trouble with the engine off.

And, as has been pointed out already, that stop-leak crap should be avoided like the plague.

 

You might have a headgasket that's has a slight leak in it. I've seen a few vehicles that run fine but run hot. You can do one of two things, 1) Take it to a shop so they can use a block tester to check for a blown headgasket. 2) Buy a block tester and do it yourself.

For those that don't know, a block tester is a device that you put on the radiator. It has blue liquid in it that turns yellow if it comes in contact with combustion gasses. It has a bulb on the end (or a fitting for a vacuum pump) and after you drain some water out of the radiator, you pull air into the block tester from the radiator while the vehicle is running. If it turns yellow you're pulling heads.

If you've had this problem since you bought it, I'm willing to bet the previous owner knew this and sold the truck as oppose to fixing it.

Stay away from Stop Leak. This is the most horrible/worthless product on the market today and causes more problems than it could ever fix.

A.J.

 

thanks guys yeah i've come to the conclusion that stop leak is made to make the motor companies more money lol. never using that crap again! im gettin my parts tuesday so i'll post then if i have any more issues once again THANKS!

 

in the heatercore compartment is there a hose that dumps outside the vehicle in case the core starts leaking or does it fill up inside the cab ? hoping mine will make it until spring but want to know some early warning signs of failure. had a slight smell of coolant but im praying it was residual stuff burning off from the recent waterpump replacement. theres no leaks at all on the ground. my concearn was its filling up in that heater compartment but i didnt know if it was sealed or not

 

The heater core and A/C evaporator share the same box. There is a drain that allows the condensation on the evaporator to drain out. If you have a heater core leak it will drain out the same hose. Unfortunately it's right on the O2 sensor and that can cause problems in it's self. It would be best to bypass the heater core until you can get it fixed. That's what I did until it got colder out so I had to fix mine.

A.J.

 

might not even be leaking but that faint smell had me wondering and the overflow seems slighty low but maybe its my imagination but theres not a drop on the ground that i could see so i dont know and it aint leaking up top around the tstat because i looked at that area real good. quit a bit spilled on the engine when waterpump was replaced so it could still be burning off. ill check it out in the daylight