I’m also wondering if the leak might not be your only problem . . . what IS leaking, by the way?
Exactly how did the shop arrive at the diagnosis of head gasket . . . ?!
There are levels. A minor head gasket breach may show fewer symptoms than a major one, but will NEVER get better on its own. It will continue causing further engine damage.
Have a bud drove his car for 3 years with a head gasket coolant leak, he was always on the lookout for sales on coolant,
True or bad recall…
I believe those 2.7s have a steel coolant line that runs between the heads, front to back, (engine is not transverse, right?) just below the intake manifold. A leak there, when the line rusts through, could possibly not show a leak to the ground because the hot engine bakes the dribbles off.
Another coolant line that can rust through runs along the driver’s side of the engine, kind of hidden from view.
Also, the H2O pump is run by the timing chain, and I’m trying to remember (“brain quit, brain quit”… rap on side of skull like John Force), but seems to me there’s some kind of weep hole that’s routed out of the timing chain cover, but hidden underneath on the driver’s side, under some darn thing like the power steering pump.
I got well over 200,000 miles out of a 2.7L and it was probably the smoothest running mill I’ve ever experienced. (sitting in the car you couldn’t tell when it was running or not) It was in my wife’s Intrepid and wow did she love that car. It was extremely comfortable and easy to drive. She still hates me for putting it out to pasture. It was actually quite trouble free during the 16 or so years we ran it.
CSA
The intrepid was longitudinal, Stratus was transverse.
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Okay, thanks. I wasn’t sure and questioned it in my comments, but perhaps some of the same issues apply? I had a Stratus 4-banger once, I believe a 2.4L?
CSA
You are the only person I’ve ever heard say nice things about the Intrepid
Honestly my only problem that has with the car is the coolant leaking issue. If my car never loss coolant in the first place then I wouldn’t think anything major was wrong with it. The oil looks fine, the car runs pretty smooth and everything. The car doesn’t overheat until it losses enough coolant of course. So my the only issue I really had was the coolant leaking.
And to answer your question, they discovered by doing a pressure test. I forgot exactly what they was said but I remember something about combustion gases in the system due to the overheating which caused “major” engine damage from their words and only fix is replacing the engine but the engine still seems fine to me just a coolant leak.
I had two of them. My wife loved her 99 2.7L. I believe my 97 3.5L (fantastic engine!!) was possibly the best car I’ve ever owned, very trouble-free, loved driving it. Both the Intrepids were extremely roomy and comfortable and had large trunks.
The only negative with my 97 was inadequate headlights, but I overlooked that for all the other positives, besides, I drive close to speed limits anyhow.
CSA
Ok thanks for the time info. I know the problem will only get worse I just wonder how long my car has had a blown engine, the 1st overheating issue started I the summer after all.
Yeah it’s crazy because I honestly didn’t even want this car and thought it looked bad. I only bought it because it was $1600 and only had 57k miles at the time and it was a guy my dad knew so I figure it was in good condition. And plus I was looking for a car at the time. I’ve honestly been through a lot with this car and If I had known more cars at the time before I came to this forum, the car would have had a lot more life to it. It was my first car and I grew to like it. Sure it has problems and it was old but It still got me where I needed to go and I kinda liked the sporty look it has and if the repairs was worth it, i’d probably get it replaced . But I’d rather just have a newer car to love haha.
Oh wow that’s a long time. I honestly feel like the way this about this car, I think it could last 3 years or longer. I don’t think the engine is nearly as bad as the mechanic made it seem. Trust me, the car feels fine after you add some coolant lol.
But I have a question, if you know. Why did he stop driving the car after 3 years? Was it just because he finally got a new car, or did the engine finally die completely and wouldn’t go anymore??
You must have a different Stratus then the ones I have seen .
He sold it, saw it on the road a year later, not sure if any repairs had been done. They had to buy a long distance vehicle as their Kia wiring got eaten up by a by a rodent, we fixed everything we saw but still had a cel.
Let’s ask a very specific question . . .
Exactly what is leaking . . . ?!
The head gasket is leaking coolant externally AND also into the combustion chamber . . . ?!
Or is it merely a hose or water pump leaking externally . . . ?!
Either the shop isn’t very good at explaining things, or their diagnosis/conclusion is suspect
Usually the most troublesome symptoms with a faulty head gasket is overheating and coolant loss. Since you don’t seem to have overheating your head gasket problem at this point might not be that bad. But incontinent head gaskets will almost certainly get worse over time.
Auto parts stores often sell a chemical test kit that allows a diy’er inclined owner to test for a blown head gasket themselves. It tests for a leak between the combustion chamber and the coolant. There’s other kinds of leaks possible with HG’s, but that’s probably the most common. The way it works (I think) is that exhaust gasses contain mostly CO2 and water. If CO2 leaks into the coolant, it reacts with the coolant to form carbonic acid or something similar, and the test kit tests for that.