1996 Dodge Caravan overheats when idle

[Grapeman1234]

Here is my problem:

I have a 1996 Dodge Caravan, 3.0 engine. It runs great. The problem occurs when the van is idleing. When she idles she overheats. If i am driveing the temp stays constant . Its winter now and I get plenty of heat. I just changed the antifreeze and themosdat. Before i did that, the gage ran up and down , from hot to cool. If i was driving it was ok, If i turned the heat fan on full , it the temp cooled. But now that the themosdat is in, the temp stays constant while driving.

At Idle, antifreeze boils into the overflow tank, and drips out. I wait a few minutes, the engine cools, and If i drive away the temp stays fine.

What am i missing?

[gas28man]

The infamous cooling fan relay. I think everybody on this board who has a 96-00 minivan has replaced one. It's mounted to the frame rail on the driver's side of the van, near the bottom of the radiator. It's about a $35-$45 part, and takes about 10 minutes to replace.

Good luck, and let us know if this fixes the problem.

Rick

[Grapeman1234]

Rick:

Thank you for your reply. I am going to Auto zone to buy the part today! I hope that I can buy it over the counter. I will write back to you when I finish the repair. Once again, thank you very much!

Bob

[vipergg]

Yup , radiator fan relay , chrysler even had a recall for a lot of these vans during that era for this problem , had mine done for free from a recall . You could try and see if yours is covered or not .

[Grapeman1234]

Thank you for your contribution. I called the dealership and they that the cooling fan relay "radiator fan relay" was covered under the recall. Everything works well now.

At idle the second fan kicks on and the engine does not overheat! I am thrilled!

I just finished my recall list. I have replaced the following:

1 Clock spring: That repaired the horn and made the cruise control work again.

2 Strap on the Child safety seat

3 Ring for fuel tank

4 Relay for the cooling system fan.

Sometime in the spring, i may do a timing chain. Anyone have an idea what that might cost? At that time i would like to replace my water pump, and clean any leaking gaskets.

A little note: Since replaceing the relay for the cooling system, my temp gage stays constant. My heat now feels like its on steriods. A real bonus on these cold Northeasten days.oth

Thank you brother and sister dodge owners for your help!

bob

[gas28man]

If I recall correctly, the 3.0 has a timing belt. Worth doing. I had one break on my son's 3.0 Lebaron at about 165K miles. Since you have to take the water pump off to get at it, it's worth replacing the pump at the same time. I didn't do the work myself because I was out of town and he was in a hurry to get it back. If I recall, my local shop charged me $175 for the whole job.

Stay on top of the leaks. Those 3.0 Mitsubishi engines are notorious for leaks, particularly the valve cover gaskets.

Good luck.

Rick

[vipergg]

Timing belts on these normally will go 80-100K and then they should be changed just to be safe . Water pump is normally suggested be done because it is in the same area as the belt and you'll save on labor later .