I bought a durango about a week ago with a known coolant leak. Doesn’t seem to overheat but has a noticeable coolant leak coming from somewhere in the rear of the engine. Real hard to tel exactly where it’s coming from, but it seems to mostly be collecting between the engine and tranny at the bottom of the bellhousing. I hope to God it isn’t a rear freeze plug that would require dropping the transmission, but Im not sure where else it could be coming from. Any help would be appreciated

 

Sorry. Quite likely it is indeed one of the rear freeze plugs. Drop the trans, see what ya got, if one is bad, replace them ALL. Only wanna do this job once.

 

dammit… you think it would be easier to just pull the engine instead of dropping the trans? I hate working under jack stands. Anything else i should replace while in there?

 

I think its about the same level of difficulty no matter which way you go. Dropping the trans is a pain, but, there are a LOT fewer electrical connections to worry about. Working under the vehicle on jackstands isn't my favorite either though. Given my 'druthers, I think I'druther drop the trans though.

 

I'd wanna be sure before going the difficult route. I'd rent a radiator pressure tester (free when you return it) from an auto parts store, then pump it up to the max pressure marked on the radiator cap. This allows you to pinpoint the leak without the distraction of heat, moving parts and noise. Just pump it up, get under and wait for the drips.

 

good idea, is there any way to peak inside the bellhousing without dropping the trans?

 

Pull the inspection plate, and maybe a dental mirror? (and a bright flashlight......)

 

Its official… rear freeze plug leaking. How difficult is it to pull the 5.2 in a 4x4 durango? Probably gonna do a light rebuild on it and just replace all gaskets

 

Time consuming, but doable. If it isn't something you have done a couple times before, be sure and label where all the electrical connectors, and nuts/bolts go..... Makes putting it back together a lot easier.

 

Just my 2 cents .... I think pulling the engine may be the best way to fix it .... might be easier to drop the trans and just pop in a new one ... reinstall transmission.

You know that if one is bad, doubt the rest are in much better condition.
Same time with the radiator out you can turn it upside down and back flush it ..... I would be tempted to run a flushing product through the coolant system to try and clean it before pulling the engine.
I just use cleaning vinegar which is a pretty mild acid .... not sure what others would recommend. .... Just more effective to clean while you can use the engine heat and water pump circulating .... then to try and clean it with the engine out.