Radiator Flush??

My mother has a Dodge Stratus, 1996; and very occasionally, the radiator
shuts down, and the car starts to over heat. Open up the radiator cap and
you can see the steam, but the radiator's plastic container which is on the
side of the vehicle is full of that green liquid, and all the hoses are
connected. Shouldn't the radiator suck the liquid back into the radiotor
when it is low? Do we just keep re-filling the radiator? Is there something
broken?? Does it need a radiator flush? That is what is always being
promoted at Jiffy Lube.

Anyhow, thanks for your help I appreciate it.

CJ

thermostat change - radiators don't usually shut down unless some serious
clogging occurs. If that happens then you have other problems as well. If
your radiator fan is not working your problem is there. make sure it comes
on. turn on the air conditioner (if equipped) and the fan should come on
immediately.

"Curley" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> My mother has a Dodge Stratus, 1996; and very occasionally, the radiator
> shuts down, and the car starts to over heat. Open up the radiator cap and
> you can see the steam, but the radiator's plastic container which is on
the
> side of the vehicle is full of that green liquid, and all the hoses are
> connected. Shouldn't the radiator suck the liquid back into the radiotor
> when it is low? Do we just keep re-filling the radiator? Is there
something
> broken?? Does it need a radiator flush? That is what is always being
> promoted at Jiffy Lube.
>
> Anyhow, thanks for your help I appreciate it.
>
> CJ
>
>

thermostat change - radiators don't usually shut down unless some serious
clogging occurs. If that happens then you have other problems as well. If
your radiator fan is not working your problem is there. make sure it comes
on. turn on the air conditioner (if equipped) and the fan should come on
immediately.

"Curley" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> My mother has a Dodge Stratus, 1996; and very occasionally, the radiator
> shuts down, and the car starts to over heat. Open up the radiator cap and
> you can see the steam, but the radiator's plastic container which is on
the
> side of the vehicle is full of that green liquid, and all the hoses are
> connected. Shouldn't the radiator suck the liquid back into the radiotor
> when it is low? Do we just keep re-filling the radiator? Is there
something
> broken?? Does it need a radiator flush? That is what is always being
> promoted at Jiffy Lube.
>
> Anyhow, thanks for your help I appreciate it.
>
> CJ
>
>

"Curley" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> My mother has a Dodge Stratus, 1996; and very occasionally, the radiator
> shuts down, and the car starts to over heat. Open up the radiator cap and
> you can see the steam, but the radiator's plastic container which is on
the
> side of the vehicle is full of that green liquid, and all the hoses are
> connected. Shouldn't the radiator suck the liquid back into the radiotor
> when it is low? Do we just keep re-filling the radiator? Is there
something
> broken?? Does it need a radiator flush? That is what is always being
> promoted at Jiffy Lube.
>
> Anyhow, thanks for your help I appreciate it.
>
> CJ
>
>
Could it be that you are seeing the start of a head gasket failure?? I
believe there is some test kit available that will check for exhaust
contaminants in the antifreeze. Something is definitely over pressuring the
cooling system.

"Curley" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> My mother has a Dodge Stratus, 1996; and very occasionally, the radiator
> shuts down, and the car starts to over heat. Open up the radiator cap and
> you can see the steam, but the radiator's plastic container which is on
the
> side of the vehicle is full of that green liquid, and all the hoses are
> connected. Shouldn't the radiator suck the liquid back into the radiotor
> when it is low? Do we just keep re-filling the radiator? Is there
something
> broken?? Does it need a radiator flush? That is what is always being
> promoted at Jiffy Lube.
>
> Anyhow, thanks for your help I appreciate it.
>
> CJ
>
>
Could it be that you are seeing the start of a head gasket failure?? I
believe there is some test kit available that will check for exhaust
contaminants in the antifreeze. Something is definitely over pressuring the
cooling system.

"DaveR" > Could it be that you are seeing the start of a head gasket
failure?? I
> believe there is some test kit available that will check for exhaust
> contaminants in the antifreeze. Something is definitely over pressuring
the
> cooling system.>

I took the vehicle to the Dodge Dealership, and they said it would cost
$2600 to fix, more than the car is worth. Something about the oil and water
mixing, I guess it is the head gasket failure?

"DaveR" > Could it be that you are seeing the start of a head gasket
failure?? I
> believe there is some test kit available that will check for exhaust
> contaminants in the antifreeze. Something is definitely over pressuring
the
> cooling system.>

I took the vehicle to the Dodge Dealership, and they said it would cost
$2600 to fix, more than the car is worth. Something about the oil and water
mixing, I guess it is the head gasket failure?

"Curley" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
>
> I took the vehicle to the Dodge Dealership, and they said it would cost
> $2600 to fix, more than the car is worth. Something about the oil and
water
> mixing, I guess it is the head gasket failure?
>
>
>
Yes, it sounds like they are talking about a head gasket, but $2600 is way,
way more that what is usually charged for a head gasket replacement for most
most engines. Maybe you should shop it around to some other local garages.
Unless there is something peculiar about your car and engine, I would expect
to pay somewhere around $700. Dealer repair shops are sometime a little
over zealous in making sure everthing is perfectly in spec. A non-dealer
garage may be able to just replace the gasket, without re-surfacing the
heads which would save a lot. Of course, the risk of such short cuts is
that the gasket will fail again. But in many cases a good repair can be
made with such shortcuts if the history and circumstances of the failure are
known. For example, if the car engine never got seriously overheated, then
the chances of being able to skip the resurfacing of the heads and still
getting good results are greatly improved. Some of the motor heads in this
group will probably wince as the idea of just replacing the gasket, but
often such trade off are necessary to make the operation economically
feasible. Just call around and ask for an estimate for replacing the head
gasket on your car before deciding where to take the car. You may be
greatly surprised in the variation of estimates that you will receive. Then
get it in writing before you let anyone start on the job.

"Curley" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
>
> I took the vehicle to the Dodge Dealership, and they said it would cost
> $2600 to fix, more than the car is worth. Something about the oil and
water
> mixing, I guess it is the head gasket failure?
>
>
>
Yes, it sounds like they are talking about a head gasket, but $2600 is way,
way more that what is usually charged for a head gasket replacement for most
most engines. Maybe you should shop it around to some other local garages.
Unless there is something peculiar about your car and engine, I would expect
to pay somewhere around $700. Dealer repair shops are sometime a little
over zealous in making sure everthing is perfectly in spec. A non-dealer
garage may be able to just replace the gasket, without re-surfacing the
heads which would save a lot. Of course, the risk of such short cuts is
that the gasket will fail again. But in many cases a good repair can be
made with such shortcuts if the history and circumstances of the failure are
known. For example, if the car engine never got seriously overheated, then
the chances of being able to skip the resurfacing of the heads and still
getting good results are greatly improved. Some of the motor heads in this
group will probably wince as the idea of just replacing the gasket, but
often such trade off are necessary to make the operation economically
feasible. Just call around and ask for an estimate for replacing the head
gasket on your car before deciding where to take the car. You may be
greatly surprised in the variation of estimates that you will receive. Then
get it in writing before you let anyone start on the job.

Curley wrote:

>
> "DaveR" > Could it be that you are seeing the start of a head gasket
> failure?? I
>> believe there is some test kit available that will check for exhaust
>> contaminants in the antifreeze. Something is definitely over pressuring
> the
>> cooling system.>
>
> I took the vehicle to the Dodge Dealership, and they said it would cost
> $2600 to fix, more than the car is worth. Something about the oil and
> water mixing, I guess it is the head gasket failure?

Curley

Don't trust the dealer. Their job is to make money to support that
ridiculously huge showroom and "state of the art" equipment, not to
mention paying their salesmen's commissions. Oh, and those certifications
they require their "technicians" to have cost money, and therefore the
techs will want more pay....... So, they're going to get money somehow.
My local dealer flat-out lied to me, when I took the car in for a $15 oil
change and "free 21-point inspection". I know the car was in tip-top
shape, and when I saw what they "found", it included the transmission
needing a rebuild because its oil pan had the wrong gasket and the screws
were loose. The fact is, it was supposed to be RTV, not a gasket, but I
prefer gaskets; and the screws were tight until the tech screwed with
them, no pun intended. In short, they were flat out crooks. When I
called about it, of course "[Bob] is one of our best techs and has a very
reputable record with us" -- record for making money, no doubt!

MY ADVICE:
I had the same problem. My reservoir (that's the "plastic thing" on the
"side") would keep fluid in it, but the radiator would drain. What I
didn't notice until a very careful inspection was that the gasket of my
rad cap was cracked. It therefore allowed air to enter the system after a
brief overheat, instead of that vacuum pulling coolant from the
reservoir like it was designed to do. Also, my coolant would boil at
lower than acceptable temperatures because the crack allowed the pressure
to drop below design specs, allowing the mixture to boil prematurely. All
from a mild crack in the rad cap. FWIW, $5 at the parts shop cured the
problem. I still have a small leak, mind you, but it's very small and
it's at the water pump gasket. Not easy to get to on the 3.0 V6. But I
think that's all that's really wrong with your system (of course, without
seeing it I couldn't possibly know).

I recommend two things.

First, look at your rad cap's rubber gasket. Check for ANY cracks, ANY
bubbled look, burned or crisp spots, etc. Any one of these can introduce
pressure leaks and prevent the system from pulling coolant from the
reservoir like it should. If there is any part of that gasket that looks
damaged, go ahead and spend the $5 to replace it. EVEN IF IT DOES TURN
OUT that the problem is a blown head gasket, you'll spend so much money on
the gasket repair anyway that the rad cap's cost won't matter a bit.

Second, drain the coolant yourself into one of those nice yellow pans they
sell at Advance auto parts. Look at it, look for this "oil" they're
talking about, but be careful: it wouldn't surprise me for them to have
added oil for the sake of making a "sale". Anyway, look for this oil. A
thin film like you find in dishwater probably isn't anything to worry
about, but if you find a lot of foam, that could be from combustion
blowing by the head gasket. If you want to, you could probably drain that
right back into your system if there's no oil, and if you feel like
funneling it through a coffee filter, that will help keep the sediments
from getting back in. Be careful with the fluid though, it's poisonous,
and pets like the sweet taste of it. Keep it covered or contained, hose
off spills immediately. Best not introduce it to ground water, so it may
be better to clean the spill with cat litter (although hosing is easier).
CHeck local laws, etc.

I think your $2600 problem probably only needs a $5 fix.

Of course, I'm not a professional or even experienced mechanic, I just use
the brains God gave me and try all my options before spending money I
can't afford.

Sorry to be so long winded, hope this helps.

--
--x _x | CJ Chitwood
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