I have a 2001 SLT Durango 4.7L that is overheating. The radiator was replaced by a dealer 1 1/2 years ago. I have had problems off & on ever since w/ it overheating. Just replaced rad. cap, waterpump, thermostat and fan clutch. Also have backflushed system and replaced coolant. Still overheats. The electric fan runs only when the engine is running as far as I can tell anyways. Should the electric fan run when engine is hot but shut off?? If I run the heater it cools back down slowly, but without heater running it heats up. Heats up on interstate at 70-80 MPH and at slower speeds also.

Anyone have any ideas??

Thanks!!

 

the electric fan is run off of a termostat connected to your radiator if it's an OEM fan, an yes it should only run when it gets to a certian temp, an it should run reguardless of the engine running or not, it doesnt run off the engine but off of the termostat, an as far as it overheating, double check an make sure they gave u the right waterpump, or if the water pump in working correctly, the best way to see is let your engine cool below 100 dagree's an "i'm not your if your engine has one or not" but if it does, open the radaitor cap then crank your truck, then look down inside the hole to see if the water is circulating right..

Also you could also try an use a duel electric fan off of a big body crown vic or towncar, they come with HUGE duel fan's that will cool off a big block in a matter of minutes, an should work perfectly to cool your 4.7.. Sorry i couldnt be of more help i hope this does help though

 

Thanks for the reply. I hooked the electric fan up direct to power and it ran fine. I drove the truck down the road and it still overheats. When it overheats it slowly overheat over about 20 miles at interstate speeds.
There is water flow from the water pump. When I replaced the old water pump it was not bad, just figured while doing everything else I just as well. Anyways I am to the point of taking it to a mechanic to repair as I have know idea where to go from here. Everything I can think of I have done. Replaced waterpump, thermostat, radiator cap, electric fan works and replaced fan clutch.

Could the guy that put the new radiator in have put the wrong one in?? That is when the overheating first started. We thought the system didn't get bled off at that time. Then winter set in and it didn't overheat until summer.

 

that's a good question, u may want to consider going to a junkyard "not only to buy" but to compair your's to a factory one, Dodge rad's are alot thinner than they should be in my opinion, they dont hold enough coolant to do a decent job, you may consider spending a lil more money than OEM an get a bigger rad off of summitracing.com they've got a few that will drop in with out having to mod your coresupport or mounts..

 

Interesting your comment about the fan only being on while the engine is on...same here and I thought it was a little odd - another question for the dealer at the next service.

My 1999 5.9l v8 Magnum came with an electric fan as standard, since it's the export version - yes, I know that the 99's came with a clutch fan, but trust me, this one's standard and I've been to the scrapyard to check.

I've had overheating problems myself here in Saudi Arabia...seems to have sorted itself out temporarily...but only after the water pump, radiator, fan module, thermostat, radiator cap were all replaced and the system flushed....

oh yeah, and one more thing. Pressure wash the crap off the A/C condensor - anything that stops airflow is bad. If all this fails then follow this link

http://www.socaldakota.com/performan...e_cooling.html

good luck...Chris

 

Thank you all for your great comments.

actually, i went through your comments but they were no enough help to my Dodge Durango 2003 overheating problems... my problem is it reaches the mid of the guage but not over unless the 4wd is on then it reaches 3/4 , i noticed that the fan works only on a certain temp like the middle, i checked the water pump,clutch,rad.,and they are all working fine,i changed the thermostat to 160 F and it worked fine for somedays then it overheated, so i decided to remove the valve (thermostat) forever and now it's stable on around 70 which means 1/3 of the guage but goes to the 1/2 when drive for long......though no thermostat as it's cooking here in saudi Arabia in summer.
i gave up really from thinking what would be the problem, could any one figure out the reason?

pls help me
thanks.
Jo

 

BD:

At highway speeds, the fan does not contribute to the cooling process as going down the road at 50 mph or better will move more air through the radiator than the fan ever could.

If you are overheating at these speeds, your issue will be with lack of coolant, coolant flow, or lastly lack of surface area in the radiator to transfer the excess heat into the air, ie clogged or restricted somehow.

Have you been able to verify the readings on your temp gauge, or are you just accepting that it is accurate?


WW: The same info goes for you. BTW, it should make no difference whether your rig is in 2wd or 4wd. Temps should be the same.

Your cooling system should work properly as designed with the T stat in place. You can overheat at high speeds with no t stat as coolant can move too freely through the system and not spend enough time in the radiator to transfer its heat away.

Think FLOW..... both coolant and air. Ifeither are lacking, the system will not do its job.

Don

 

Thanks dear for your advice, but i think it's better not to keep the t stat here while it's very hot in Saudi Arabia specially these days......i do want to let the water moves freely...but again in 4WD and while driving 4wd it goes near the red dash but in the city it goes gradually to the mid of the guage or below a lil bit then it doesn't go over it.

any other idea
thanks.

 

Dear Chris , do you think the the better solution for my D is to remove the clutch fan and add dual fan......i think this is the solutions or do you think put a bigger rad.

thanks.

 

WW:

A little clarification if you would. When you say 4wd, are you talking 4 high or 4 low? There is absolutely no difference in the amount of heat in the engine between 2WD and 4 HI.
Now, if you are in 4 Low the engine will run at roughly 3 times the normal RPMS at a given speed because of the gearing down that occurs in the T case in Low. You would get more heat in low because of increased RPMS.

You should be able to run down the road in either mode 2wd or 4 high and there should be no change in the temp gauge.

I still say your system should be able to handle 120 degree temps without getting too upset. Dodge, Ford, GM, etc test their vehicles out in the Arizona heat as part of their R and D.

I say that your radiator is not doing its job for some reason. If it were, you wouldnot overheat going down the road. You either have an external restriction such as bugs, sand, etc, or an internal issue. Possibly a partially collapsed hose or corrosion/scale that is effectively blocking a large portion internally.

You should be able to have the t stat in there with no problems. If you think about it, by removing the t stat you have removed a built in restriction which is compensating for the real issue.

Don