P0441 and coolant problem?
 

Hey everyone. First post a question - been reading on the forum for about a month now so I've got some idea of my 02 durango sxt. My question is what exactly is the meaning of my code (saw the list but need explanation of what it means) n would it have anything to do with my coolant leaking and somewhat overheating the past couple days? I appreciate anyone's help!

definitely NOT related to a coolant leak unless the coolant is leaking onto the evap solenoid and shorting it out, which i think is unlikely bc the solenoid is mounted btwn the battery and drivers side fender. you need to figure out where the coolant is leaking from.

and for the code start check the evap hoses for cracks and/or replace the gascap

For the coolant problem, check 2 places for me. Check under the upper radiator hose pressure cap. It's a small plastic bracket that keeps it elevated and if theres signs of antifreeze, replace the upper hose. Check the oil next as that seems to be the unfortunate cause of mysterious coolant leaks. If the oil looks a bit like a milkshake and not like regular oil, you got a blown head gasket.

Thanks for the replies guys... I was wondering if they were related because while driving to work the other day on the freeway, check engine light came on and shortly after I noticed that I was overheating slightly (gauge toward the middle - unusual for my D) and smelled the classic coolant/overheat smell. I did put coolant in it when I got off work and that's when i noticed that it was leaking. It seemed to be dripping from below the radiator. I did check the oil and fortunately no milky gunk! I will check under the upper radiator hose pressure cap which is the metal one right? Should I check directly under the cap? And as for the OBD code, a week after I got the Durango (12-30-10), the light came up and I got a P0440. Similar code, but my battery died as well so I got it replaced and code reset. I also did get a new gas cap. Service guy at the dealership said the code could've been caused by the bad battery but this does not seem the case now. What exactly is the Evap system and am I ok to be driving the next few days as I am not off work for another 5 days?

yes you are perfectly fine to keep driving the truck w/ an evap leak/problem, all that it does is collect the vapors from the gas tank instead of letting them evaporate into the atmosphere, you might see a slight drop in mpgs bc of it, but i never did, and mine was going tripping an evap code twice a year (every time the temperature swung from hot to cold or back) and i keep driving it, you wont do any harm.



however make sure to keep an eye on the coolant level if you think you have a leak, and dead center on the temp gauge is normal for these trucks

widow, sharp... thanks for the replies. i've been checking coolant before i get in and after i get out everytime i've driven it the past 3 days. i had a friend look at it for me here at work and didn't see anything too unusual. i might be thinking that it was empty so i filled it with coolant, but probably overfilled it. hopefully that's it. as far as my OBD code, can i get away with just flat out resetting it and driving on my merry way? or should i actually take it to a shop to get it checked out? i also love the fact that you can do the "key dance" and have the D throw out codes! again, thanks for the answers and info! and thanks for having me on here!!!

Yes you can drive around with those codes. No harm done to the engine or yourself. I had the same problems like shrps, 0441 or 0440 would come on but the D drove fine. If that bothers you, you can crawl under your D and look in the area right below the driver's seat to to see a canister with three rubber hoses attached to it. This canister is the what captures the fumes from the gas to be burnt in the engine. Check them for splits or looseness. Replace with same size hoses from the parts store. There's a whole writeup about that on the first page under DIY. HTH.

Dan, thanks for the helpful info! I'll check that canister out as soon as I get a chance. As for my coolant/"overheating" problem, as other people I've told about they also said middle of the gauge is normal... But is it normal to shoot up to that fast? Not right away but faster than normal I've noticed. Like when I dropped my kid to school this morning, warmed it up about 5 minutes and soon after driving off it was just about at middle. I'd say it was about 40-50 degrees this morning...

idk mine sets dead center after only a few miles of driving so . . .

I have a 180* t-stat and mine heats up to 180 in a few miles of driving. Much better than my wife's chevy cobalt that takes like 20 minutes to heat up.