Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Pickups Dodge Dakota Dodge Dakota Radiator and Cooling Issues
59 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 3:13 AM
You are in the Dodge Dakota Forum. Your Host is kcram
|
Replying to: tommy97 (Jan 26, 2009 7:01 am) I worked in a radiator shop for a year and we typically backflushed heater cores and entire systems without using a chemical additive with good success. Occasionally some vehicles did need a cleanser. Dodge used heater cores and air conditioning condensers and evaporators in their trucks from Harrison in the lates ninties and these were trouble prone. Regards, Dusty |
|
|
This is for the '97 Dakota Sport 2WD Heater: Does anybody know for a fact whether the control knob/key position actuates a solenoid valve, etc. to allow hot water to flow/not flow thru the heater core? Something inside me says there should be such a control. Otherwise, when driving thru Death Valley in August, even though the AC is turned on, hot water is circulating under the dash board! On the other hand, when I recently isolated and flushed said heater core, I could find no such position of control knob/ key position that seemed to prevent water from circulating thru the core. In other words, once I got it flushed out, water flowed through it no matter what the position of any knob/switches (and whether the ignition key was on or removed). Radiator drain valve: Along with my heater core clogging, it turned out that the radiator drain valve was also clogged - so much that nary a drop would drain out when "opened". When I looked at the valve, the "rib" on the plastic knob was vertical. It would only turn counterclockwise 1/4 of a turn, where it seemed to hit a stop. I presume this horizontal position of the rib is the open position. Does anybody know of a physical trick that can be done to clear out the drain valve? I tried fishing a small wire up in the valve opening (it's hard to get to), but no luck.  Any help is appreciated!
|
|
|
Replying to: tommy97 (Feb 03, 2009 12:50 pm) Be sure you've got the drain cock open all the way. The plastic drain cocks on Mopar radiators work real hard. I haven't run across one yet that has a clogged drain cock. I suspect you may not have the valve open all the way. Regards, Dusty
|
|
|
Replying to: dustyk (Feb 04, 2009 7:24 pm) As for the radiator drain valve, I'm now 95% sure that I didn't open the valve correctly.  After turning it 1/4 turn counterclockwise, I believe I'm supposed to then pull it out (using, for example, micro channel-locks). I didn't do this last step and so probably never got the valve in an OPEN state. In the near future, I plan to go thru all this again and - this time - try carefully pulling on the plastic valve cap to open it. How does that sound?
|
|
|
Replying to: tommy97 (Feb 05, 2009 5:32 am) Good luck, Dusty |
|
|
Replying to: dustyk (Feb 05, 2009 4:10 pm) Could I please ask one more "bonus" question? Back to your earlier comment, supposing I was interested at some point in doing a "high pressure flush" - could you please tell me where I'd find the "freeze" plugs on the engine block? How many are there? Are they hard to find? One on each side? 1/4" NPT? Any advice is appreciated. 
|
|
|
Replying to: tommy97 (Feb 05, 2009 4:20 pm) http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee99556/2478 |
|
|
Replying to: tommy97 (Feb 05, 2009 4:20 pm) I think what you are asking for are the drain plugs. There are two on a 4.7 motor, one on each side of the engine block about midway between the oil pan rail and the bottom edge of the cylinder head. Regards, Dusty
|
|
|
Replying to: dustyk (Feb 06, 2009 9:13 pm) Per seventy7's advice, I reviewed the post here: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee99556/2478 Though the post involved a different truck (4.7L 4X4 vs. my 3.9L Dokota Sport), I was able to pick up on a couple useful things. Laying under my pickup, I readily spotted the 9/16" plug on the driver's side. This one is easy to get to - just the opposite of the arrangement seventy7 described for his 4X4. On the passenger side of my Dakota, I didn't readily spot the plug. I may have to put it up on ramps and try to find it again after a bit of "attitude adjustment".
|
|
|
This is a follow-on point to an earlier thread I started here: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f150267 This post is really informational only, and I decided to start a new one in order that it might be seen by those wanting to do an effective "High Pressure" coolant flush on their Dakota. As revealed in the thread cited above, there are 2 drain plugs (9/16" hex heads) - one on each side of the block. The one on the driver's side is rather obvious - it sits just behind the water pump and is easy to get to. The other one was troublesome to find. After searching a while, I decided to presume symmetry to help me find it. With this in mind, the good news is that the plugs are symmetrical and the passenger-side plug also sits just behind the water pump. That's where the good news ends. To my complete dismay, 3/16" above the head of the passenger-side plug sits a large bracket for the right-side engine mount! The interference this creates requires that the engine mount be removed before this plug can be removed. (Of course, no one in their right mind would do that.) I was so astounded by this that I actually took closeup digital pictures to convince any disbelievers. Unfortunately, this otherwise great posting template does not accommodate uploading of pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. Bottom line: for all practical purposes, one one of the 2 drain plugs in the engine block (driver's side only) can be removed for a good coolant flush. Whenever I see something like this, I get philosophical. I start thinking things like - the Dodge engine designers and the chassis designers work in 2 different buildings - never talk to each other and never know each other. It also confirms a thought I've had for many years: the aforementioned highly-paid mechanical engineers never actually do maintenance on the vehicles themselves.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Pickups Dodge Dakota Dodge Dakota Radiator and Cooling Issues
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Dodge Dakota
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
