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I have an 02 Dodge Intrepid (3.5l HO) that has an overheating problem. The water pump was leaking, so I replaced that, still overheated after that. Unfortunately it’s my only vehicle so I have to drive it to work and back, I got home from work the other day and shut the car off (it didn’t overheat this time) and steam comes from under the hood. I open the hood and the recovery tank is ruptured at the seam (could be due to age, possibly a symptom) I’ve replaced that, new rad cap, new thermostat, there don’t seem to be any leaks, I haven’t had to put coolant in since I replaced the water pump.
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Since it sounds like you have done some work already did you bleed the system of air ? air in the system may be causing probs. I would pressure test the system as well. also check that the cooling fan is coming on at the right time.
I too would first look at if there is any air trapped in there, could be an easy fix. Did you bleed the system with the heat on after you did the water pump?
Any ideas as to why flooring the gas would cause it to cool down nearly instantly? I mean literally, almost to the red, flooring the car for a second and a few seconds later the temp drops to normal op temp…
I have no legit explanation for that. Is it possible for the motor to cool down that fast? Should I be checking the temp sensor?
when you floor the car you spin the water pump faster which moves more
coolant and starts to move the in the system. btw don’t use the bleeder
screw to try and bleed air. its there to help fill the system faster.What you describe are the classic symptoms of air in the cooling system, this video shows my method of getting the air out, don’t worry that you don’t have a bleeder valve as those are only there to make filling the system easier they have nothing to do with purging the air from the system, do everything else in the video however. Also you don’t need the funnel just don’t fill it all the way and allow room for the coolant to expand while it heats up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUzOTnsWImIwell, I’m glad to know it’s “normal”, I’ve never had a car with a pressurized system before, I’ve just poured in coolant and drive it off.
The car does have a bleeder valve, and that’s where I removed the air, assuming that’s what the bleeder valve was for. W-|
Thank you all for your help. I actually took this video today before I checked the comments again…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeHemGJRzcU
Thanks a ton you guys. I think I will invest in that funnel, I spill more coolant than makes it in usually anyway lol.
I would suggest checking the heater core for leaks. if the heater core is leaking
that will introduce more air into the system. you could bypass the heater core
with a loop of heater hose to see if the symptoms go away..heres a video on
how to bleed a cooling system I believe you have air trapped in the system.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUpXgAJ1 … plpp_video
Yeah, I’ve bled the system, that’s a good idea about bypassing the heater core, I never thought of that.
I’m going to install a flush kit soon and If that doesn’t work I may give that a shot.
The heater core isn’t leaking that I can tell, it’s not losing any fluid and there’s no steam on the windows or water on the floorboards.
I would pressure test the cooling system. You can loan those kits from any good auto parts store.
+1 on bleeding the cooling system also. And you do not need a bleeder valve to do that.
Also, is your radiator fan working correctly?
Yeah, the fan is working fine. I’ve bled it using the bleeder valve, I’ve considered purchasing the spill free funnel that Eric has and bleeding it that way. In fact, after replacing the recovery tank I noticed a stamping that says use Miller Tool 8195 (see links)
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Chrysler-Repair-807/2010/7/Filling-2-7-3.htm
https://millerspecialtools.spx.com/Detail.aspx?id=1807How important do you think it is to actually use that?
Just open the bleeder valve when you fill the system and it will go much faster AND give you a head start on purging the system, to bleed the air out you need to follow the procedure in the video. Keep us posted.
sorry it took so long to re-post, I”ve been working like crazy. So I bled the system using a spill free funnel, identical to the one in the video, after getting to temp the funnel starts filling up and eventually flows over. So I tried it again, with maybe an inch or so of fluid sitting in the bottom of the funnel. Started the car (already about to temp) after sitting a few minutes it again starts to fill up and overflows. I took the funnel off, after turning the car off the recovery tank was low so I topped it off and drove it, It started overheating, and now revving the motor to 3-3.5k RPM doesn’t cool it down.
I’m at a major loss here :/
Also, the recovery tank on my car has 2 chambers, one that’s pressurized with a 16lb radiator cap and the overflow is part of the same tank, it’s separated. Not sure if that makes a difference.
Also, should the tank be at normal level or should the funnel have a little in it when I start?
I think you would want the tank at normal level and maybe just a little in the funnel to begin with, if you have a ton of air in the system it could be causing the funnel to overflow. Wants it burps out quite a bit of the air then maybe you could trying filling the funnel up more. Also, I’ve heard if you lift the front of the car up a little it helps bleed the cooling system a little better since the air will float to the top…
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