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kerry roberts
Dodge Dakota
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6/04/2008
18:32:19
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 Subject: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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Husbnd and i took a trip last summer pulled a 23' camper trailer, started overheating , a 3 hour trip took 5 hours, antifreeze all over the windshield and truck. took a trip this past weekend not towing a thing and the same thing happened. when we took the truck to the dealership last summer they did a diagnostics and said nothing wrong. could the radiator need to be flushed?
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jjj
Dodge Dakota
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6/04/2008
23:13:07
|  RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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You could try a flush. To be honest though, I would just go new. As you found out it isn't any fun overheating and towing stesses the cooling system more than normal.
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Hector
Dodge Dakota
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6/04/2008
23:40:50
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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"and towing stesses the cooling system more than normal"
Yep. Especially if you have an automatic transmission.
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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6/05/2008
00:36:58
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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We need some specifics, year, engine, transmission, miles on truck, what the dealer did, etc...
How much does the 23' camper weigh,,, fully loaded?
What did you guys do after the truck started overheating while towing, let it cool down or press on?
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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6/05/2008
13:14:21
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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I've never had issues with overheating in my 02 QC 4x4 automatic. I also have the towing package which is the factory class IV (10,000 lb) hitch and the heavy duty service group which includes a larger alternator and transmission cooler.
I don't tow often, last time I towed anything it was a 1100 lb trailer with 2000 lb of flagstone rock. no problems towing up hills even from dead stop. I even out ran an old ford ranger LOL
I towed a 4000 lb uhaul trailer (6x12) around the NC foothills in my old 95 3.9L V6 with aftermarket class III (5,000 lb) hitch with no transmission cooler. No problems!
If i had no issues in the old V6 you should have none in your new truck.
You have a problem you need to fix.
is your fan coming on and running properly?
- Dan M
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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6/05/2008
13:15:28
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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oh yeah, my 02 is 4.7L V8.
- Dan M
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kerry roberts
Dodge Dakota
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6/06/2008
20:31:10
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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it is a 2001 v8 4.7 and the weight of the trailer was 3100 lbs. we let the truck cool down so a 3 hour trip took us 5 1/2
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Josh
Dodge Dakota
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6/06/2008
23:53:38
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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All that antifreeze on your windshield.
Where did it come from - reservoir bottle overflow? Ruptured hose?
Details. Gotta have details.
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kerry roberts
Dodge Dakota
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6/07/2008
10:48:45
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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Hellooo... if the hose was ruptured don't you think the dealership would have found it? We even took it to a garage when we were on our trip and the mechanic couldn't find a thing. it seems that the antifreeze doesn't have anywhere to go after it reaches the overflow.
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Josh
Dodge Dakota
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6/07/2008
17:15:51
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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"if the hose was ruptured don't you think the dealership would have found it?" No, unless they did a pressure test.
An automatic transmission adds thermal load to the engine coolant, especially when towing, and doubly so if the trip includes hills and inclines. That's because one of the auto trans fluid coolers is in the radiator, giving up heat to the engine coolant, which, at 195 degrees, is still cooler than the transmission fluid when you're towing.
Running the A/C (and that includes defrost mode) also decreases the efficiency of the radiator because the A/C condensor is giving up its heat in front of the radiator.
Details. Still gotta have details. We still don't know: manual or automatic transmission?
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kerry roberts
Dodge Dakota
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6/07/2008
19:16:32
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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quit talking like i am stupid. no ac running, was cold and rainy,manual transmission no hills minnesota bound, yes they did the test. all i am looking for is some kind of answer. the dealership said they had a customer come in with the same problem but can't remember who or what they did to solve it. friend has same vehicle towed a 28ft travel trailer.what else do you want to know - explain details details.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
10:41:05
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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have you tried changing the radiator cap? radiator could be clogged or dirty(outside)
are the clutch fan and aux elcetric fan operating properly?
"last summer they did a diagnostics and said nothing wrong." what components did they check during this diagnostics?
"quit talking like i am stupid." you come on here for help and suggestions and that kind of 'tude won't get you far.
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Popeye
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
12:09:43
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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Clean the bugs out of the radiator and let some air flow through.
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kerry roberts
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
17:17:28
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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2001 slt 4.7 auto a/c 4x4 towed 3900 bls. tailer some water in it and food. 70 degrees out flat land no a/c on overdrive off 27 to 2800 rpm got fifty miles out and overheated. pulled over one hour refilled rad with water and antifreeze could see it flowing. fifty milse or so overdrive ON rpm's 2300 to 2400 not shifting in and out flat land started to over heat pulled in to garage guy said he couldn't see anything. refilled and continued on stopped and camped.
On the way back about 50 miles and stopped before it overheated was going to, did that two more timeson the way back. took it in to the service dealer and they checked it out and found nothing. Now this year no trailer 80 to 85 degrees out A/C ON 70 to 75 mph 2200 rpm starts to over heat pull over overflow is full and bubling turn a/c off and sit for awhile. Start going temp high but goes down as it gets colder out, get home and the next day pull the cap and the hose is empty res overflow is about 1/3 full. Start up tuck with cap off and hose fills up. Going to drain rad and pull top hose to see if I can check rad. I checked the trans fluid and not burnt, I'm running 5w30 syn oil. both hoses were warm when it over heated rad is not bug filled. this seams to be a dodge problem for 4.7 engines should i just buy chevy next time?
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
17:32:27
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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"this seams to be a dodge problem for 4.7 engines should i just buy chevy next time?"
no, this is not a problem that is exclusive to dodge.
a few things to check:
is the aux electric fan coming on when it's supposed to? it should come one with either demand for a/c and engine temp above 130 degF or engine temp above 210 degF. if it is not coming on try checking the fuse and realy first. if that doesn't help try running power directly from the battery to the fan. if it still doesn't work, more than likely the fan motor is dead.
clutch fan, is it operating properly? with the engine not running and normal operating temp try to spin that mechanical fan. it should have some resistance. also see if it will wobble from side to side.
has anyone pressure tested the system? maybe a bad radiator cap or a leak noone has found yet. if the system won't hold pressure it will overheat.
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jjj
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
19:35:44
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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With a good cooling system the mech. fan isn't even needed, so that being said..... is the electric fan working?
On my 01 the clamp on the lower rad hose at the radiator broke. Wouldn't leak all the time and couldn't tell it was broken. I replaced the hoses thinking I sprung a leak in the one and as soon as I touched the clamp it fell off.
It can only be a handfull of things - plugged rad., bad water pump, blown head gasket or similar, leak that is somewhere else and you aren't seeing it.
Do you ever need to add water any other time?
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
19:36:32
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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It sounds like the anti freeze had been changed/filled several times. What kind of anti freeze was used, HOAT Dodge style antifreeze or the old style green antifreeze, these are not compatible!
I purchased a used 01 Durango (4.7, auto, 4x4, blah, balh, blah) and it had overheating problems driving down the freeway and climbing mountains, towing was out of the question. Took it to the dealership for warranty repair and they replaced the fan clutch as I requested. This didn't resolve the overheating and upon another dealer visit they found noting wrong with the cooling system. After that I popped the radiator cap I noticed green antifreeze and though "Oh Cr@p!". HOAT and green antifreeze is not compatible, it coated the entire inside of the cooling system with a chalky white film that drastically reduced the efficiency of the cooling system.
Remove your radiator cap and see if there is a white film under the cap and on the interior surfaces of the cooling system, if so you have found your problem,,, and it's a nasty one.
I found that Mercedes (IE Daimler Chrysler) uses "citric acid" to clean cooling systems,,, but it's a long process to do this corectly.
Here's a brief (not complete) rundown on the procedure:
1- Drain antifreeze and flush cooling system with water.
2- Remove thermostat, cut out center part and reinstall.
3- Add detergent (1/2 gallon of simple green, SHOUT spot remover, etc) and top off with water. Drive the vehicle for 10-15 minutes to degrease the cooling system, keep an eye on the temp gauge.
4- Allow the engine to cool and flush out the detergent with fresh water.
5- Dissolve 2# of citric acid (Ebay) in hot water, pour into radiator and top off with water. Drive vehicle for 15-30 minutes to clean the chalky build-up from the inside of the cooling system, keep an eye on temp gauge.
6- Flush the citric acid out of the cooling system with fresh water.
7- Replace thermostat and top off the radiator with 50/50 HOAT antifreeze and distilled water.
(I installed a 2' radiator hose on the radiator when I needed to completely flush the system and ran the truck off a garden hose for 10 minutes, fresh water in, contaminated water out. Keep the heater running during the entire process!)
This took me 6-8 hours, but it completely resolved the overheating problems. I had removed a hose before this process and it was totally covered with the chalky residue, after the citric acid cleaning it was clean as a whistle, even the spring.
For better instructions run a Google search on "citric acid radiator cleaner".
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Josh
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
20:11:02
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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Didn't mean to imply anything. Just passing along some info I thought would be helpful to some degree, since not all the necessary facts were given at the time.
I wasn't aware you already knew it.
Sorry.
And that citric acid cleaning procedure works wonders for systems where HOAT and non-HOAT antifreezesz have mixed and clotted on the insides of the cooling system.
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2008
20:34:41
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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The 01 Durango I bought was in immaculate condition, always serviced (oil, atf, gear oil, antifreeze, etc) and the previous owner had the records to prove it.
Who ever did the last antifreeze flush screwed up and caused overheating problems by using the wrong antifreeze. Bad for the previous owner as I'm sure it's the reason he got rid of it and also bad for me as I bought a vehicle with overheating problems I didn't know about, only happened after for an hour or up grades.
Luckily I found a way to get all the chalk/sludge out of the cooling system and was able to solve the problem easily. I would cringe to see the repair bill for doing this as it took a long time.
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Josh
Dodge Dakota
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6/09/2008
23:43:25
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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Yep. And that heater core is a real chore to replace. Good thing you caught it.
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kerry
Dodge Dakota
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6/18/2008
16:13:12
| RE: dodge slt quad cab 4x4
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hi husband here I have an over heating problem that you have
been trying ti help me with. pulled the top hose off and could
not see inside the rad, there was a white film and the wire that
was in the hose add some small deposits on it . All the fans
work and the pump works . ran it with the cap off until the
thermostat opened hose filled up and alot of bubbles for 15
mins. put the cap back on and started up ran for 15 mins the
over flow was up two marks on the dip stick. I think i have a
head problem.(gasket) Now is it the head that started all of this
or is the rad plugged and when it over heated pulling the trailer
messed up the head . It also seems to be missing a cylinder
some times and around 45 mph it has a jerk like it is dropping a
cylinder. what do you think. I take it in to dealer tomorrow but
last time they said every thing was fine?not. the white film isn't
to bad on the inside of the hose .
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