97 Dakota Overheating

[amERICnpunk]

Hey new to the forum. I have a 97 Dakota with a v6. I am having troubles with it overheating. Warms up like normal but never stops. I seem to notice it more when i am on the highway but that might just be because i am driving for a longer time then around town. A/c seems to make it worse. It is also fine when driving at night in the cooler temps. I Thought it might be the thermostate so i had it replaced, still didnt help. Hoping there is something simple before i start doing major replacements. Any Ideas?

[riverat440]

I have a 94 318 that had similar problems and it turned out to be a bad clutch on the fan. Replaced it with a severe duty and it helped alot. With the A/C on you are heating the condensor up which is in turn heating your incoming air to the radiator. Hopes this is all it is for you as mine still wants to heat up on really hot (95 and up ) days with the A/C on and it seems the only solution is a bigger radiator.

[rhandwor]

You might need to install a new radiator if your fan clutch is ok. This is a common problem if you never change anti freeze.

[sincspecv]

try flushing the cooling system before you replace the radiator.

[WarHawk1974]

Mine had a bad water pump, bad clutch fan, and the thermostat stuck open

Once I replaced those not a single problem at ALL with overheating..and I'm in Houston with 90+ on concrete thats hot enough to fry an egg on