My father’s Dodge Dakota has been strangely running hot and not losing water, I use it for driving around town (going to work and the local college).
First off the radiator’s only a year and a half old so I’ve come to a decision (or rather my dad has) that its not an issue with the radiator.
It started to run hot when I was on my way to the college, the first thing I noticed was that the heater was running cold, but the fan was still blowing, and it was slowly raising in temperature.
I left it alone when I got to the college, it did not run on the H, I was always told never to let it get to the line before the H. I went to my classes and return several hours later and attempted to drive it home.
After I got stuck outside of town coming home from the interstate, I phoned my father and explained what happened. He brought the truck home after I left it at a local bar.
My father flushed the radiator (All the pipes are at their correct tension; not squishy and stuff) noting that there was rust in it and replaced the radiator cap (which was corroded) and the next day I drove it.
It ran hot again. So he took the thermostat out the next day, found it all gunky and nasty… So he replaced it and again flushed the radiator.
…Again the same problem, it ran hot. So he flushed the system yet again and flushed out the bottom radiator hose.
I drove it today, and the same thing happened, it ran hot yet again.
My Algebra teacher suggested that it could be the head-gasket, but my father said that it shouldn’t be as he has driven many other vehicles many more miles than we’ve have with the dodge… None the less he’s stumped and I’m becoming more and more concerned with the issue of an ill-feverish-dodge dakota! Please help!
-Dana
Yo Dana!
Have you read my article on overheating? I think you should do that first, and see if you can narrow things down a little bit.
Engine Overheating Article
The first thing you should do is get a cooling system pressure test. This will check for a coolant leak somewhere in the system, which I suspect you have….a coolant leak or a coolant restriction in the system somewhere like a clogged up radiator.
Read the article, get the cooling system pressure test and if you still have questions email me back with your findings and I will try to assist.
I don’t suspect a blown head gasket at this point, since you did not mention anything about the engine running bad, white smoke out the tailpipe or a check engine light that is on…all of which are symptoms of an internal coolant leak like a head gasket.
Blessings,
Austin Davis