$4000 spent on 2000 Durango Cooling System

[Vstrom]

And it STILL overheats!
Company truck managed by ARI who is apparently as clueless as the dealer and independent who have worked on this truck.
2000 Durango 4.7l 125,000 miles
Started with radiator leak a year ago, new radiator put in by dealer-$900, two months later leak in same spot, dead center of core, another $900! Then truck began overheating, $1100 worth of work by independent, new front cover, water pump, thermostat etc- $1100! Week later got cold, found I had no heat, new heater core- $1100. Now have heat but truck overheats driving slow or idling. When it overheats the heater output goes DOWN...

At this point I am simply amazed that no one can fix this truck and ARI just keeps throwing cash at it.....any ideas?

Glad as ^&** it isn't MINE

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Check the voltage between ground and the coolant inside the radiator?

There's a spec there, no more than 1/10 of a volt, something like that? Otherwise, you get to observe the results of dueling annodes and cathodes.

You've maintened the juice?

 

[Mud]

Geez, I hope somebody checked the radiator fan operation. Dunno what's in there now, but if mechanical fan, check the fan clutch. If electric, check to see that the fan(s) are coming on either with the a/c or with the thermostatic switch.

I have seen the wrong water pumps installed in Chevys that were designed for serpentine belt (counter clockwise operation), but the installed water pump was for an older v-belt version (clockwise operation). Of course the thing would overheat...

Dealer did not warrant the radiator after 2 months??

"Glad as ^&** it isn't MINE"
I share that opinion! Is that truck even worth $4K on the market?

 

[Dark Jedi]

go here and ask your question

www.dakota-durango.com

alot of people over there might know whats going on with your durango. they helped me with my dakota when I had a few probs with it.

another site is


also you should of backflushed your heater core. alot of people has done this and flushed out alot of crap out of their heater core. you might of wasted all that money for nothing and threw away a perfectly good heater core.


but goto these sites and they shoudl be able to help you. I would still back flush your core. when was the last time you flushed your whole coolaint system? might want to do this too. also your hoses might need replacing. they might have collapsed and causing poor flow.

www.dodgedakotas.com

you dont have to regester at this site and again alot of peopel that can help with your prob.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

I agree, glad it isn't mine; it'd be gone before shelling out the 2nd $900.

I'm not fond of keeping a vehicle once it overheats; it's always been a curse to us as generally the heads are soon to follow.

Have only kept one vehicle after it overheated, an '85 Toyota p-up 22RE, which are famous for headgasket failures - we DID choose to rebuild it, but only cause it was the last of it's kind. The last of the live front axle Toy's and it gets us through anything - and everything else on it at the time it blew, 199k miles, was new.

There are times however, we wished we hadn't spent the $$$, as it has no A/C and we're to the point of being tired of shifting gears.