Overheating Engine

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

hey i got a idea did they check to see if the raditor has blocked air flow
or maybe the cooling fan is inop

 

i just fixed a car that would only overheat on the highway and guess what the
radiator flow was blocked (too much crap between radiator and condenser)and that
was after a dealer could not verify issue

 

yep.another reason to go to a manual car wash