My D keeps overheating, so I replaced the thermostat. Didn't work, so I replaced the water pump. Took it to the shop, told me I had a bad head gasket and intake plenum gasket. Tore the engine completely apart, rebuilt it, still overheats. Added "water wetter". Nothing. Added 2 high-CFM electric fans, nothing. Now, since it is the one and only thing in the engine bay that isn't brand new, I am going to replace the radiator.

First, the radiator I ordered, which was specifically listed as compatible with the 1999 Durango 5.9L, does not have an external transmission oil cooler. It just has a straight pipe in and out of the radiator. Is this a very bad thing?

Second, how the hell do I get the transmission oil lines off the radiator? They have those reverse-clip compression fittings, and I have used everything from precision screwdrivers to vise grips and a hammer trying to get them off with no luck.

Thanks!

-Brad

 

I'm doing a rad swap right now... If you can do it without busting a leak in it, unmount the auxiliary transmission oil cooler from your current radiator, along with the pipes and fittings, and transfer them to the new radiator. you should not have to separate the cooler lines from the compression clips. Just unscrew the fittings on the radiator and the auxiliary cooler. If you bust a leak in the auxiliary cooler trying to get it out of the car (which I did) you should replace it - I don't suggest just running tran lines into and out of the radiator without an auxiliary cooler. You can get an aftermarket cooler for about $40, but it won't mount to the radiator like the OEM one. As for the compression clips, I pushed them aside with a tiny screw driver, pulling the line out at the same time; finally the line came out with the clip attached. If you pull hard enough (but not doo hard) the clip will just give way and the line will come out, but you will have to replace the little spring clip.

 

Thanks for the response...

I was really slapping my forhead (DUH!) for not thinking of this myself!

-Brad