Durango Overheating...
 

Maybe someone can help me with my wifes Durango?

Truck started overheating on her...
Looked like water was not moving..

Changed thermostat.. Changed water pump(even after removing and it looked fine)

Tried reverse flushing radiator and did not have good flow..
Removed radiator and seemed like I found my trouble as water wold not flow well thru the radiator. Just recieved new on today. Installed and now it is heating up but think I may have air in the sytem.. The heater core hoses are cold... No heat now inside the truck.. I have tried 2 or 3 heat cycles.. Heat car up and then let cool and as truck is colling you can see water being drawn in as the reserve tank starts going down... I still have no heat inside the truck and am assuming that water has not made it into the heater core?

Any tricks to filling this up? Seems wierd have thermostat and heater core lines coming from the lower radiator tube. I am think air is trapped in the heater core and do not know how to get the system filled properly.

Any Dodge dealer techs out there to help? Steer me in the right direction?

Thanks, Jeff

Do it the old fashion way. Take the radiator cap off, crank it up, turn on the heater and add antifreeze as needed. It will take a while to get the thermostate to open but not as long as a diesel. We did have Durango company vehicles. When they started overheating it was normally the electric fan quit and needed to be replaced. When you turn the A/C on if you don't hear the electric fan cut on, that is what is wrong. This is on the older body style. Ours were 2001's. Hope this helps.

Oh, the electric fan is in front of the mechanical fan and clutch mounted to the radiator. You probably already know that though. All of our trucks had this issue at about 125,000 to 130,000 miles. When I turned mine in it had 208,000 miles on it with no major issues. Just a wiring harness issue that was due to a wreck that the guy before me was in.

Spooler,

The AC condensor is not mounted in front of the coolant radiator on the 2004. AC condensor and electric fan are next to the radiator in the front left corner of the engine bay. I only knew the old fashion way and am not having luck. I have let the vehicle heat up to where it appears to start moving fluid as you can see it start popping up and down out of the filler on the radiator. This is the 1st vehicle I have ever had that has the thermostat and heater core connections at the lowest point on the engine where the lower hose from the radiator connects to the engine. I can just picture that whole loop trapped with air and cannot see how to get it out.

I have read a couple other searches that have talked about an aux pump but think this is if there is a rear heater unit which I do not believe my wifes has. There must be a trick for getting all the air out of this setup.
My last attempt last night was by using the overflow and seems to be making progress. With the cap on the radiator as the truck cools it starts drwaing in fluid from the overflow tank. I did this twice and am going out this morning to try this again and will continue until it stops trying to pull in fluid. Something just still seems wrong but I cannot tell until I know all the air is out of the system.

I have a PDF manual that I had purchased online and it does not talk about anything special to fill the radiator.

Sure sounds like you have air in the sytem with the heater core being cold. You might have to open a hose or two to get the air out.

I was thinking the same thing. Looking at the manual it shows removing the passenger inner fender skirt to get to some of the connections. I may try that and see if it will help. If the reserver tank drawing fluid in stops and still have not heat. I am going to look around to see if there is any other pumps in case that is my trouble also. There was something up high under the airbox on the heater core hose that I thought was some type of valve or shut off and now after reading about aux pump and wondering if that is what I saw.

Very packed engine compartment and the engine goes way back under the firewall so it is hard to even see back there from the hood opening. Does not have all the nice working space like on my Cummins..

I was hopeful that there may of been a Dodge tech on this forum that had some tricks to get this back to normal.

Thanks..

Yeah, you have the Hemi type design. Pull one of the hoses off from the heater core at the motor. The return is the one I would look for. Nissan would install blead screws to help with this sillyness.

An older mechanic buddy of mine told me to always drill a small (1/32) hole in the thermostat when installing it as this allows a bit of flow to help with the air removal. Some come with a hole when new.

Look on the passenger side engine bay towards the firewall for the auxiliary coolant pump, thats where it should be, if yours has the front and rear climate controls.
As for bleeding the air out, the only success I have had, is with the front of the vehicle on ramps or jack stands.

Most likely blockage, remove hoses and backflush heater core. If your radiator was plugged heater core is plugged also.

Guys... Thanks for all of the replies...

I had changed the water pump... Took the new water pump off and the plastic impeller was cracked and seperated. Replaced it and all is well.. Must always remember to go back to the basics.. I had rep[laced the pump with a new one and assumed that to be good.. It was not. Once a working pump was put on it works without any issue

Boy am I glad that was the problem... I ddi not want to be buying pumps or checking coolant for exhaust gas if the head was cracked/warped...

Again Thanks for all the replies and my heating trouble is solved... For now