I have a '99 Intrepid with a 2.7 liter engine that has a thermostat housing cover that has a slight leak around the air bleeder vent. The housing cover is made of a molded "plastic" and it seems that the leak is occurring between the plastic and the brass vent. Does anyone know, is this a common 2.7 liter problem and is there an easy fix to this rather than spending the $135 that the dealer wants for the new cover? Thanks for the help.
Don't use stop leak to repair this, it will just cause problems down the road. It isn't a common problem but I do see it on some vehicles, if the dealer is just gonna charge you $135 I would jump on it.
Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech
The $135 is just to buy the part! To remove the 4 bolts and replace the piece............. I can only imagine they will charge at least 1.5 hours @ $90/hr!...........This is why I'm trying to fix it.
It is a *very* common problem on the 2.7L. And, as others said, that is not the thermostat housing - it is called the outlet housing.
If someone is quoting you $135 just for the part, you are being heavily gouged. Maybe that is parts and labor? Has to be. It is a little difficult to replace, as the intake plenum has to be partially removed just to get two of the four screws out that hold it to the block.
The part comes in two forms: (1) Just the housing - lists for $63.25 - you should be able to find it for $52 at discount dealers. (2) The housing plus the tube that connects to it and runs under the intake plenum to the heater core - lists for $84 - should be able to find for $69.
You just need the housing (1) - that's the part that fails - the metal insert comes loose from the plastic of the housing. Also, the o-ring between the tube and the housing should be replaced at the same time (should be a $5 part).
Mine seeped coolant for 2-1/2 years before I finally replaced it. It may never have gotten worse - more of a nuisance. The leak was so small that I never had to add coolant in the whole 2-1/2 years. Others have had the insert twist out completely - especially if shops mess with the bleeder - must be the same shops that like to strip the threads out of the oil pan drain hole. If that happens, then you have an emergency repair on your hands - you have no choice but to replace the housing before the car can be used again.
If you are the only one that works on your car and are likely the only one to mess with the bleeder and treat it gently when opening/closing, it will probably be OK. But you never know...
Oh - guess what - the new one I replaced it with seeps coolant - again - not enough that I have to add coolant - just keeps dried coolant residue around the bleeder insert.
If it were me, if it is not an active drip or leak and is only seeping trace amounts, I would leave it alone. You will be spending money and will likely not get an improvement. However, if you are seeing actual large drops of water, perhaps you should replace it.
The parts guy at one dealer told me that he has seen brand new ones twist out right out of the box - and he warned me that if I bought a new one from him and it did that, that he would not replace it or refund my money. Nice system, eh? I just love modern business.
Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')
Find another dealer. See my other post. Part (#4663723AF) is under $85 list - and that's with the tube that you don't need. Part without tube (#4792329) lists for $64. Those are list prices - you can find for $52 from discount dealers.
There is some labor involved - it's *not* a simple matter of removing the four bolts - the intake plenum essentially has to be removed (at least enough to raise it an inch or two). Don't fool yourself into thinking you can get the back two bolts out without raising the plenum - I though I could with special twisty wrenches, etc. No way around it - the plenum has to be raised.
If you do it, you probably ought to get a set of plenum gaskets - not too expensive, and it will ensure that you don't end up with an intake leak, which can and does happen if the old gaskets are re-used.
Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')
Is it possible to drill out the bleeder and replace it with a standard plastic NPT pipe plug from the hardware store? The plug plus teflon tape should be usable for a bleed, assuming there's enough material there to be able to tap in pipe threads. Just curious, as I don't have one of those engines.
Ted
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