| Modifications |
| Date | Miles | Difficulty | Modification |
| |
| 3/2001 | 43,223 | Easy | Floor Mats |
| 5/2001 | 45,378 | Med | Hitch Installation |
| 5/2001 | 45,378 | Med | Tekonsha Voyager Brake Controller |
| 9/2006 | 96,167 | Med | Installed Transmission Temp Gauge |
| 9/2006 | 96,167 | Med | Installed Transmission Temp Sender |
| 9/2006 | 96,167 | Med | Installed Transmission Oil Filter Kit |
| 9/2006 | 96,167 | Med | Installed Transmission Remote Oil Thermostat |
| 9/2006 | 96,167 | Med | Installed Transmission Oil Cooler |
| 10/2006 | 96,341 | Hard | LCD Rear View Mirror System for Trailer |
| 10/2006 | 96,341 | Easy | Towing Mirror Extensions |
| 8/2007 | 109,256 | Easy | Uprated Alternator Install |
| 7/2012 | 149,032 | Easy | Installed Exhaust Gasket (originally metal to metal) |
| 7/2012 | 149,032 | Easy | Installed MaxBrake Brake Controller |
| 7/2012 | 149,032 | Easy | Shortened Wiring for Video System |
| 3/2016 | | Med | Gibson Performance 50 State Headers |
~180,000 miles Gibson Performance Headers
Header Bolt Clearance Problem
Click Photos for Higher Resolution Version
~85,000 miles Auxiliary Transmission Cooling System
Now that the Durango is being used for towing a trailer, I have installed an auxiliary tube and fin cooler in front of
the A/C condenser mounted on two pieces of aluminum bar stock. The plumbing for the cooler is all NPT threaded. The fluid
to the cooler first travels to a remote mounted oil filter, then through the first transmission oil temperature sensor, then
to a oil temperature bypass valve, then through the cooler, then through a second transmission oil temperature sensor, and finally
back to the pan. An Autometer electric gauge was surface mounted in the cab to the lower left of the steering column. It's
not easy to see here but I figured that it wouldn't get bumped there and would be the least obvious damage if we went to
sell the truck. Directly below the gauge is a toggle switch to select which of the two senders is displayed on the gauge.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have used a gauge that read to 300 degrees, instead of only 250. I have been told that
putting the remote oil cooler in-line right after the oil exists the torque converter is ideal as it's best to filter hot oil.
During normal driving without a trailer, the transmission temperature was normally around 180-185 degrees F. When towing up hills
the temperature would climb to 230 degrees. Sometimes (Rocky Mountains), the temp would peg the gauge at 250, but I wouldn't let
it stay there for long. If it was there for more than 60 seconds, I would stop to let it cool. Even then, I thought the temperatures
were still too high. I considered installing a fan on the cooler (and water sprayers), but there isn't enough room because the Durango hood
includes the front grill. Anything mounted in that zone needs to clear opening and closing the hood.
~149,000 miles MaxBrake Brake Controller Installed
I installed a MaxBrake controller because I wanted to get away from the accelerometer-based controllers that require two adjusts: power and gain. The MaxBrake uses
a pressure transducer installed in a brake line to sense pedal pressure and controls the trailer brakes proportionally to the pressure your foot puts on the brake pedal. This gets rid of one of the adjustment knobs. The remaining knob is then just a power knob that relates to the weight of the trailer and towing conditions. When the trailer is light, or when it's raining, the knob is turned down to 15, but when the trailer is heavy, it can be turned up to the 20 setting.
I really like the controller so far. It make brake modulation easier in slippery conditions. I no longer have to completely remove my foot from the brake to unlock the trailer tires.
Here are some install photos:
Last update: Dec 7th, 2019
