Dodge Dakota overheating
From : stryped
Q: x-no-archiveyes my brother has i think a 2002 dodge dakota with a 6 cyl engine. he says it started running hot then the check engine light came on. he said there are no leaks. i am assuming it is the thermostat. where is the thermostat on this engine and is it hard to get to and change what should i look out for could this just be the temperature guage sending unit any advice is appreciated! .
Replies:
From : advocate
i just thought to check the fluid level in the radiator and it was very low. ended up putting about 3 gallons in it. three gallons low where was it going to man that engine must have had serious problems. .
From : geekboy
i just thought to check the fluid level in the radiator and it was very low. ended up putting about 3 gallons in it. three gallons low where was it going to man that engine must have had serious problems. no..i realized later that i had not checked the water in a long time since i observed no leaks from the engine at all. .
From : snoman
on 25 apr 2006 052558 -0700 stryped stryped@hotmail.com wrote x-no-archiveyes my brother has i think a 2002 dodge dakota with a 6 cyl engine. he says it started running hot then the check engine light came on. he said there are no leaks. i am assuming it is the thermostat. where is the thermostat on this engine and is it hard to get to and change what should i look out for could this just be the temperature guage sending unit any advice is appreciated! you might check for proper clutch fan operation too. is it running agressively when engine is hot also if it is the thermostat it will tend to over heat quickly if it is a slow process it is likely not the tstat. ----------------- the snoman www.thesnoman.com .
From : geekboy
x-no-archiveyes my brother has i think a 2002 dodge dakota with a 6 cyl engine. he says it started running hot then the check engine light came on. he said there are no leaks. i am assuming it is the thermostat. where is the thermostat on this engine and is it hard to get to and change what should i look out for could this just be the temperature guage sending unit any advice is appreciated! before i had a 99 ram 1500 with that same v6. i usually check the fluid levels and the truck never had any leaks. in 2002 the temp gauge would go max for a moment then back to normal temp. every once in a while. i thought it was the thermostat and changed it. spent an hour changing it as it was not easy to get to. it is on top down a piece that looks like a pipe. after i changed it the temp gauge would still do the same thing. i just thought to check the fluid level in the radiator and it was very low. ended up putting about 3 gallons in it. never know until you check the obvious. gb .
From : beekeep
on 25 apr 2006 052558 -0700 stryped stryped@hotmail.com wrote x-no-archiveyes my brother has i think a 2002 dodge dakota with a 6 cyl engine. he says it started running hot then the check engine light came on. he said there are no leaks. i am assuming it is the thermostat. where is the thermostat on this engine and is it hard to get to and change what should i look out for could this just be the temperature guage sending unit any advice is appreciated! it may be the water pump. dodge uses a sheet metal impellar that will carode into a ninja star and not move the fluid. beekeep .
From : snoman
on tue 25 apr 2006 234228 gmt advocate advo@hotmail.com wrote i just thought to check the fluid level in the radiator and it was very low. ended up putting about 3 gallons in it. three gallons low where was it going to man that engine must have had serious problems. especailly since it should only hold about 4 gallons give or take. ----------------- the snoman www.thesnoman.com .
From : bob
stryped wrote x-no-archiveyes my brother has i think a 2002 dodge dakota with a 6 cyl engine. he says it started running hot then the check engine light came on. he said there are no leaks. i am assuming it is the thermostat. where is the thermostat on this engine and is it hard to get to and change what should i look out for could this just be the temperature guage sending unit any advice is appreciated! do not assume its the thermostat. in the hundreds of thousand of miles iv put on a variety of vehicles ive never had a thermostat go bad. ive heard of it but never experianced it. so its not all that common. otoh bad water pump blown head gasket collapsing lower hose - those iv experianced over the years. -- ..bob arrived 2006 fxdi red. 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged stolen 11/26/05 in denver 1hd1gel10vy3200010 co license j5822z 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1965 ffr cobra - 427w efi damn fast. .
From : snoman
on tue 25 apr 2006 230613 -0600 .bob bobcowan@access4less.nospam.net wrote do not assume its the thermostat. in the hundreds of thousand of miles iv put on a variety of vehicles ive never had a thermostat go bad. ive heard of it but never experianced it. so its not all that common. do not be so bold i have seen many thermostats stuck closed in my life some stuck out too and had a few happen to me too. not sure it is the problem here though. on a side note if you car starts overheat and you need to nurse it home roll down windows turn off ac if it is on and turn heater on full blast as it usually will had enough cooling to nurse you ride to safety if driven conservativly. ----------------- the snoman www.thesnoman.com .