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DewPoint
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
14:16:39
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 Subject: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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Hello y'all, Come back to ask your guy's advice again on this problem. My 89' Dakota with 173,000 miles has a issue with the cooling system. I will drive around, even idle in park and no problems with the engine getting HOT! Then when a hill comes, and usually driving at about 45 MPH, I will step on it to climbing the hill. OK, yesterday in about 70 F temperature in the Bay Area I went up a gradual incline, and the temp. went up. However, the temp. didn't go out of control, but did climb to about 3/4 full. Is this normal. I noticed the engine temp. reading as I was coming down the hill on the otherside, so the temp went right back down.
I would really like to be sure that nothing is wrong with my cooling system, and have replaced the fan clutch yesterday evening, and replaced the water pump August of 2004. I am currently flushing or cleaning the rad. and the only thing left unchecked is the thermostat ( standard 195 F OEM ) and the engine temp sensor. I am not sure if 3/4 full is normal under such use as a steady incline for about a mile? Any words of advice here, I am about to replace all rad. hoses and also start adding on a after market 180 F thermostat. Just want a second opinion on this before I do.
thanks.
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Peter
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
14:44:42
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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Have you considered a clogged catalytic converter? Have you noticed a rotten egg smell when going up the hill? I would change the thermostat first since it would be so cheap to do so. I'm not really sure if there are any "for sure" signs of a bad cat. Good luck with it.
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DewPoint
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
14:44:52
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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PS Just wanted to add that I recently went ahead and 'timed' my engine about a month ago using, what looked like, one of those old skool timing lights. Could my engine's timing be related to the temperature reading, and under what conditions ( ie. when idling, uphill, slow speeds ) ?
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DewPoint
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
14:57:45
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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"I'm not really sure if there are any "for sure" signs of a bad cat. Good luck with it."
Well, if there are, I went ahead and checked my records of my last smog check. Not really mechanically inclined when reading this paper, but here it is... Maybe some one around is familar with it:
IDLE EMISSION TEST RESULTS:
HC(PPM)
MAX:120,180 AVE:30,20 AMOUNT MEASURED:107,3
I left the CO(%) READINGS out because there within standards, but looking at the HC(PPM), whatever that means, doesn't look so good. Bad Cat? Signs point to yes, however, I never figured this could affect my cooling system.?
And as far as luck goes, THANKS, I'll never know when I I'll need it. :)
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DewPoint
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
14:58:44
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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"I'm not really sure if there are any "for sure" signs of a bad cat. Good luck with it."
Well, if there are, I went ahead and checked my records of my last smog check. Not really mechanically inclined when reading this paper, but here it is... Maybe some one around is familar with it:
IDLE EMISSION TEST RESULTS:
HC(PPM)
MAX:120,180 AVE:30,20 AMOUNT MEASURED:107,3
I left the CO(%) READINGS out because there within standards, but looking at the HC(PPM), whatever that means, doesn't look so good. Bad Cat? Signs point to yes, however, I never figured this could affect my cooling system.?
And as far as luck goes, THANKS, I'll never know when I I'll need it. :)
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slopehead
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
19:12:46
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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DewPoint is your truck an automatic? if it is, when a transmission with as many miles on it as yours has, the tranny will slip while going up hills or at hiway sppeds or under a load. This creates TREMENDOUS heat. The radiator has a small section in it where the tranny fluid is ran through it to cool and control the tranny fluid heat. IF the tranny is heating up, all that heat is transfered directly into the engine coolant, causing it to heat up. That will then cause the engine coolant temp gage to raise, I have seen many times in many models of cars and trucks where the owner has had such a problem and cannot figure it out, even from a radiator shop,and after a few months he experiences total tranny failure. If you have a tach in your dash, check and see if the tach reads a bit higher while going up a slight hill vs. flat land, Yeah I know it does not apply to non-lockup trannys but it is a really good place to start. To fix it usually all you need to have replaced is the clutch packs and filter and the fluid. If you remove the tranny yourself you can save a lot of money too.
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DewPoint
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2005
19:39:23
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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slopehead, I'll check the archives on that, thanks. If not or i don't find any thing, I'll ask more questions....
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tc
Dodge Dakota
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5/27/2005
10:21:19
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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while temperature gauges are not reliable or accurate, it would not be normal to see your guage climb from below half to a 3/4 position climbing a hill. I pulled a 6000lb trailer last weekend and my guage only moved 1/8 - 1/4" above its normal position - even uphill. If you have a new water pump, fan clutch, your fan shroud is still in place, and after you replace the thermostat, two things come to mind: your lower radiator hose might be collapsing under pressure (see if you can sqeeze it - there should be an internal spring that keeps it expanded) or replace your radiator.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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5/27/2005
13:26:29
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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Take the truck to any muffler shop, they should be able to do an inspection for free..what they do will be run the truck and check the temp of the pipe before and after the cat using a laser temp guage. Should be about 100 degree difference.
at least this is how several i've been to have done it.
- Dan M
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hot
Dodge Dakota
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5/27/2005
14:26:16
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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I had this same problem once and it was a partially clogged radiator that flushing did not cure. New radiator cured the problem, of course by the time I figured that out I had replaced the water pump, thermostat, radiator cap and flushed the raadiator 3 times.
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DewPoint
Dodge Dakota
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5/28/2005
23:14:45
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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Thanks for the advice. I am going to replace the rad. because the inside of it is ugly corroded. I think that is my only option?, but I have been recommended from other sources to have someone like a mechanic 'boil' or flush it out professionally. Would having a professional flush it out or whatever, be a viable option? I have already spent the money for a new rad., but am interested on others thoughts on this. Personally, I think I could flush the thing out three-times over and it still wouldn't be as good as a new one, and same goes for a professional flushing it out....it still isn't at 100%. What do you think?
-DewPoint
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hot
Dodge Dakota
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5/29/2005
11:29:46
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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mine was professionally flushed. Just put on a new radiator.
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JB
Dodge Dakota
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5/30/2005
23:51:50
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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This forum is awesome! I have the same problem with my '88. I tried flushing and back flushing each individual part of the cooling system and still had the same result. So after talking to a dodge mechanic I decided I'll have to change the radiator.
Question though...I've been doing some reading on t-stats and Jet makes a "high performace" 180 deg version. I'm running a 195. Jet says their t-stat properly regulates flow for better cooling. Any experiance? I've always picked 195's because I figured that gave the coolant in the radiator more time to cool, but this 180 sounds interesting. Also it says for 89 and up, but I didnt' think there was any diff between the 88 and 89.
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Joe M.
Dodge Dakota
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5/31/2005
21:29:06
|  RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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hey i had the same prob last year
& "hot" is right
all i did was give the cooling system a good flush and its cured!
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tc
Dodge Dakota
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6/01/2005
11:21:47
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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ditto. After so many years/so much corrosion, the only real cure is a new radiator. Not a rebuilt, not a junkyard, a new radiator. I recently bought a new modine radiator for my dak off ebay for $150 shipped. I also had cooling problems with a Comanche and a LeBaron after rebuilding the engine. a new radiator solved each one. period.
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JB
Dodge Dakota
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6/01/2005
20:47:17
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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Any ideas on the T-stats? (see earlier posting)
Any help would be greatly appriciated. Also, I saw on a site there are two sizes of radiators, 17.5x21 and 18x26. I would think bigger is better...right? If so will the bigger fit on an 88 3.9?
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tc
Dodge Dakota
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6/01/2005
23:55:49
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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I've always used the standard 195 thermostat, since the engine controls are designed around that - I've had instances where the engine control computer wont get out of open loop operation (or maybe its closed loop) because it thinks the engine is not fully warmed up. Now, I do know that many people here (usually bundled with other mods) run 180 stats for better performance.
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93dak4x4
Dodge Dakota
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6/02/2005
20:19:44
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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most guys say their dakotas run better on the 180 deg therm. but if you live where it gets pretty cold in the winter many experience the problem previously mentioned where the truck doesnt completely reach operating temp and the comp keeps it in closed loop. this leads to poor performance and massive fuel consumption...(mine runs great and still has massive fuel consumption sounds to me like a dakota trait). but i would reccomend a 195 for a stock truck and a 180 for something you may have modded or running in a hotter climate.
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xmr
GenIII
6/02/2005
21:36:43
| RE: Uphill Heat!! Again !
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The problem with the 180 t-stat is that all of them are not the same I tried seveal and my scanner showed that they really only were heating up to 175-176 degrees my superstant t-stat that I am now running opens at 183 degrees and my truck runs great. I am getting 18 to 20 mpg city and 23 to 25 highway. not bad for an extended cab pickup with and automatic ( i need to thank Larry for all of his help and sugestions that got me to this point)
'98 cc auto /Home brew cold air with K&N,Dynomax, Superchip Tuner, 1.7 RR,, F&B tb. NAPA cap and rotor, 3923 plugs,tps mod,relocated & switchable iat, 180 t'stat, Crankshaft sensor mod.,PVI,Ported and Polished manifold, bosch injectors,Black Magic Elec Fan, msd wiires
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