Thank you to everyone on this site who has posted. I thought I was the only one having problems with my rango. It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Here are my rango's issues
-my speedo doesn't start work til 30mph
-I hardly have any heat, and let me tell you,living in maine, u want heat. i can tell how cold it is cos there's days when 30 minutes of driving i finally get heat.
-i can't clean my rear window in the winter cos the fluid is frozen and oh yeah the biggest problem at the moment is my ball joints went yesterday. So this weekend she'll be getting both upper/lower ball joints in the front end done.
But you know what? I'll never get rid of her, she is my baby. So i will deal with the cold and all the other issues. Like i said earlier thanx everyone, glad i'm not alone.

 

I'm confused if you had gotten answers to your problems or not. I'll throw my 2 cents in anyways. : )



The speedo could be a bad speed sensor.


The heat, when it's warmed up, is the Temp gauge at normal range? Feel the radiator hoses and see if they are warm . If they are not, you have a stuck thermostat. If they are warm, you may need a coolant flush because something is blocked up.


Windshield wiper fluid shouldn't freeze, it's good for about -30 or so. Unless there's water in there, I don't see how it would freeze? Unless you have an older Durango with the fluid tanks in the back and they're empty?




Hope this babbling helps.

 

i didn't need answers, it just nice to know that my rango isn't the only one with the problems she has.

She is a 99 with the rear reservoir for the washer fluid and for some reason the hose at the top of the vehicle, above where the hatch lifts up freezes every winter. Yes, i do keep it full and i never put water in it. But that's what happens. Had it for 3 winters now and every year has been the same.

 

You can get the fluid rated for frozen applications. This stuff doesn't freeze. But in Maine anything can happen.

De-Icing fluid maybe. Most are rated to -30.

Now I have seen people put rubbing alcohol into them to keep them from freezing. I don't know of any problems associated with it.

One speed sensor is on the top of the rear axel(Differential Speed Sensor). This one is your problem.

There is a different one tho. One on the transmission (Transmission Output Sensor)
I would replace the one on the axel.

Heater Core is most likely plugged, Here are some instructions.

Take off both hose's from the fire wall going to the heater core. Take an old garden hose and cut off the end and place it on the heater core (the side that goes to the engine not the one that goes to the water pump) and turn the hose on full. Remember to place a clamp around the hose to keep it from flying off! Then place it on the other one and do the same. Back and forth approx. 2-3 times and re hook your heater hoses back up. Place them back in the right order. Check coolant level and you are set.

To keep the water from flying out onto the motor you can put a small piece of hose on the other side and face it down so the fluid runs onto the ground but it is only an option.

Every vehicle needs maintenance.

 

winter washer fluid with teflon is good to -45 celcius... definately need that stuff here on Ontario once in a while... It doesnt freeze in the tube, but freezes once it hits the window

 

The reason your "washer fluid" is freezing is because it's not washer fluid anymore, it's just plain water.

The rear reservoir fluid cover doesn't keep out rain/car wash water out and so it seeps into the reservoir and gradually displaces the solvent. So later on when you go to use it, you're just cleaning your back window with plain old water.

I don't wanna say how long it took me to figure this one out but my epiphany came as I was thinking about how rarely I needed to fill that rear tank up!

Crazy eh?
TVB

 

I don't see how that much water could ever get in there so I must very well disagree!

But some good info anyway.