hello, i just purchased a 2001 dodge intrepid, 2.7 liter with 180,000 miles on it.. the second day i owned it, it overheated, so i added water to it. Since i have to add water on a daily basis.. My brother replaced the thermostat, didn't fix it, that is when we noticed the heater blows cold air.The day after the thermostat was replaced, i see water streaming out towards the front of the car underneath.WAs told it could be blown head gasket, but since the water is visible leaking, now i am told it could be water pump, can u tell more, thanks.. oh one more thing to add, not sure what it is called, but i think it is the bleeder valve, located on top of hose will only blow out steam, so i am told it is air locked..thanks again


(This post was edited by mitzripple on Sep 3, 2009, 3:25 AM)

What you have is a bad coolant leak. All the other issues are the result of the coolant being low. What you need to do is fill the system completely and pressure test the system to find the leak. It could be most anything in the cooling system.




78 Corvette Pace Car For Sale-18k mi orig-Florida

thanks very much, it so happens my brother and father own a radiator business, they have what i need to check coolant leaks, once again thanks a bunch....

i have bad news bout my car, when idling, i am seeing white smoke out the tail pipe and i feel moisture, it is morning when i felt the moisture, nevertheless i felt moisture, it's not the heads is it, plz tell me no..

Moisture will just be condensation but white smoke is a bad sign. Blown head gasket is the first thing that happens if it gets too hot.




78 Corvette Pace Car For Sale-18k mi orig-Florida

thanks again, the water streaming out from underneath, i just found out, is my brother put the thermostat in wrong, he is in the process of fixing that..it never has gotten so hot that the gauge hit the h mark.. And to be a blown gasket, wouldn't that affect the running of the engine? what i mean is, the car runs smooth, no misses..My radiator dad tells me it's a chrysler, he would trade it for a horse and shoot the horse, ain't he a riot..anyway do you think once the thermostat is installed correctly, could that be my only problem..i hope..

mitz; Time will tell. As HT stated, it is normal to see condensation steam upon cold start. Clear steam. White, billowing, steam is not a good sign. Once the thermostat is installed correctly, the system bled of air, you will know soon if it's going to be okay. Oh, and tell dad that I'd rather have a broken Dodge that drive a Ford or Chev. LOL.
Loren
SW Washington

funny, cause he is a ford only man,lol.. Anyway i have a real dodge man looking at it, lol, he just called and said it is the water pump, i have already bought one, so he is in the process of installing it, BUT, what about my heater blowing cold air, is this gonna work now, i'm confused, I am just an ole female trying to understand this stuff.. The (i hate to confess my age) older cars are much easier to repair..I will keep you informed on the repairs, and I will have more questions, thanks for all the advice..


(This post was edited by mitzripple on Sep 5, 2009, 6:31 AM)

>> BUT, what about my heater blowing cold air>>
Yes, it should correct that problem, as well. The heater core (like a minature radiator) must be completely full of coolant....no air. So, if the coolant level in the radiator is low, the heater won't work. Tell dad I was kidding...I've had Fords, GMs, Dodges. I liked them all. All require maintenance, and as long as it's performed, any will hold up. I really like my current Dodge the best, but of course, it's the newest I've had.
Good luck and have a great holiday weekend.
Loren
SW Washington

I know you were kidding, lol.. Thanks for the information, I will inform when I pick up the car on it's performance, thanks again..

well i picked up the car, the streaming of fluids has stopped with the new water pump, but as i went to pick up a celebration bottle, which was round 30 miles, it overheated..the fella that put the pump in told me the radiator has air, and proceeded to tell me how to deal with it, start the car and remove the radiator cap, i got lost from there, i had to park the car at the my radiator dads to cool, took my mothers car home, when i returned for the car, radiator dad had to add water to my car then he put his pressure gauge on it, water did come out the bleeder valve, before the pump it didn't...but he told me my radiator hose built pressure up to fast, he checked my tail pipe for white smoke, there was none..woo hoo, so now what do i check, thanks....a friend told me to let it run and check the fans to see if they are operating properly, says maybe they ain't kicking on when they should, said could be a fuse, ahh!!!