99 durango 5.2 4x4

Have only owned for a few weeks. I noticed right away heater barely worked at all. i ran through cooling system cleaner and flushed a few times. It just had rusty water In when I bought it so I was sure it was just crud vs a bad heater core. After the second week of driving with just cleaner and water in the heater is great. Finally decided to drain and fill with antifreeze.

Right after doing so I take it for a drive. Does fine. Get back in garage and realiZe its literally dumping coolant. Maybe 1gal/2-3min rate with motor off. All I can see is a bit of a spray coming through motor mount driver side under power steering resevoir. I understand there is a freeze plug there.

Now. In my unhappy state I decide I need more than the one beer in fridge to get me through tonight. So I get the radiator as full as I can with water and rush off to store ( 2miles tops) and I brought another gal of water just in case. Rush back home, temp looking ok. Shut it off and realize. There is no leak. Pop hood, cooling system has pressure.....???

It just dumped my whole capacity in 10 minutes. BAD leak. Now nothing ?? Not sure how to feel about this.

Please say I did something weird in my flushing ( I have a garden hose hookup on the in heater line for flushing) that caused the heater plug to release? I don't really understand how they work, assumed if over pressure they low to save block and need replace. Possible it can release pressure and reseal?? I cannot think of any other explanation.

 

After sitting 10min it started leaking again. Making me think something expanded with heat and made the seal and now it's cooled

 

Its possible your"rusty water" was actually stop leak? Could have UN plugged the hole?


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Yes very possible. Not sure what could have a leak as bad as I described nd then seal itself again though. I had let it drain itself again. Fill it back with water (while its pouring it back out) put the rad cap back on, fire it up and drive and once again no leak.

Wake up today and check it, the radiator is full. It held it all night. How can this be. I am not exaggerating when I say it dumped the entire capacity in 10minutes. Now it has no leak again??

Update. Let it run/drove it for 45 min. System has full pressure. Not a drop leaking.

 

If its leakin under the motor mount then it would be the freeze out plug seems like there is still stuff in the motor an clogging it up then gives an start leakin again,, Rusty water will do that,, Replace the freeze plug an try flushin it out more with it out then put new one in an besure if you put water in it to see if it leaks anymore then if it don't then besure to drain the water back out an put coolent in it,, Hope this helps,,

 

I'm not sure where your from but i wouldnt run water through it if your temperature is going to be or is below freezing unless you have a heated garage. I did this to a car of mine once just to flush it and i didn't get it started again until the temperature warmed back up. Froze my water pump solid.


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Could the water pump be going bad? I had a different car that dumped all of my coolant when the water pump went out.

 

It is the freeze plug located behind the forward engine mount on the drivers side. Far beyond what I can do myself. Had to take it in, $400.

 

You are exactly right

 

Great so now ya got it fix huh, Sorry bout the cost but could have told ya how you could have fixed it if you had the tools,, But glad you are back on the road again,,