ok so i got this 2000 stratus about a year ago and it had say around 132,000 on it(2.4l 4 banger) runs great. i know the previous owner had the water pump replaced a month or 2 before i bought it and i believe the timing belt was changed also. things i have replaced: rear struts rear brakes front brakes master cylinder. now things i need to fix. front struts(got quoted from 285.00 to 500.00, i called around) exhaust leak after cat( but its the original exhaust so after 138,000 miles thats expected) and really bad cancer along quater panels( gonna clean off rust and just slap on some sheet metal and some rivets, dont care how it looks) now the really bad, well not sure. it's got a coolant leak, and when i took it in for emissions inspection(didnt pass) i asked them to look at it and they said it was head gasket, but after me and my buddy took a look for ourselfs we noticed no coolant in the oil( and its been leaking for at least 3 mo's) there is no coolant on the block itself, just a little that is always pooled on top of the valve cover right around the oil cap. still have to get a compression test and a def opinion from a real pro. but does ne one out ther have ne ideas where it could be leaking from? ( i think it may be somewhere on the side of the motor, but thats just my best guess.) ps it doesnt overheat at all.

 

As silly as it sounds, it may just be a bad radiator cap. seems like it could be spraying back towards the valve cover, where the oil cap is, they are in close proximity, and may not be enough to cause noticeable steam.