I have a 98 Dodge Dakota V8 5.2 w/ 106K miles and within the last month I have had overheating problems. I have changed the fan clutch, thermostat, and water pump but it is still overheating. I cant see any leaks in the radiator or anywhere else so now I'm at a lose. Any advise?

 

Drain it and flush it see if that works or replace it I did made a big difference

 

I will move this to the 2nd generation Dakota sub-section.

 

Did you get all of the air out of the system? Our trucks are notorious for holding air especially in the heater core lines and upper radiator hose above the thermostat as they can rise higher than the top of the radiator. Park the truck on a steep incline and when it is cooled off pop the cap off the radiator and start the truck and let it warm up. Rev it up a few times and leave it running. Get out and squeeze the top radiator hose above the thermostat a few times to force any air out the top of the radiator.

On a side note, how does your A/C work? If the truck is getting that hot I would be curious if you aren't getting enough airflow, perhaps the condenser is plugged up with junk and blocking the air flow from passing through the radiator...

 

Just curious if there is reason to question the sensor. Did you use or do you have an ABDII scanner/reader to confirm the hot running?

Another possibility -- could a shop or you have put dex-cool in your system? Sometimes the oil change places do you a "favor" and mess things up. The stock coolant does not react well with it.

Good luck!

 

It may be new rad time they will get clogged up at times with age if the flush doesn't help that's the next step.

Have you taken a garden hose to the rad fins and washed all the dirt and dead bugs out of them that's always a good thing to do every summer