What causes overheating in a 2004 Dodge Durango?

Answer 1

AnswerOverheating can be caused by a number of things, but it depends on the situation, if there a greed fluid (coolant) dripping under your car than you are losing the coolant which keeps your engine from overheating, if there are no signs of leaking, than you might have a bad thermostat which is either not opening, or opening at too high of a temperature. If this is so, than i recommend replacing the thermostat. (make sure to use the same temperature rated thermostat as the one that is currently in the vehicle) also when you put new coolant back in the engine, make sure that it is a 50/50 blend of coolant and water, because a too rich mixture of coolant can also cause overheating.

Check the following after the usual fluid and belt condition/tension checks:

1. Fan clutch may have died, or be dying. It is filled with a silicon oil and should lock or get very stiff when the engine is hot. After warm-up, turn off the engine. If the fan spins a bit clutch is bad. If it doesn't severely resist turning by hand it is likely bad. If it has over 100k on it it is likely time to replace it. If the electric fan runs often under normal conditions it is bad. Hayes makes a good replacement. When I changed mine I increased miliage by 1.2 mpg because at cold start it takes a while to distribute the oil inside the clutch, and a new one does that better and faster. BTW - That is why the engine roars so much when first started and shortly gets quiet.

2. If overheating under heavy load shift out of overdrive, or downshift as operators manual instructs, and slow down some. Use the tachometer to avoid running at too low or too high an RPM. Turn off air-conditioner under heavy hot loading.

3. Keep the fins on the front of the radiator free of debris like bugs and dirt. CAREFULLY straighten severely bent fins to promote airflow.

4. If you find yourself in an overheating situation and are pretty sure that it isn't a severe mechanical fault, then try turning on the heater(s) with all of the windows open. The heater cores are small radiators, and more fluid is now running through the system. Of course, the air-conditioner is off already. This trick got my wife and 12 year old son safely to Mammoth up a steep grade - he thought of it!

5. If this condition continues after these issues resolved there is likely a mechanical fault that needs a professional mechanic- like water pump, clogged radiator, failing hoses (hard to tell how bad they are inside of the hose!), head gasket leak, timing, spark plugs, or other such fault with emissions systems (although these will likely give a "check engine" warning), and poor fuel.