I have a 2004 durango and it has been acting like it wants to over heat... We just bought it in Feb. We had a full tune up done on it. In March we had to replace the throttle body sensor due to eratic idle. The temp gauge has been sitting on the middle line until a few weeks ago. Now when i drive thru town it rises to half way between the red and the middle line. I took it to a shop and had the cooling system flushed and I had the guy check the temp while i was there and he said everything is reading normal... When it starts to heat up the truck sounds like it is straining! The mechanic said to get a tstat with a lower temp or a fan with more blades to cool the engine faster. Anyone have any ideas??? The mechanic said it is normal for the temp gauge to go up and down but i have never owned a car that did that...HELP!!

 

Welcome to the site. I will move this thread to the second generation Durango section,
FF

 

Change the coolant to a fresh mix, add a bottle of water wetter and make sure to burp the system correctly. If everything is in working order, that will take care of it.

HTH,

IndyDurango

 

How about the thermostat? I switched out mine for a low temperature one and my gauge never fluctuates or get close to the mid-way line,
FF

 

What should I ask for when I go to buy a lower temp tstat?? I called auto zone yesterday to get a price on a new one and I asked which one i needed to ask for with a lower temp and the guy was clueless...

 

I got mine at www.autotrucktoys.com . Here is a link:

http://www.autotrucktoys.com/durango...ats-C1879.aspx

Not sure if this will correct your problem, though,
FF

 

HI Tanya:

In my opinion, changing the T stat is just treating a symptom, and not a cause. The cooling system in our Durangos was designed to work at a certain temp.

Could be a partially clogged radiator, could be a failing T stat.

If it does not at idle, that's a good sign that your fans and fan clutch are probably ok.

For the system to work correctly, the coolant needs to be in good enough shape and quantity to transfer excess heat from the block to the radiator.

If it cant flow enough, or flows too fast, that transfer process in the radiator cant happen properly.

Has your engine ever been really overheated? A leaking head gasket can allow hot exhaust gasses to escape into the coolant and cause overheating.

Thankfully this event is somewhat ware, but it does occur and is a pricey repair.

Don