Sorry, should have put 5.9 in the heading, Newbie, help me out... I have a 2001 Dodge Durango 4 wheel drive, 5.9 V8. Yesterday, I smelled just a hint of coolant as I put the heat on, but saw no smoke and the temp was running normal. I drove probably 40 miles yesterday total, in several spots, including city and highway miles. Today, I get in the car and go to work. A 6 min drive, about 4 miles highway, and the other 2 city. When I pulled into work, smoke was coming from the hood, and the temp gauge said I was running hot. I popped the hood and the smoke was coming from the radiator and just a small amount of leakage. Could this just be a pinhole in the hoses? The therm could be bad? Are these coolant systems hard to flush? 140k miles

 

You saw leakage and smelled coolant, find the leak and correct it.

 

Most common failure is the entire upper hose contraption. $45 dealer only item. Swap it out. Also, look down at the stat, any leaking around the neck is an indicator the stat & gasket need swapped too.

Here is my upper hose story: (Mis)adventures of a blown hose

IndyDurango