I'm looking at replacing my 97 Intrepid soon with a 2nd gen Intrepid or Chrysler counterparts (300M & Concorde) and I wanted to ask a question about 2nd gen 3.5L engines. On my Intrepid I heard that it is a better idea to replace the water pump and timing belt around 75K miles instead of waiting until 105K miles as they can in some cases snap and being that it is a interference engine can lead to engine failure. I'm just wanting to know from people who have had 2nd gen 3.5L Intrepids if the same rule applies or if they used a stronger belt. So basically when have you replaced yours?

 

i have a 3.2 (very similar to 3.5) and i did not change mine until 110k. i think a lot of it depends on your daily driving as to when you change yours. i believe anywhere between 75-100k should be sufficient. i was doing all highway driving so i was not worried. when i finally got to the belt, it still looked brand new, the idler pulley spun freely, and the water pump showed no signs of seepage. i went with a gates belt and pulley from oreilly and cant remember what i got for the water pump.

in the end, it is up to you as to when you want to replace it. if you feel more comfortable changing it early, then go ahead but i wouldn't stress if you are a little over in mileage...

 

Alright, I appreciate your advice. I tend to drive more for fuel efficiency as opposed to performance due to high fuel prices so I'd image it would be okay if I get a vehicle with 75K and wait until I develop more funds before I change out the belt and pump. I've never heard about having to replace a pulley though. Is that common on the second gen 3.2/3.5L family (yes I know this would techincally be a 1st gen 3.2 as it was first introduced in this time frame but I'm sure you know what I mean).

I just don't want to have to replace an engine is all. BTW, does anyone know if there are any warning signs when the belt needs to be replaced before it snaps. Also at how many miles did you get your LH car?

 

no real warning signs with a timing belts on 3.2/5. the timing chain in the 2.7 will begin to rattle and make noise, but with a belt is simply important to stay on top of maintenance.

as far as the pulley, i simply replaced everything associated with the timing belt except for the tensioner--still looked good and very seldom go bad. i figured there was no point in having it apart and not replacing potential problems such as a bad pulley bearing. pulley has to come off anyway to get new belt back on.

as far as when i bought my car, it had ~45k on it. i switched to mobile 1 synthetic 5w30 and have used purolator oil filters since the first oil change. other than some standard maintenance (brakes, rotors, inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, one cv joint, belts, plugs, idler pulleys, an alternator) i have had zero issues with engine or transmission since i bought back in 05. yes i drive a lot!!

if you are purchasing a car at 75k, ask questions about the upkeep and try to verify with any receipts. i would get the trans fluid swapped right away (be sure to use ATF-4 fluid only) and get an oil change. if you choose not to use synthetic oil, i recommend using a quality oil and filter. if you keep up with the maintenance, the car should last you a very long time.

 

That's what I thought. I appreciate the information. Yeah, I'm not going to even look at any 2.7L Intrepids. I hate their power characteristics, I hate how they feel like and sound like an I4, I hate the fact that they don't provide any real advantage over any of the other engines including fuel economy, and I think we all know the thing I hate the most about them.

You certainly do drive a lot, I can tell. When did the alternator go out on you? I've never heard of that going on an LH nor any Chrysler for that matter (on GM all the time but not Chrysler).

Thus far I have asked, but the dealers have nothing on hand which concerns me on the transmission because as you pointed out the transmission need to be maintained and they need to be maintained with the correct fluid (which so many people don't have a clue about). I generally had the fluid flushed, when I asked about changing the filter they either claimed that they couldn't do it, or that it would be more harmful (I'm not very talented on working on vehicles to tell you the truth but I try to make sure they are being taken care of properly). I generally try to have that done every 30K and I have the dealer take care of it and just to be safe I do quiz them to make sure the people working there aren't clueless (as I have talked to people at Chrysler dealers who thought you could use Dexron! Grrr!) and that they will use ATF+4.

I used to do my own oil but I quit. I don't know what 2nd gen engines are like just yet, but they made reaching the oil filter on the first gen 3.5Ls such a pain in the wrist that I decided to just pay the dealer to do it for me. I have them use conventional motor oil which I believe Patrick said they use Mobil. When I did my own I used Valvoline with STP filters.

Your right that these things will last a long time if you take care of them. Mine has 162K and its doing fine in terms of the powertrain, its the paint that's bad plus the speakers need replacing, plus the power locks are shot, plus the suspension probably needs new struts, plus the A/C has a slow leak and even though they put the dye in there a year ago I just don't want to deal with it, etc. It just isn't worth it if you ask me on an 11 year old vehicle with that many miles. A friend claimed that his sister put 285K on hers before it was totaled.

BTW, a couple more questions: I have heard people mentioning about a steering rack problem. I've never had this problem with mine so I don't know what to look for. Do you have any advice on what to look for? And I've seen the transmission fluid look kind of clear, maybe even yellowish instead of the fresh pinkish red. Any advice here on whether to get it or avoid it.

 

the only real steering rack issue is you sometimes get some noise while turning and over time of course you will need to replace the rack mount bushings.

as far as a clear trans fluid, they more than likely had the wrong type of fluid in there. should be red and not be burnt looking (brownish red) or smell burnt.

if it is in a car you intend on picking up, get a trans fluid swap done. you may need to call around to find a shop that is willing to do a pan drop, change the filter, and swap out all the fluid. i highly recommend against the "flush" because they simply force the fluid backwards through the system which can potentially cause any debris that was trapped by the filter to relocate and clog or damage the internals.

as far as changing your own oil, the 2nd gen 3.2/5 are very easy. the filter is just behind the drivers wheel. i use a strap filter wrench, but it would probably be easier with a cup type. the first time i attempted to change the oil it took about 30 minutes. now it takes ~10. pretty quick driveway job.

 

UPDATE: I just bought a 2002 Intrepid ES w/3.5 EGJ version. The transmission fluid looks pinkish-red, I'm going to have it done soon after I have the place remove that awful chrome that the previous owner added and have them swap the tacky aftermarket chrome rims for the natural alloy ones which I prefer (I don't get why so many people have to ruin a car's natural beauty by adding too much chrome to it, a little small touches are great, but the amount they load on there is way too much!). I'll let you know when it comes to oil changing time if it's easy enough to do or if I'll just continue to have the dealer to take care of it. The car has 71,8XX miles on it.

BTW, I know that the 3.2L only recommends 87 octane, do you or anyone else know if the EGJ recommends mid-grade (89 octane)? I know the EGG recommends it on the R/T and SXT models and unfortunately the car did not have a manual in it.

 

congrats on the purchase!! please take time to check out www.dodgeintrepid.net or www.LHforums.net.

i prefer the lh site personally, but both sites offer a vast amount of info regarding the trep and other lh bodies. very informative people and will usually offer help when needed.

i will look into the fuel recommendation tomorrow when i can get to my manual...

 

I bought a 98se, 3.2, with 60000 on it in 2001. I changed the timing belt and water pump, thermostat, at 115k.
At 240k the water pump started to weep a little, so I did the same again at 240k, currently have 248k.
Oil has always been changed every 4000 miles, I use Rotella 15w40.
No oil consumtion, runs as good as it did when I got it and averages 26mpg ( better if all highway miles).
I also changed the plugs a couple of times, and air filter ocasionally, and a little incident with a cat resulted in new external belts and a harmonic balancer.
Easily the most trouble free car I have experienced.