99 T&C radiator charge reasonable?

The 99 T&C is leaking coolant constantly especially after longer distance
drive (over 30 minutes). At the very front(passenger side right behind
bumper), the green stuff drops irregularly. Sometimes it lost coolant level
from Max line to Min line (viewing at the coolant reservoir) after one hour
commuting. Sometimes it does drop at all.

A local garage diagnosed and recommended replacing upper and lower hose and
radiator for close to $700.
Is it a reasonable charge? Should I get another estimate in my situation?

Thanks for any input.

 

too much

 

I agree. Go for second estimate.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Find a shop in town that just does radiator repair. Give them a gal of G5
antifreeze and a gal of distilled water. They should be able to do the job
for about $$350 to 400.00. A radiator made in China will cost about $130.00
a USA radiator about $200.00, and OEM radiator, closer to $300.00.

Richard.

 

This is not a terribly difficult job and most home mechanics could do it
themselves for about $200 -$250 and a few hours of your time. You can scope
out the cost of different quality levels of radiator and hoses using the web
from various auto parts supply houses. You could also call around to NAPA,
etc. and compare parts prices.

By the way, make absolutely certain that the diagnosis was correct and that
it is indeed the radiator leaking. The reason I say this is because the
3.3L and 3.8L engines I've owned seem to get about 60K-85K miles before the
water pumps start to leak and then fail completely. (Our own '99 3.8L T&C
just had the water pump fail at 66K miles ... it took me about 2 hours total
time to replace it.) The coolant will pool on the passenger side just
behind the front bumper due to the plastic shield that is behind the
passenger side front inner fender well. Make absolutely sure they diagnosed
the right problem before replacing the radiator. Also, you may want to
replace the other rubber hoses at the same time too based on the age of the
vehicle.

Bob

 

Harry you may want to take a look see for yourself at where the drip is
coming from, if it is the plastic pet cock leaking those are serviceable for
about 10 bucks.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

Strangely, one of the few accessories that have not failed in our 96 T&C
3.8L is the water pump. At 170K it is still pumping water where it should.

Ken

 

You are indeed very lucky and living on borrowed time in my opinion.

Bob

 

And a wrecker can probably supply the OEM one for about $50, that's what
it cost me when I replaced the radiator about 3 months ago in one of my
vans.

Ted

 

Bob,

Wanna buy a 96 T&C in really great shape?

Ken

 

No thanks. My wife still loves her '99 which is also in pretty good shape
and has just 70K miles.

Bob

 

You are absolutely correct, Bob. I was changing the oil today and noticed a
drop of coolant on the lower radiator hose. The source of this was clearly
the water pump. Bought a new one and will put it in tomorrow.

Anything else you would like to tell me?

Ken

 

Ken,

It's a pretty easy job. Should take no more than two hours even the first
time around using basic metric socket, ratchet, and a torque wrench. Just
make sure you get the O-ring is in the channel on the pump and that it does
not move around when you mount the pump and tighten it down. I use a little
Permatex Blue RTV to set the ring in the channel since it helps keep it in
one place.

To get at the pump, remove the passenger side front tire and the plastic
inner fender shield. Everything is pretty easy to access from there. You
may also want to replace the serpentine belt and maybe the tensioner too if
it is still original equipment.

Good luck.

Bob

 

Thanks, Bob. I actually finished the job before I read your posting. I did
exactly what you recommended and it was pretty easy. The worst part was
changing the lower radiator hose and bypass hose (which had previously not
been changed).

It's also easier putting the serp belt back on when the wheel and shield are
removed. Those parts were relatively new, so I didn't bother changing them.

Regards,

Ken