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Question:
I'm driving my 2.2/2.5 equipped Chrysler and it overheats. It may have low coolant or some other noticeable issue, so I fix it. It's fine for a few days. Then it overheats again. I think I'm hearing a bubbly sound when the engine first fires up, through the heater vents. There may also be more white smoke in the exhaust on startup than there used to be. The overheating incidents are happening more often and quicker than before. What is wrong with the car?
The Problem:
Absolutely nothing, in a serious sense. There is one issue on these engines that gets everyone, and that is the headgaskets. They are subject to a lot of wear, because aluminum expands about three times as much as iron does at the same temperatures. This means, however slightly, that your crankcase and head are "squirming" together when you run your car, and the gasket compensates, and keeps things sealed, until it fails. Then you're left with the same symptoms I've described.
The Answer:
The repair for this is to replace the headgasket. This can be tackled on your own, but helps if you have a buddy around to help. A more detailed repair sequence can be found elsewhere on Allpar, but basically, you need to remove your timing belt and acessory drive belts, your valve cover, and the air cleaner/throttle body/exhaust and intake manifolds from the head, and then remove the head. Then remove the head gasket (carefully!) and make sure both mating surfaces of the head and crankcase are spotlessly clean. Replace the gasket with a Mopar Performance headgasket. Avoid FelPro at ALL costs! It's a good idea, at this point, to get the head checked for warpage, and machined if needed, because if you have a warped head, replacing this gasket will not help unless the head is remedied, and you'll be out a day's labour, $50 in parts, and at least one beer and a whole lot of cursing. Once the gasket and sealant is in place, and the head is lowered onto the crankcase, reassemble in reverse order of dissasembly (i.e. put it back together the way you took it apart). Of course, make sure you drain the oil, the entire coolant system, and depressurize the fuel lines/injector (on TBI models) before you begin. And work in a clean, dry place that won't mind if you drip a little oil on the floor. Not your parent's driveway, for example. It's also a good idea to do the timing belt while you've got the engine apart. Why put the old one back on only to have it fail you in another 5K? You don't want to do this more than you have to, so bite the bullet and buy the belt.
In short, a headgasket is a very small problem. With a little time (usually it takes the 'hobby' mechanic, us people who aren't mechanics but refuse to be ripped off, about a day) and $50 in parts... probably closer to $100 in Canadian? Something around there. It beats a shop estimate... our shop here wants $1100 for the same job. Your EEK will live again! Just follow the instructions on this site, buy a Haynes book, do a buddy a favor, and borrow some tools and some workspace and you've got nothing to worry about.
Many happy miles to you.
***Originally Posted by offabroadway Jan 23 2005, 09:19 PM***
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