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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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i just know the last time ive ever had a similar problem.. it was the line to what would have been the heater core because i went to replace the thermostat because it would start getting warm and found that most of it was broken off exept for the cap side so after i replaced it i found out that the coolant boiled quickly therafter thinking it was a headgasket i replaced it and when i had the head off i seen their was a kink in the bypass hose they set up so i went to carquest to get one relitavly the same size but preformed to a U and that fixed my problem.. so if you find your headgaskets fine maybe you do have a clogged heater core and possibly should check to make sure it flows like you said and if not the maybe reverse the normal flow in hopes that whatever comes out so you dont have to bypass/replace it.
I experienced a similar frustrating story a few years ago, and it turned out that the new aftermarket thermostat was sticking closed. Without knowing for sure, I replaced the new thermostat with a higher quality device and the problem was solved.
In your case it sounds like you have now bled the system effectively — is the heater core still gurgling? Have you pressure tested the system?
no pressure test, no gurgling
I only have one cap on the coolant system and that is on the recovery tank. The overflow is part of the recovery tank, and the radiator itself has no cap. See the link I posted earlier from dorman showing the recovery tank.
[i]understood. but air will not escape unless the overflow/expansion tank cap
is removed.this video shows the procedure of what you got.[/i]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw65VHVp … plpp_video
I don’t think you’re drawing in air but rather that there may be a restriction in the system somewhere (possibly the radiator) OR perhaps your water pump has failed like in the video link I posted.
It’s a brand new water pump, less than 2 months old. It did need replaced as it was leaking and making a grinding noise. No longer leaking and it’s now quiet, but it’s still overheating.
Here’s the layout of the coolant system. The only part that has a cap is piece 2.
In one of Erics videos he mentioned he didn’t care for the flush kits where you install an adapter for your water hose. I don’t have an air compressor. What else would you recommend doing?
That would leave a possible restriction in the system as a cause that should be eliminated, you might also want to check between the condenser and radiator for debris, if this area gets blocked it can dramatically decrease cooling system efficiency. It could also be the radiator is clogged internally and probably the easiest way to check for that is with an inferred thermometer, look for areas with a drastic difference in temperature.
I find it strange that with all the diagnostic tools that are available there is still confusion regarding this kind of diagnosis. It would be useful to have a tool that would estimate fluid movement through the cooling system. Ultrasound doppler devices can estimate movement of fluid, and that might help in the decision as to whether it’s inadequate flow caused by a bad pump, ineffective cooling because of inefficient heat transfer at the radiator, or perhaps restriction of flow at some point in the system. Of course the cost of these kind of diagnostics would need to be weighted against the cost of diagnostic inaccuracy….
Quoted From spelunkerd:
I find it strange that with all the diagnostic tools that are available there is still confusion regarding this kind of diagnosis. It would be useful to have a tool that would estimate fluid movement through the cooling system. Ultrasound doppler devices can estimate movement of fluid, and that might help in the decision as to whether it’s inadequate flow caused by a bad pump, ineffective cooling because of inefficient heat transfer at the radiator, or perhaps restriction of flow at some point in the system. Of course the cost of these kind of diagnostics would need to be weighted against the cost of diagnostic inaccuracy….
I find an inferred thermometer works very well for this and these days they aren’t that expensive, you just follow the system looking for a big change in temperature, when you find it you’ve often found the cause of the problem.
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