I have a 2000 Dakota would the hot temp. out side make it run hot even with the fan on?

Question

some times if i run the ac the temp . start to climb the days it did it the heat index was 102

Answer 1

yes the out side temp will have an effect on your motors temp. thats why it is not usually good to run older cars in such hot weather such as 102. though your vehicles isnt to old. but, yes, just make sure your coolant is not low and always keep your coolant at the suggested level. you should be ok.

Answer 2

Yes, outside air temp can and will affect your coolant temp. However, the cooling system should handle it when driving. Sitting idling would be the worst. (if the temp is only a little higher than normal, I wouldn't be too concerned about it).

If it is running much higher that normal, check the radiator fan clutch and check for a partially plugged radiator, I have seen both quite a bit recently.

You didn't mention what engine you have, but we have been finding quite a few 5.2Ls and 5.9Ls with cracks in the cylinder heads as well, resulting in a gradual coolant loss (and sometimes misfire).

Also, if a 5.2 or 5.9, check the thermostat area behind and between the AC Compressor and Alternator. Several have lost coolant due to the gasket leaking (if leaking, you will see a corrosion build up there.)

Answer 3

The thermostat for this truck is 195 degrees. So the answer to you're question is no. Even an ambient temp of 110 degrees isn't enough to make it run hot. Check you're fan and fan clutch for proper air draw. Then check to see if the radiator is plugged. You've got a cooling problem, not an outside temp problem. also if the pump has a lot of miles on it , the inside of the pump could have etched away and left too much space between it and the impeller to pump water properly. (Quite common with pumps on Dodge trucks with high mileage).

Answer 4

yes it will,all of them are running a little hot right now ,my own included,with the temps like they are right now a lot of people are having over heating problems,there's not a lot we can do about it,today i seen a lot of people driving with their windows down and not using the air conditioner,that will help but then you,ll be miserable,but maybe the car wont over heat ,good luck on it.