This is my first post so please be kind. I also don’t know much about fixing cars which is why I’m posting here before having it towed into a mechanic’s shop.

I have a 2001 Dodge Neon and am the original owner. I bought the car brand new and have never had any major problems with it until this week. Yes, it’s not the best looking car in the world but I love this car so am looking to get it fixed. Before I have it towed in I’d like to get thoughts on what’s wrong with it so that I at least have a clue about what the mechanic might say.

Details:
• Drove it for 100 miles the other day before stopping for gas, had the A/C on low the entire way. At the gas station I smelled something burning and saw smoke coming from the hood. Opened up the hood and saw what looked to be oil on a number of areas of the engine that didn’t look like it belonged there. Checked the levels of everything that I could and noted that there was almost no oil in the engine (dipstick was nearly dry). I bought oil (10W-30) and put one quart of oil into the engine. Took my chances and drove home (all freeway driving). Decided to keep the window open and the A/C vent open to the heat setting but not running. The temperature gauge was at the 75% mark the entire way. When I stopped the car at a stop sign near the house the temperature gauge started going up. I think that the cool air (I was driving early in the morning) helped to keep the engine from overheating on the freeway.

• After getting home I added engine coolant to the car but accidentally put in too much. I thought that it would get flushed out but after driving it the coolant reservoir is still beyond the max line (some did come out). I don’t know if this is causing additional problems. At that point I decided to call it quits for the day and parked the car overnight in the driveway

• The next day I recorded everything on video. The YouTube link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khlf3...ature=youtu.be

• You can see from start to finish what happens and when. I drove the car around the neighborhood with the A/C on high and at speeds typically under 30MPH. It took about 8 minutes to overheat.

• At this point I don’t think that I can get the car to a mechanic without having it towed. I’m ok with doing so but really don’t want to get into a situation where somebody tells me that it needs several $K in repairs and then I need to figure out how to get it to another shop for a second quote or to just pay them to fix it. I also don’t go to the mechanic very often (aside from oil changes at the dealer) so don’t have a mechanic in the area that I know.

• Also, I live in Florida so don’t deal with cold weather much if that helps

• Any help on what might be wrong (and how much I should expect to spend) would be greatly appreciated! Thank You.

 

Are you sure it's oil and not transmission fluid? Looks like there's a hole in the lower radiator hose or the radiator itself. If it is the radiator, I would highly suggest getting an external trans cooler and just get a radiator for a Neon with a manual trans.

 

Looks like your radiator has sprung a leak.. But I'm not sure if that's your whole problem.
When the engine gets to operating temp there is something you should do. Place your hand on the upper radiator hose it should be hot, compare it to the lower hose if you are unsure. They should be be around the same temperature.

If the upper hose is cool, then you need a thermostat.

 

Thank you for the replies. I contacted a couple of shops today and asked about the cost for replacing the entire radiator as it sounds like the problem may have to do with the radiator. I know that this may not be the case and that the problem may be something entirely different once they inspect the vehicle but atleast it's a starting point. The estimates ranged based on the cost of the radiator but were in the $300 to $500 range for a completely new radiator including labor. I had a tow truck come to the house tonight to pick up the car and drop it off at the shop. Will find out this weekend what the shop says and will send an update out to this distribution once I get the details.

 

Good, always interested to hear what the actual problem was.

 

Well, if you need to get the radiator replaced, buy the radiator separately and then just pay them for labor. It will be much cheaper ($100 cheaper).

 

A lot of shops won't install customer supplied parts and if they do they usually won't warranty them so buy at your own risk.

 

Every shop I've gone to does, and yea, they won't put a warranty on it. But then again, I do live in Missouri, so it might be different for "bigger" states.

 

I'd just replace it myself.

 

A quick update, I received a call from the mechanic indicating the problem was with the coolant bypass hose located under the throttle body. They replaced the hose and were able to complete the pressure test on the car. I plan to pick up the car later this morning. Thank you for the comments above...they helped me get an idea for what to expect.