Hello, I have a problem with my Stratus, its the 2005 V6 MotoR 2.7L 24 valves Chrysler LH (USA imported model)
The problem started months ago when a piece that connect several hoses and it have the temperature sensor (coolant air bleeder?) broke, we replaced it for a new one and also changed the thermostat, however the car still overheated (the heat level didnt ascend from half so the fans didn’t went on) and the cooling water from the deposit was bubbling, behind the spot where the deposit is, white smoke/steam (?) was coming out and it was making a weird noise also.
I changed the water deposit pressure cap, but it keeps doing the same.
This happens just 15 min after I turn on the car so the mechanic disconected a piece from the fans, so the fans are always on. Still, after 45 minutes it start again.
The mechanic did a test in the deposit they said that the pressure was very high and it was probably a problem with the head gaskets, it can be that?
Researching for my own, I found that it can also can be a problem with the water pump, and maybe it needs to be replaced
What should I do?
Is there any test that I can do to know if the head gasket is the problem or if the water pump isn’t working?
I don’t want to buy the head gasket and realize that the problem was the water pump, or the other way round
Thanks a lot beforehand and sorry for the poor english
You can do a leak down test on each cylinder. Are you loosing fluid. Are there little bubbles in the resevoir tank? Was the system bled after replacing the termostat? Does the smoke have a sweet smell? You can feel the upper and lower radiator hose. One should be hot and the other just warm if the pump is working.
As usual…Tester has it pretty much nailed shut here. If you already know that you have excess pressure in the cooling system…then it is a Textbook Head Gasket Failure.
This occurred when the engine was overheated. When the engine overheated…How high was the temp gauge reading? Where were you with the vehicle i.e…how long did you continue to run the engine after it was apparent that it was overheating? As soon as you notice the temp gauge rise beyond the halfway mark…It isn’t long before you are into a full overheat condition. In fact if my temp gauge goes ANYWHERE beyond halfway my eyes are then GLUED to that gauge…and very shortly after that I shut the engine DOWN…IMMEDIATELY…NO IF’S AND’S OR BUT’S about that…The common Aluminum Cylinder head and Iron Block or worse…Aluminum Block AND Heads of today’s engines are RIPE for Head gasket failures due to WARPED Aluminum Cyl Heads…Happens all the time…>Especially after any kind of overheat…Unless you catch the overheat in progress and shut down BEFORE the temp rises too high. Engines DO NOT TOLERATE OVERHEATING these days… We arent driving round with Chevy 350’s under our hoods anymore…THOSE engines could tolerate some overheat activity…they were more robust back then…Not today however. Anywho…Like I said before I wrote this BOOK …Tester Nailed it again.
I too think Tester’s educated guess is highly likely to be right.
There are a few simple and very definitive ways to diagnose a blown headgasket that require limited technical expertise and very few dollars. .
Remove the radiator cap with the engine cold and run the engine. If you have bubbles coming up from the fill hole (the “deposit”), that will be the combustion gasses being blown into the water jacket and migrating to the highest point in the system… the “deposit”.
there are inexpensive “test kits” that can detect the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant. Their presence is a pretty good sign that you have a blown head gasket.
if the coolant in the radiator (on the radiator cap) has formed a brown cloudy clump of gump… well, do one of the above tests just to confirm.