Hi All,
I have a 98 Durango, took it to the shop for waranty work and they say the radiator is plugged, the thermostat is shot, water pump leaks and other stuff. My question is this, how the blazes do they tell if it is plugged, will a flush help, and is there a chance I can take it out and back flush it to un-plug the darn thing? My brother suggested using a caustic crud such as CLR, that does not sound good! I haven’t the extra $150 to buy a new one untill probably January.
Thank you in advance for the help!
What kind of work were you having done? Was it related? Has there been any other indication, other than the dealer, that you have a radiator problem? While there may be good reasons for addressing all those problems, I find it funny that they all just now showed up.
They can tell if it is plugged in a couple of ways. Some radiators you can look into. Otherwise, you can point a remote-read thermometer at it or feel it to see if the temp is even. All of these things could easily be wrong if the coolant was not changed when it should have been or poor water was used in service.
P.S., if it is not over heating, and you pay attention to the coolant level refilling with the proper coolant (not water), you might be O.K. until January. If the water pump is really bad, it could leave you stranded. If the thermostat is stuck open, you are using a lot more gasoline than you should be. If it sticks closed, you can overheat and be stranded.
Do not use CLR. I doubt that it is worth trying to clear out the existing the radiator.
some stop leak stuff will plug the radiator if it is used the opposite way that the instructions say. There is almost no other way. So; does the engine wait ten minutes and blow water out of the overflow, or does it never overheat. I will submit this reply and reread the OP.
An “extra $150” WON’T buy a radiator for your Durango. An extra $250 will. This is one of those instances of “been there, done that”. My friend’s 1998 Durango was running a “fever”. Once I learned the price of the “medicine”, I looked for “alternative medicine”. Walmart (auto parts stores, also) had the COOLING SYSTEM FLUSH KIT, and the COOLING SYSTEM CLEANER for under $20. When used as directed on the packages, the Durango’s “fever” was gone! And, it hasn’t come back (over a year ago). ++++++ me_art12
Comments on stop leak and on flushing…
While stop leak may stop a leak, it will further plug the radiator. It’s an equal-opportunity orafice plugger.
I recommend against flushing a system that already has a leak. It could turn the leak into a gusher.
Your best move from here is to simply fix what needs fixing. Additives are not the way to go.
Take me-art’s DIY chemical flush approach and see what happens first. It is entirely possible that will solve the problem, less any water pump leakage problem.
Do you have any symptoms of overheating or losing coolant? Based on the dire statements by the dealer, you would be seeing one or the other occur. Otherwise, with careful watchful waiting, the repairs can be deferred.
Plan on at least $225 (12 mo warranty) to $350 (life warranty) for a radiator replacement, part only. Changing radiator and thermostat is not all that difficult.
A temperature scanner can show what parts of the radiator are hotter than the others from the outside. Before I’d spend money trying to clean out a radiator that old, I’d just replace it along with the other work at the same time. Warranty work?
i beleive you have the answer in your original post.
you took the durango to the dealer for warranty work. now leave the dealership and go to a local reputable shop and have it troubleshot but an independant mechanic. you MAY have to pay him for him time to give you an estimate, but i suspect that the dealership is simply looking for extra work to pad you bill.
yes, you MAY need a radiator, it MAY be clogged, or you may have a stuck thermostat. BUT the dishonest dealership would NEVER tell you the truth, unless it cost you more $$$$
Radiator shops can flow test the rad. I assume this means they compare the volume per unit of time of water going into the rad and compare that to the volume/time for outflow. This would disclose a restriction in the tubes, but not its location.
Warantee work on a '98 model? Took it to “The Shop”…What “shop”?? How many miles on this vehicle?
Comments on stop leak and on flushing… While stop leak may stop a leak, it will further plug the radiator.
It will NOT plug the radiator if used correctly. The stop leak stuff stays in liquid form until it gets in contact with air. So if unless you have air in your system it will stay in liquid form. The stuff hardens when it starts to leak out of a radiator and then gets in contact with air.
Dealerships aren’t all bad…
BUT.
Did anyone see the water? What’s the temperature gauge show after running for a while? Do you still get heat?
If the temp gauge shows below the ‘good zone’, the thermostat is stuck open, or somewhat open. If the gauge shows to hot, it’s stuck closed or mostly closed. If it runs hot, it could be both the thermostat AND the radiator. If the radiator is clogged, then the thermostat could also be clogged but with what… Extra gasket material? Bars leak?
Look in the reservoir and open the radiator and see what colour the liquid is. If it’s brown then you likely have a rust issue.
Long shot: Might be time to check the compression on the cylinders to see if any are leaking into the water jacket, just in case, or in case it has gotten too hot that the heads have warped?
It sounds like this thing has high miles, and likely that the coolant wasn’t serviced (When did Mopar finally start using long-life coolant ?)
We who are trying to give advice need slightly more info, but my opinion is that the “shop” (may or may not be a new car dealer) might have found something bad and other related items, like the pump starting to seep, should be done at the same time for labor efficiency. Then the cooling system is “all dialed in”. If,however, the shop isn’t deducting labor time for the overlap of operations, then why do it all at once ? I see a lot of people scammed that way.
Dopn`t you know that many mechanics will exaggerate your car problems in order to make money? Try a simple flush first.jkw
Often when a radiator has been leaking there is air in the radiator.
And that’s why I said “If used correctly”. Part of the directions is to fill the radiator and eliminate any air-bubbles in system.