So I've been having temp issues with my wife's ride. Once it's warmed up, it won't go below the middle of the guage, and doing any kind of slow or stop and go, city-type driving, it's up around 3/4 and the fan clutch is constantly engaged. Yes it's south FL and yes it's hot out, but this just looks too hot (wish guages had numbers!). I replaced thermostat thinking it may be sticking, and that made no difference. I was hearing bubbling in the overflow tank, so I changed the radiator cap thinking it was letting go at too low of pressure, still made no difference. It has new, burped, coolant. At only 80k miles and 6 years old, I wouldn't think there's any internal issues with the radiator or water pump, and neither leak. We went on a 600 mile round trip this past weekend, mostly on the interstate. At 75-80 mph, the guage was reading about 3 needle widths above half. If I slowed to around 60, it would come down to half. It would seem to me with that much wind going through the rad, and no extra load like a trailer or heavy items in it, it shouldn't be that hot. My only other thought, sticking with the basics, is pulling the grille off and checking the radiator fins to see if they're full of bugs, dirt, etc. Other than that, I'm lost.

 

Mine is always right in the middle, but it is only about 85 degrees in Pittsburgh. I would think that yours would be alright,
FF

 

Maybe it is, I don't know. It doesn't boil over or anything, I've just never owned a vehicle where the temp guage was consistently in the upper half of the guage.

 

mine over heats with no load on it sitting in a drive thru sometimes. add a trailer to it and unless i run it at 50-60 mph with no a/c on it over heats to the top black line. with no a/c on and normal driving with no loads or trailers, it stays just above the middle line. turn on the a/c and it jumps to about 3 needles widths above the middle line. add a trailer to it and it jumps to the top black line. i have changed the thermostat to a 180 degree stat and just replaced the cap with a pressure release cap and no sooner got half way home from autozone and it was right in the middle of the middle bar and the top bar. i think dodge should have a recall on this. it seems everyone in the country with this motor is having this problem. and engine manufacturers seem to know it too, because they are building motors that stop all of these problems that stock dodge motors are having. sludge build ups, overheating, blown head gaskets, etc. I have been to several forums on this and its ridiculous how many people are having this problem of overheating. I love my durango but this shouldn't be happening to a car in perfect like new condition with only 90k miles and it has had this problem since i bought it with 72k miles. Probably why it was traded in. what else should I do? forums say change the radiator, mine has green antifreeze in it and looks spotlessly clean. change some secondary bosch water pump for the rear a/c heater? or bypass it? change the water pump?

 

I would be careful with the pressure release cap. Make sure it is a one way valve as it can let air into the system and air is a great insulator. The air will act like a blanket and make your coolant hotter,
FF