[mtnman82]

Been searching, both on the truck and the forum... Can anyone tell me where it is? A pic or two would be great too. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[caulk04]

Lower left (driver side) corner of rad.

1/4 turn, pull while turning and don't play King Kong with it either. As I recall you have to pull the lower splash gaurd out to get at it.

 

[modain]

It's kind of hard to get a photo, but I'll give this description a try...

My 2001 Durango and 2002 Dakota they use the same radiator. You'll have the same setup. I have recent and intimate knowledge of draining them. Crawl under the left front of the truck and look up at the bottom of the radiator. At the bottom of the driver side radiator tank (facing toward the fender) is a 3/4" long flat handled plug. Twist your hand (with a pair of pliers) up there from the back side of the bumper fascia. Grip it and give it a 180* counterclockwise twist. It is now opened and draining out the little nipple sticking straight down from the bottom of the side tank. You can stick a 5/16" (or 3/8") hose onto the nipple to drain it into a bottle or pan without making a mess.

 

[mtnman82]

Got it - side of the radiator, on the driver's side - thanks a bunch!!! It felt like it only wanted to turn 1/4 turn at first and nothing would come out, but then I re-read your post and cranked it the other 1/4 turn... Thanks again!!! Oh, and I pulled one of the fasteners and bent the splash guard out of the way (those fasteners are a biatch...).

 

[addicted2blue00]

ive always thought of it as a bad design on dodges part for the way it was done, there should be a reroute tube or slot cutout for better draining

 

[jrp1588]

Is there any point in actually keeping the splash guard? That thing is a real pain in the ass to take off and put back on. I've been driving without it for a couple weeks now without any problems.

 

[addicted2blue00]

i dont see a point unless you like to play in water or mud

 

[6115]

Is there any point in actually keeping the splash guard? That thing is a real pain in the ass to take off and put back on. I've been driving without it for a couple weeks now without any problems.

you have the black rubber one...wanna sell it to me

it keeps rocks and debris from hitting the thin a/c coolant lines

 

[jrp1588]

yeah, there is a rubber flap AND a plastic splash guard. The rubber flap actually covers the same shit as the plastic guard. I'm just going to leave that fucker off. I hate removing that thing.

 

[axax]

its so much fun to find and open that SOB

 

[jrp1588]

My new radiator's drain cock simply has a screw in plug. Much nicer than the stock ones which is a bitch to turn

 

[petrock]

My 2001 Durango and 2002 Dakota they use the same radiator. You'll have the same setup. I have recent and intimate knowledge of draining them. Crawl under the left front of the truck and look up at the bottom of the radiator. At the bottom of the driver side radiator tank (facing toward the fender) is a 3/4" long flat handled plug. Twist your hand (with a pair of pliers) up there from the back side of the bumper fascia. Grip it and give it a 180* counterclockwise twist. It is now opened and draining out the little nipple sticking straight down from the bottom of the side tank. You can stick a 5/16" (or 3/8") hose onto the nipple to drain it into a bottle or pan without making a mess.

I think I found the plug, but where is the drain nipple and how do I get the hose up in there to connect to it?

On my truck there is a black plastic panel going the width of the truck that covers the space between the bumper and front cross member (I think thats what its called). This panel is about a half inch below the radiator so I can't see bottom of the radiator or the drain nipple. I can't figure out how to remove the panel without damaging it or the plastic fasteners. Some of the fasteners go into the frame rail. Any tips? Do I need to remove this panel or is there another way?

I'm going to be doing a flush and re-fill, so I'm going to have to drain it a couple times throughout the process. I've got lots of little animals running around so I want to keep the mess to its absolute minimum.

Thanks...

 

[jrp1588]

You're going to have to remove those fasteners. You can get new ones at lowes

 

[hskrRT]

My '99 came with a hose on it from the factory to help get past the splash shield and crossmember. Not sue if Dodge cheaped out on later models, or if used, previous owner lost the hose or what.

 

[jrp1588]

FWIW, Mine didn't have a hose on it.

 

[petrock]

My '99 came with a hose on it from the factory to help get past the splash shield and crossmember. Not sue if Dodge cheaped out on later models, or if used, previous owner lost the hose or what.

I can't find a loose hose of any kind in that area. I bought it brand spakin' new and I've never changed the coolant. Yeah, I know I should have a long long time ago, but coolant systems are my mechanical nightmare. Blew up the motor in my last truck after doing a coolant flush/refill. Got a sudden overheat during the test drive resulted in cracked cylinder block and a TON of white smoke. Probably didn't bleed all the air out properly and an air bubble got stuck somewhere causing it to overheat. Either way, I've been a little nervous about doing it again...

You're going to have to remove those fasteners. You can get new ones at lowes

Ok. Any tools available to make it easier? I've seen some video's on YouTube where guys use these little plastic spatula type things with a notch in the middle to pry similar fasteners out. Where can I get one of those? Thanks...

 

[jrp1588]

I just used a long flat head screwdriver. Having a notch in the center would make it worlds easier though. haha

 

[Thornwoods]

Block drain plugs?

Does anybody know where the block drain plugs are located? I have a 04 Dakota, V6. I found the radiator plug but... the picture in my Chilton book is too zoomed in for the drain plugs on the block.

 

[hskrRT]

Have no clue on the 3.7L V6.

 

[petrock]

I can't find a loose hose of any kind in that area. I bought it brand spakin' new and I've never changed the coolant. Yeah, I know I should have a long long time ago, but coolant systems are my mechanical nightmare. Blew up the motor in my last truck after doing a coolant flush/refill. Got a sudden overheat during the test drive resulted in cracked cylinder block and a TON of white smoke. Probably didn't bleed all the air out properly and an air bubble got stuck somewhere causing it to overheat. Either way, I've been a little nervous about doing it again...

Got it done a week or two ago. Was alot easier then I thought it would be. Was a PITA to get the drain plug loose the first tim, even after removing the panel. Was hard to get my bear claw of a hand in there with a pair of pliers. Attached some hose to the drain and it poured out like a charm. I noticed that I would get more fluid out if I opened the plug with the radiator cap still on, wait till it stopped draining, then opened the radiator cap and more would come out. I also disconnected the bottom radiator hose at the engine block to get the rest of it out. A little messy, but worked pretty well,.

Ok. Any tools available to make it easier?

I found a panel remover "tool" at my local auto parts store that worked like a charm.