Engine overheat, car won't start

Hi, all, I have problems again with my 95 Eagle Vision ESI 3.5L
(Intrepid clone). Got 95K on it so far, owned it from 78K, no overheat
history on my watch.
Background: Driving on a highway, 85F outside, no AC (broke long time
ago).
I notice the temperature gauge going up rapidly. In about 30 secs went
from normal (middle) to HOT, out the gauge. I this point I had already
pulled over, and stopped the engine so I didn't really run overheated
(I think). Looked under the hood, all the coolant is lost through the
overflow.
Had the car towed home (sometimes it pays to have 3A ). Tried to start
it again next day in the morning, figured I'd put some coolant in and
watch it run hot, thermostat and what have you, but no! Ignition turns
engine normally from what I can tell, but won't start at all.
I called a local shop to see if it's worth putting more money in, they
offer to look at it but say it's probably a blown head gasket or
flodded cylinder with coolant (1.5K-3.5K damage).
If it's true I'll prolly pass on it, but before that would like to
hear other opinions, suggestions, ideas?
Thanks, appreciate your help!
Sorin

 

When a car overheats that quickly, a blown head gasket is a pretty good
first guess. It could also be something more serious such as a cracked
head or block, but I'd start with the head gasket. In any event, a tear
down of the engine, at least the top end, is in order. If the car is
otherwise in good shape, then I'd think it definitely is worth
repairing. If the car has been a lemon, then I'd dump it and move on.


Matt

 

98% chance that it's nothing more than a leaking water pump and
skipped timing belt.
Very common problem.

 

Probably through a leaky evaporator. Well-known problem on these; the
evaporators are made out of something akin to cottage cheese in terms of
aging gracefully.

Horseshit, pick a different shop. You lost your water pump and the timing
belt slipped, therefore the engine won't start. That's how it happens on
this engine. Fortunately, it's not a valvesmasher. Get a new water pump
and timing belt and you're all set.

If the engine had a cylinder full of coolant, it wouldn't crank normally.
If it had a blown headgasket, it would run poorly and smoke mightily.

DS

 

Disconnect the battery and wait 5 minutes then reconnect the battery.
Some versions you must do this to get them to run after over heating.
It's one of those big brother software knows best things.

Look for leaks and bubbles in the over flow tank while running.

 

Er...holy "what a load of shit", Batman!

 

Relax, Robin. It's just the... <sniff sniff>... Never mind, you're
right. Remind me to tell Alfred that it's time to shovel the guano out
of the Batcave again.

 

Where do they come from???

 

My guess is that the car overheated because the water pump seized up.
The water pump is turned by the timing belt, so the timing belt has
likely now jumped time (or broken). The first-generation 3.5 is pretty
tough and will tolerate a mild overheat, although if you truly did lose
ALL coolant, then the heads may have warped. They are aluminium and not
cast iron, unfortunately.

 

Not Chrysler LH cars, though.

 

Happened to me before and the starter gear broke. Starter would crank but no
engagment with the flywheel. Car overheated and let car cool down for an
hour on highway and all the car would do was crank. New the motor wasn't
blown because the starter was cranking. Thought the coolant sensor went
wacky and wouldn't let me start it. mechanic told me when it was in the shop
that the starter gear was broken.

 

Thanks for all that responded, and here's an update:

Because of many suggestions, I looked at the oil stick, no trace of
coolant liquid in the oil and no foam on the oil cap.

I refilled the radiator with water and tried to restart the car, with
the coolant top off. According to a mechanic I talked to, if one of
the cylinders was busted I should see the water shooting up or at
least gurgling. It didn't.

Finally, I did the key trick and read the error codes. Only one was
54, "no camshaft signal". Did a brief search on the net, found some
references that this could be caused by timing belt being gone,
entirely or partially.

So, after all this, is it safe to say that it's prolly the water pump
and timing belt, both ruined? And if that, should I attempt to replace
them myself? I'm not too mechanically inclined and never went beyond
replacing a tire or the oil and filter (didn't have problems with
that), but I'm willing to give it a shot now, if it's not too
involved. Chilton manual makes it look scary, but what do I know? What
do you guys think?

As always, your thoughts and suggestions are welcome

Thanks, Sorin

 

sorin trimbitas wrote:

Yep, thats what it is.

There is no vehicle with an easier-to-replace timing belt than a
first-generation Chrysler 3.5

That said, it still takes patience and you MUST follow the FSM procedure
to the letter, including manually rotating the engine two turns after
everything is installed and verifying that the timing marks all line up.

Its nothing difficult for even a casual shade-tree mechanic, but I would
strongly recommend getting the factory service manual (FSM) for the car
and following the directions.