I have had to be towed twice recently due to engine overheating. The first time, the dealer replaced the thermostat. The second time, they could not identify the problem. No loss of coolant, and thermostat fine. They suggested the problem is likely the internal head gasket ($800 job). Problem arises only with highway driving and only in stop and go traffic. Could it be the water pump? Car is 1992 Dodge Spirit, 6 cylinder.
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Is it when highway driving under heavy loads and air-condition on?
Overheating in stop and go traffic could indicate a water pump problem.
I think in case of a cylinder head gasket it should indicate a loose of water or oil, or water comes in oil, but overheating could damage the head gasket.
Regards,
Ralf
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you sure the fan on the radiator is running????/
let vehicle idle for awhile, confirm fan runs
Since it does it also at highway speeds you can rule out the radiator fan because it wont be on anyhow as long as the air flows across the radiator. If it were just at idle I would say yes possibly a fan problem. Since the thermostat has been replaced and I assume it was a factory part you can possibly rule that out as well. A faulty head or head gasket would cause an overheat condition at highway speeds and idle BUT you would have a loss of coolant. The coolant would go out the exhaust and you would be adding. Since you say you haven't been adding coolant you can rule that out as well. So is your overheat condition for real or is the temperature sending unit out of calibration? Did the technician compare the coolant temp sensor reading with the actual gauge reading? When you say overheat....did the gauge just go up or did it actually boil over?
Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech
I had a similar problem on a Plymouth Arrow. The temperature gauge would swing WAY up and then back to normal... in Winter. A radiator shop suggested replacing the radiator cap because the rubber gasket can swell over time, causing the coolant recovery function to not work properly. It worked! At any rate, it's cheap and easy to do.
Bryan
"A radiator shop suggested replacing the radiator cap".
good idea. lots of times it gets over looked, i was also going to say check for soft hoses being sucked shut at highway speeds but if its doing it during stop and go driving, it might not be a problem there.
That is their "go away and leave us alone" price. A dealer isn't the place to take a 15 year old car to service. They think a four year old car is old. Nothing against the dealers, they just aren't set up to work on older cars. You need to find a good in dependant shop that will take the time to diagnose and repair the problem. Not a chain store... ask your friends where they take their cars.
My guess would be a plugged radiator. It could be a water pump (but not real likely). It could be old hoses collapsing or it could even be a bad head gasket.
Steve B.
yep.another reason to go to a manual car wash
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