1997 Dodge Grand Caravan heating/cooling issue. Does not heat properly in winter. In summer- only with A/C on tries to overheat. Replaced: Thermostat, Radiator (blew last yr), hoses relay and relay wiring. Noticed: Thermostat opens and radiator fan comes on properly. Temp continues to rise then Aux. fan comes on. Heat: only on idle like core is bad but no other core symptoms like foggy or smell. Been thinking a sensor, but the heating issue has me thrown off.

You would need to figure out if it is a cooling problem or something producing extra heat in the engine.
Is the radiator fan pulling enough air thru the condenser and radiator ?
Is the fan coming on and also when the ac is on and when the engine reaches 220 degrees ?
Is it possible the exhaust has a restriction somewhere ?

Have you topped off and bled the air out of the cooling system? Start there. You need a new thermostat and its possible the water pump is failing as well. Your cooling system may need to be flushed. Its also possible that your radiator needs to be replaced. Whatever you do, be sure that you don't drive the van until you've figured out what's going on and have repaired it. These engines are prone to head and head gasket problems (which may also be your issue) but if you catch it early enough and don't overheat severely, you can avoid that too. If you give me some more history I can try to help narrow the problem and come up with a plan of attack. Please let me know how you make out! Thanks and good luck!

I see your post was a while ago. I hope this helps you or anyone ells having Dodge over heating issues.

I have a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 and a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. I also owned a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan. ALL of them had thermostat issues. When you replace the thermostat make certain you get the proper heat rating. If it is rated tool low, then the check engine light will trigger the code that the engine is not heating up fast enough. I also recommend going with a 'fail-safe' thermostat. These thermostats fail OPEN rather than closed. My 2002 RAM factory thermostat failed closed, built up pressure, then blew half the water out from under the radiator cap. This happened in less than 35k miles. The dealer replaced it. After a couple of years it failed again. Make sure you have 50/50 mix of anti freeze to water. This raises the boiling point of the water, makes it more efficient for cooling the engine, treats the water so it does not corrode and scale up the cooling system and helps keep the liquid from boiling off there by reducing the volume of fluid in the cooling system. Also, BOTH my 02 RAM and 05 caravan developed a leak in their radiators. They were slow leaks and I did not notice it until I did some standard checks and found the coolant was low, Most shops can run a pressure test for less than $40 to let you know if your radiator is leaking.

You should also make sure that your AC cooling fans is running. There are fuses and solenoids in the fuse box that can sometimes go out. When you AC is on this fans will turn on. If not, it could create a lot of extra heat.

Shawn

You do not mention if you have chanced the thermostat or not. The thermostat is what controls the engine temperature. I have seen people replace the thermostat two or three times before they got a good one that worked correctly.With any luck the first one you put in will fix the problem.

The wire on the back of the control is most likely broken, I had the opposite (drivers side allways cold) I dissconnected the solid light green wire and now have hot air all the time, I disconnect it in the summer for cool air, the part is very expensive, $70.00 at a salvage yard!

ENSURE THE AIR PRESSURE IN ALL 4 TIRES ARE THE SAME. CHRYSLER UNWITTINGLY HAS A TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) by having an ABS light.
When 1 tire turns slower (or faster) than the other 3, the ABS lamp illuminates when it thinks the wheels aren't turning the same speed, (they aren't). When properly inflated, (or all 4 at least at the same pressure, the ABS Lamp will go out soon, (not immediately). Maybe on the next drive cycle.

try replacing the heating core mine is the same way and that is what's wrong with it

check the coolant level. b-4 you start vehicle in morning, open radiator cap then start vehicle if level drops add until full then replace cap.

Check MAP sensor. If PCM gets wrong data from MAP sensor it should offset ignition timing and/or make fuel mixture too lean or too rich.

wrong brake pads or completely worn brake pads hardware is not tentioning back make sure the emergency is all the not depressed this can also bundle the brakes up