Engine Overheating

Hello,

When the car is over heating can you hear the cooling fan on? If not please follow this guide to get them fixed.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-electric-fan-motor

If the fans are running please follow this guide

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

it also could be a blown head gasket which is common on those cars.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Please run some tests and get back to us so we can continue helping you.

Cheers, Ken

Engine Cooling problem
2002 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 134550 miles

My Dodge Caravan is overheating. I have replaced the thermostat with an OEM thermostat. I have replaced the radiator cap(OEM). I haev flushed the system. I replaced the water pump about a year ago. The upper radiator hose is hot when the engine is running and is stiff but the radiator cap is ice cold. The heater is also blowing out only cold air.
Aside from replacing the radiator and water pump again I think I've tried everything. Please help!

Heater problem
2002 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl

While driving down the highway the temp light came on and the enginge got very hot. I put the heater on and the car did not overheat. After driving for a few more minutes to get off the highway the temp light went off and the temp gauge went to normal and stayed there until I returned home. This has happened a few times now. The heater does not work very well. What could the problem be?

You need to check your coolant level in the radiator and pressure test the system if it's low, which it likely is. Don't put this off as it's very easy to do serious engine damage with heat.

I bought the van back in Oct 2016 drove it about two weeks then it started over heating. Fixed it then a few weeks later it did it again I parked it until three days ago we changed the water pump and alternator brought it home from my neighbors yard and it started over heating again. changed the radiator in it today because we found it was cracked, it did well took it on a small ride to the gas station and store came home and it started over heating again. What else could it be? I have spent all of my money trying to make this thing work right and it still is not.

The first thing to check is if the radiator fan is turning on when the engine gets hot. The fan is not needed at higher speeds when natural air flow is sufficient. At what speeds does the overheating occur?

I knew I forgot to put something in there. we also changed the fans it is a duel fan. I apologize. It starts to over heat when I am stopped or almost stopped.

Follow the upper radiator hose to the engine. Right in that area will be a two-wire coolant temperature sensor. Unplug that while the ignition switch is on. The engine does not have to be running. The fan should turn on when that sensor is unplugged. If it does, that system is working and we have to look somewhere else.

How would you know if the head gaskets are bad? Where would you find the engine coolant if the heads or gaskets are bad?

I did not go there first because your engine does not have a history of leaking head gaskets. (I have one in my daily driver 1994 Grand Voyager, and my 1993 Dynasty). Dead fans are the better suspect.

If a head gasket is leaking, you will be be losing coolant. There is a quick chemical test that can be performed at the radiator, with the engine running. Air is drawn through a glass cylinder with two chambers partially-filled with a special dark blue liquid. If combustion gases are present, the liquid will turn bright yellow.

You can also add a small bottle of dark purple dye to the coolant, then check a day or two later with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. If a head gasket is leaking, you will find the dye inside the tail pipe. Auto parts stores will have the dye, and those that rent or borrow tools should have a black light.

Remember, the cooling fans are not needed at higher speeds. If the overheating only occurs at low speeds or when stopped, it's more likely to be a fan issue.

Engine Cooling problem
2000 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

Van will be running fine, then blam - overheats. Doesn't seem to matter if A/C is on or not. Cool weather right now - so it's not that. Thought is was low on coolant, so I filled it up. It took probably 1/2 gallon. I always squeeze the lower radiator hose for air bubbles. Next day - same problem. Runs for maybe an hour or so and whamo. Going up hill does seem to make it worse. Only takes about 1/2 gallon of coolant again. Water pump was replaced last year. Serpentine belt okay. Don't notice any drips or leaks... but every time I check the coolant level after it overheats - it's about 1/2 gallon low. Maybe a plugged heater core? It seems like this van has been susceptible to overheating fairly easy for some time.

Hi jasony, Welcome to 2carpros and TY for the donation.

Check and test the thermostat if okay, check the radiator if its clogged and water pump circulating coolant both okay could be airlock in the system try bleeding it don't work -Get it block and pressure tested.

I replaced the fans could I still have problems with it?

Absolutely. Feel the old fans to see if one is hard to spin. A motor with tight bearings will draw high current and blow a fuse. That would be fuse 27, a 40-amp under the hood.

I will be back tomorrow to see how you are doing. My typing fingers have frozen into little Popsicles!

Would you recommend putting stop leak in my van? I have a leak and I am seeing it come out of my exhaust.

Don't waste your money on those "mechanics-in-a-can". If a head gasket is leaking, chemicals aren't going to stop that. The coolant level will be dropping in the reservoir. Be aware one of the byproducts of a properly-working catalytic converter is water vapor. It is normal to see water dripping from the tail pipe and the drain hole at the back of the muffler.

We found the problem I have a bad gasket.. We are goingvtp replace them all. Thanks for all your help.

Is that a bad head gasket? Keep me posted on your progress.

I am having problems with overheating in my Dodge Caravan.

Problem: The temp gauge will go to halfway (which is where it normally sits) for a while but then after about 10-15 minutes (give or take 5 minutes) it will slowly (or relatively quickly) move towards hot. Sometimes it gets to hot, sometimes not and will generally stay there for a few minutes then work its way back down to normal. Today it got to hot so I pulled over and some coolant spewed out of the cap and more from the overflow container. Then after 5 minutes I checked the gauge and it had gone down to 3/4. I then started the car and made the short trip home. A couple of minutes later it was back to halfway/normal. The problem seems quite random but it does seem to be aggravated by working uphill or stuck in traffic.

The car does not appear to be losing fluid/coolant unless it gets hot and overflows. Both fans appear to be working correctly and work harder as the engine gets hotter. There does not appear to be any trace of coolant I the engine oil.

I have replaced the temperature sensor and thermostat.

Any ideas?

Try bleeding the cooling system-don't work-check water pump operation if it continues do a chemical and pressure tests

Both of my heads are cracked one head had 3 cracks and the other had 6.. Gotta find a motor or a new set of heads..

THE ONLY THING I COULD ADD TO THIS IS MAYBE YOUR FANS ARE WORKING INTERMITTENTLY--POSSIBLE RELAY GOING BAD

SEE MY LINK FOR SOME OTHER POSSIBILITIES

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/1992-ford-f-250-engine-overheating

KEEP US INFORMED

MERRY CHRISTMAS

THE MEDIC

I have one last question. There is a box type on the side of the front head, well we took them and had them cleaned and looked at when we picked up the heads that little box was gone. Can you tell me what it is called? My boyfriend said if he's not mistaking it goes to the intake. It's just a small black box. When I called the place back they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about. I need that part to fix my van.

Rasmataz,
Can you give me an indication of where the cooling system bleed valve is? It is not shown in the owners manual (I don;t have a service manual) and I cannot seem to find an engine diagram anywhere on the net.

From what I have read, if the water pump is working, the top hose should get warm when running. Is this correct? If so, the pump is working as the top hose gets warm.

Also, should the water/coolant in the radiator be moving a lot as the car runs? Mine seems to move up and down a little but no running of liquid.

The Medic,
I can hear the fans running as soon as the car gets over half temperature and they proceed to get louder as the car gets hotter. They work constantly and consistently as the vehicle gets warmer than halfway. I will actually check them out today though.

I will check out the other solutions you provided for the Ford as well.

CHeers

DiM

Those cracks concern me. You know they didn't all show up at the same time, so there were no symptoms or problems at first. There are some Chrysler engines that are known to develop small cracks in places that are of no significance, and those don't warrant replacing the heads or engine. Also, if that was a common problem, you'd risk developing the same problem with a used engine. The 3.3s just don't have that many problems.

I'll look at my older vehicles later, but I can't picture the box you're looking for. I have to think about that for a while.

Hi all,

It's fixed. Turns out the inlet/outlet reservoir on the side of the radiator is supposed to have a divider in it which I presume is to divert the incoming water into the radiator fins and then when the water cycles back from returning at the other end it forces the water to go out the outlet pipe rather than back around the radiator. Well, this was missing so water/coolant coming into the radiator could simply go straight back out the outlet without going through the fins.

This raises questions as to where it went because it didn't even look corroded. It was simply gone. Anyway, this is Mexico! And at least we have a new thermostat and temp sensor and a compression test has revealed all is good there.

Phew! And thanks for your help!

DiM

Hi all,

It's fixed. Turns out the inlet/outlet reservoir on the side of the radiator is supposed to have a divider in it which I presume is to divert the incoming water into the radiator fins and then when the water cycles back from returning at the other end it forces the water to go out the outlet pipe rather than back around the radiator. Well, this was missing so water/coolant coming into the radiator could simply go straight back out the outlet without going through the fins.

This raises questions as to where it went because it didn't even look corroded. It was simply gone. Anyway, this is Mexico! And at least we have a new thermostat and temp sensor and a compression test has revealed all is good there.

Phew! And thanks for your help!

I have a dodge grand caravan. It has 122000 miles. It has started to overheat during ideling. I has also got hot while driving but will go back to normal after a while.

I have a Dodge Caravan also, and I am also having the same problem.
Van overheats though at high speeds, but will go down if I drive 65 mph and under. Also, engine will over heat if I run the airconditioner.

DO ME A FAVOR AND SEND A FEW PICS OF THIS DIVIDER---BUT PICS THAT CAN EZily BE SORTA INTERPRETTED BY A 1ST GRADER!----IS IT REMOVABLE? OR IS IT BROKE OUT?

GOOD PICS AND POINT AT IT (I'VE POSTED 12 BEFORE) SO AS MANY AS YOU LIKE!---THIS MAY HELP US IN THE FUTURE

THE MEDIC

It sounds like your radiator is partaily pluged inside. drain the system out and look for peices of metal. try using a system flush kit and flushing out your cooling system. Also make sure there is not a bunch of dirt or anything blocking airflow to radiator. It may also be a thermistat but not likly.


good luck

brian

It was overheating on me today, I made sure it was full of coolant. It kept rising again, so I turned the def on and it kept it cooled till I got home, but was runnin real sluggish and burned alot of gas coming home. What could my problem be? Thermostat? Cooling fans? Cooling fan relay? Water pump?

What would make it heat up but by turnin on def would make it run cool?

Thought maybe my thermostat could be stuck shut.

The diagnostic codes indicate EGR needs replaced, could the EGR fouling out or stopped up cause it to heat up?

Have to get this fixed cause I work a distance away from home. HELP!!!!!

The egr valve can cause the engine to run hot. Plus that explans the van running kinda slugish.I would definatly replace the egr valve. I would also let the van run with hood up let the motor warm up and make sure the engine fan is running when the motor warms up.

I did the hood up thing and the fan is kicking on. Should I put a pressure release valve radiator cap on it? Getting the egr valve today. When get this put on I should get the codes reset right?

It won't hert to put the cap on and yes get the codes cleared when you replace the egr valve. That way if any codes come up you know they are new