hello everyone! new to this forum and dodges!

just bought a 2000 durango 2wd with i believe a 5.2L 165k on the clock..
i believe Im the 3 owner of it but haven't looked into the history..
Im sure the previous owner didn't maintain anything.

i have a few questions, i was over looking the maintenance for this vehicle and came across a few issues.

first theres oil leaks moderate.. looked like it needs a oil pan gasket and valve cover gaskets.. has anyone dropped their pans before? i tired to search for a DIY thread but no luck.
any engine flush additives would you recommend?

second, the rear diff fluid looks horrible. i mean its a dark dark gray or possibly black in color. i am going to change the fluid out today but wondering if i should try to change the fluid twice to try clean out the old black stuff? or is there some kinda of flush additive that cleans it then change fluid as normal?

theres a few other issues with the vehicle but simple enough to fix (air filter oil change etc)

Oh i almost forgot, on start ups cold or warm/hot the truck is loud. it idles quiet and strong.
but once you get on the gas (normal driving, not pedal to floor) the engine sounds like a huge fan is on and gets louder when pressing the accelerator.
after a 15-20 miles driving its not as loud but still hear the sound.
also the sound dies out almost completely once you hit 45-50mph and up
it runs smooth and quiet at high speeds

any advice and help is greatly appreciated.
Thank You for your time

 

do not use an engine flush, they cause way more harm then good in the long run, if you insist on putting anything in there seafoam only. you are honestly best off just running a good quality oil in it and moving up the change schedule for a couple of changes

for the rear diff fluid change it out and keep an eye on it, changing it once and then a quick change afterwords again to get more of the gunk out will not hurt anything, no additives in the differentials unless you have the limited slip, then you need to add the friction modifier to the fluid.

the huge fan sound you are hearing is probably your clutch fan, replacing the clutch should solve the problem, although it will ALWAYS roar like that on a cold start, or after sitting for a while, it should go away w/in 1/2 a mile or so of driving

 

what would the engine flush damage?

how much seafoam should i use?

is there a diy pictorial / tutorial on the fan clutch replacement?
what else would be the cause of the loud roar?

 

As far as SeaFoam, I get a can and put half the can sucked thru the vacuum hose (I use the brake booster line) and dump the other half of the can into the gas tank.

As for the engine flush, I would stray far away from that. The main parts I've seen where it fails is blowing seals. It tends to blow the rear main seal, the filter seal, and the valve cover seals.

I'd do a search and look around for information on the fan clutch because there's an infinite amount of information on just about everything here. If you spend the right amount of time looking, you'll find what you need.

 

i never said the engine flush would cause damage, just trouble, it will help to break down any build up and that will settle in the pan, clog something up (filter, pump you get the idea) and that will cause ALOT of problems because the engine will be running dry.

the only thing i can think of that would cause the roaring sound is the clutch fan being locked up, in order to check the fan open the hood w/ the engine off and spin the fan by hand, if it doesnt spin at all it is siezed, if it spins 1/4-1/2 a turn it is fine, if it spins more than that its worn out and wont cool properly

 

If you plan on using Seafoam directly in a vacuum line, I suggest you do a search on youtube first. Otherwise, you may be in for a surprise. LOL.

 

When I did my seafoam last year...I went straight through the throttle body...I took the intake off..and there is a new type of seafoam spray with a straw...similiar to WD40 that you can spray more concentrated and also makes it easier to stop when it starts choking itself.

 

Yep definitely do a YouTube search on it so you know what you're getting into because when it says it cleans out the engine, ummm....



Need I say more?

 

Mine looked much worse. One of my neighbors started to call the fire dept until they saw me. They thought my house was on fire. LOL

 

I believe it that's why I did it at my shop on a Sunday when no one around was there.

And this picture was right at the beginning of the smoke show and it was a windy day out. It's all about timing and being in the right place when doing this LOL