On my way home tonight, drove 70 miles and the temp gauge stayed on cold and the heater blew only luke warm air. When I arrived at home, I checked the one hose I saw, and it was very warm, but not hot. I looked around some more and noticed the two radiator fans were not running. I turned the heater on and off and no difference. I then turned off the motor and looked around some more, restarted the engine, no change. Turned it off, let it cool down a bit, then pulled the radiator cap off, and massaged the hose. The radiator level went up and down, so it's not clogged. As I massaged it, the hose got hot, so I'm sure the coolant wasn't flowing through the hose before.
So, between the cold gauge, little heat, no flowing coolant and radiator fans not running, what's my problem? Water pump? Thermostat? Radiator fans relay? Radiator?
Thanks,
01 Dodge Gr Caravan temp gauge on cold, little heat, radiator fans not running?
bad Thermostat.. it is stuck open. common problem.
When it is operating correctly, it opens and closes at a predetermined temperature point.
01 Dodge Gr Caravan temp gauge on cold, little heat, radiator fans not running?
ok I`ve gone over this and gone over this time and time again it all boils down to one thing its your THERMOSTAT happy thanksgiving and MERRY christmas
Rockingv,
It is your thermostat.....Change it and all will be well...
Thank goodness it isn't hot out side and you didn't have to sit in traffic with no forced air flow.
Lets go one item at the time,
If the water pump wasn't working you would have no water flow or more correctly no forced coolant flow, the only way this could happen is if the fins were not turning in the pump. This could only happen if the drive belt came off or if the fins themselves broke off are did not turn with the shaft. Either is possible.
A bad thermostat stuck closed would not allow the water to flow and you would have over heating. One that is stuck open would allow the water to flow unrestricted even at a cold temperature causing warm up to take a long time. And at highway speed driving in cool air even longer. Fan relays would mean that the fans did not come on when they should which would also be a overheating situation.
Radiator itself being plugged would again not allow coolant to flow causing an overheating problem.
Try placing something to restrict the air flow in front of the radiator if the coolant heats up and the fans kick on then you have coolant flow, if the inside heater is still cold then question the heater core if all is hot then question the difference which would be the air flow. That all being said change out the thermostat.
