Overheating
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Overheating
I have a 2004 Dodge Stratus, and the other day it started overheating. The resevoir was bubbling, and my so called mechanic changed my thermostat twice plus changed the housing. I have no leakage at all, but the first thing he said was that my water pump is out. I checked the oil, and it wasn't milky at all. He is saying like I can't have two faulty thermostat......what's up with my Stratus? Help me please, and thank you
Captain
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 724
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From: Hazel Green, AL
1) This should be in the Dodge Status forum not Neon, but what the hey.
2) Is is REALLY overheating? I ask because having fluid bubble in your overflow tank is not necessarily a sign of overheating. The radiator cap only holds so many pounds of pressure (say 14) before it will open and vent.
The overflow tank is designed to capture that venting and store it. The bubbling you are hearing may be the fact that it is open and doing its job sending excess fluid into the overflow. It does not matter if the car is running or not. It strictly operates on pressure and will vent until it drops below the designed pressure for the radiator cap.
Now you may also have a bad radiator cap. They do go bad after awhile. If the spring on the cap is old and is losing its ability to lock in the proper amount of pressure, it will vent too much and create a problem by allowing too much fluid to escape, and when the overflow tank fills up, the rest is dumped on the ground. A replacement radiator cap is about $12 for a good one.
Are you losing fluid?
Is the overflow tank filling up and then dropping back to normal levels - between the max and min marks - later when it has cooled?
Do you have a temp guage, or just the red light for temp warning? If so, is the guage showing overheat or is the light coming on? If not, then you may not have an overheating problem.
BTW, if your water pump is out, then most likely you are losing fluid AND the car overheats almost as soon as it is fully warmed up. How many miles are on the car?
2) Is is REALLY overheating? I ask because having fluid bubble in your overflow tank is not necessarily a sign of overheating. The radiator cap only holds so many pounds of pressure (say 14) before it will open and vent.
The overflow tank is designed to capture that venting and store it. The bubbling you are hearing may be the fact that it is open and doing its job sending excess fluid into the overflow. It does not matter if the car is running or not. It strictly operates on pressure and will vent until it drops below the designed pressure for the radiator cap.
Now you may also have a bad radiator cap. They do go bad after awhile. If the spring on the cap is old and is losing its ability to lock in the proper amount of pressure, it will vent too much and create a problem by allowing too much fluid to escape, and when the overflow tank fills up, the rest is dumped on the ground. A replacement radiator cap is about $12 for a good one.
Are you losing fluid?
Is the overflow tank filling up and then dropping back to normal levels - between the max and min marks - later when it has cooled?
Do you have a temp guage, or just the red light for temp warning? If so, is the guage showing overheat or is the light coming on? If not, then you may not have an overheating problem.
BTW, if your water pump is out, then most likely you are losing fluid AND the car overheats almost as soon as it is fully warmed up. How many miles are on the car?
