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Durango wont warm up

12K views 38 replies 9 participants last post by  4wdurango 
#1 ·
In the colder weather we have been having lately the durango will not warm up. I have just replaced the thermostat with a 180 degree thinking the old one was stuck open. The old one was a 180 also, but I am having the same issues... would like to get it to warm up so I can have some heat... when its warmer out the durango will warm up, also when we are out 4x4ing and going very slow it will warm up....any suggestions are greatly appreciated. 5.9l 4x4
 
#2 ·
Where is the dash gauge at?
 
#4 ·
It could be a defective thermostat, staying open.

You could always try the old trick of putting something in front of the radiator to reduce the airflow.

I know a lot of guys do it but why are you running the 180? If you want heat you'd get more with the 195?
 
#6 ·
The 180 thermostat will open up earlier and won't let the motor get much hotter then 180. The stock thermostat is 195 (if memory serves) which allows the engine to get a fair bit hotter. I would advise, like AandPDan said, to go with a stock temp thermostat. At least it wouldn't hurt.
 
#15 ·
Buy/borrow/rent an infrared thermometer and take a temperature measurement at spot where the temperature sensor attaches to the motor. See if the actual temp matches the temp gauge. If the gauge is way off, then replace the temp sensor. If the gauge is spot on, then replace the tstat.
 
#17 ·
how bout a hand test i can touch the block after a 30mi trip...
Your hand isn't that sensitive. You will be able to tell cold from warm from hot from HOT!!! But you won't be able to correlate that to what the gauge is showing. Its going to be hot either way.
 
#20 ·
how do you figure... the gauge is reading the block is ice cold and i pop the hood and can touch the block im pretty sure its still cold... so technicly the gauge would be right at that point lol i just dk if the block ever happens to heat up or not ive never felt it warm this winter
 
#21 ·
Looks like we are having similar problems... I know my gauge is working because when its warmer out, or if im on a trail or something then it warms up and the needle moves to where it is supposed to be, just when its super cold outside the gauge doesnt move at all. im going to try another tstat since they are cheap, and go back to a 195....
 
#24 ·
yea this past summer it worked fine... just had to change the gasket on the tstat housing because mine deterirated and started leaking... figured hey im in here y not go on and change it too... i thought i got mine pretty well burped but would that cause it not to heat up i would think that would cause it to over heat by giving the coolant more room to expand and boil
 
#22 ·
If you want to double check that the t-stat that you are installing is good, just throw it in a pot of water and heat it up - you will be able to physically see that it opens/closes as it should.
 
#23 ·
To test the gauge cluster, pull the plug off the temp sensor and ground one of the electrodes in the plug to the block. The gauge should swing all the way to the right. Be careful pulling the plug. Mine was stuck wicked bad and exploded in my hand when i tried to pull it off. other things to look for would be collapsed radiator lines or a bad radiator. Or they system isn't burped and there is air traped in the system
 
#27 ·
yea but im sure that if it touch the block and its cold to the touch then my temp gage isnt far off... if i touch the block and it was hot and the gauge was reading cold then yea i would understand maby it was off but if i touch the block and it is cold then im pretty damn sure my gauge isnt gonna pick up at all
 
#28 ·
Well I tried burping it well it didn't change fluid level after like 20 min of it running... But I put some cardboard covering half of the radiator and I started getting some heat so I'm leaning tward bad gauge just gotta test that now...


O and I discoverer I have a leak upfront somewhere but can't find where its coming from
 
#29 ·
I used some cardboard today as well to block the radiator. Covered the whole thing and it finally warmed up, the gauge was reading around 180. This afternoon when it warmed up outside I removed the cardboard after the durango warmed up. Im sure the gauge is working properly, looks like my issue must be the thermostat being stuck open. Im going to pick up another new one today, a 195, and throw it in there over the weekend, I will post up my results.
 
#31 ·
My 2000s never warmed up well. I have to have cardboard in front of the radiator in my Dak right now, and especially when it is close to or below zero. The 2001 Durango on the other hand, is quite the opposite. The heater goes nuclear quite fast when it is cold out. It is very nice. Not sure what they changed from 2000 to 2001, but whatever it was made all the difference in the world.
 
#33 ·
my 3.7 dak takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to warm up to get heat and im talking let idle for 10 min and drive it for like 10 before it even picks up the needle off of the cold as hell mark on the dash lol... but i bet thats just the v6 in it lol
 
#35 ·
The heater control panel is the switch that tells the PCM to engage the a/c clutch via a relay in the PDC.

Is the a/c cycling? You can pull the wire on the clutch, or pull the relay, to stop it for now.

The a/c will run in defrost and some of the other modes by default.
 
#36 ·
I unplugged 2 different plugs, one that leads to the front of the compressor, and another just above the compressor on the a/c line. Heater worked after that, so im assuming the control panel is not working properly, or could it be the PCM? I have a
P0505 that apparently is caused by a faulty PCM....
 
#37 ·
P0505 short or open condition detected in the Idle Air Control circuits so it may not be related.

For the a/c. Check for voltage at the clutch now, with the pressure switch (I think that's what you pulled) disconnected. There should be no volts. If there is it may be a wiring or PCM issue.

Put the connector on and pull the relay in the PDC. There should be no power to the clutch.

It could also be the a/c controls. On the control head pin 2 should not have continuity to pin 7 in heat but should in defrost and a/c.
 
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