1994 Dodge Shadow over heating

slick0047 · Posted at Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:22 am

Engine Cooling problem
1994 Dodge Shadow 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 122000 miles

Hellom,
This has been an ongoing problem, just last week i had new heads put on and gasket kit, new themostat, i have installed new sending unit and thermostat temp sensor, the engine will heat up all the way to the line just before Hot and then slowly climb back down, this happens with the A/C on or off. Currently with the A/C on it stays just above the second line from the Cold. I have replaced the heads on this car 3 times now. I have been told i may have a air bubble, i have cleaned out the cooling system using Preston coolant cleaner, ran if for about a week and then replaced all the coolant with new stuff. there is a hex screw in the thermostat housing unit i was told to loosen and this would allow the possible air bubble to escape? I cant remove it, it is stuck so i need solution to that, and the over heating problem, thanks.
Robert

ImpalaSS · Posted at Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:43 pm

Hello –

To better assist you is your model just the Shadow or the Shadow ES? Also what is your engine size in liter?

Yes you need to replace the housing with the hex screw to assist in getting the air out.

How long ago did it start doing this?

Lift the hood. Turn off the AC and fan. Start the engine when cold. The radiator fans should not be turning. Are they?

Now reach inside and turn the AC on high. Are the fans spinning? They should be?

When the car is warmed up………and you turn the heater on does it blow hot?

When was the last time you changed your radiator cap?

Have you ever changed your water pump?

Thank you very much for the donation

Please let us know if what the final fix was for your car so we can better assist others. Thanks!

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slick0047 · Posted at Sat Aug 01, 2009 1:35 pm

Hello –

To better assist you is your model just the Shadow or the Shadow ES? Also what is your engine size in liter? ----------Std and 2.5 liter

Yes you need to replace the housing with the hex screw to assist in getting the air out. ------How its stuck almost stripped the hex nuts last time?

How long ago did it start doing this? ------------it has been doing this on and off for about 3 years

Lift the hood. Turn off the AC and fan. Start the engine when cold. The radiator fans should not be turning. Are they? ----------NO

Now reach inside and turn the AC on high. Are the fans spinning? They should be? ------------Yes

When the car is warmed up and you turn the heater on does it blow hot? ----------------Very little to none and no coolant leaks inside the car on the carpet?!

When was the last time you changed your radiator cap? ----------Yes recently

Have you ever changed your water pump?
Yes

ImpalaSS · Posted at Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:22 pm

Hello –

Great info……….thank you very much for all of that.

Please do another check for me……….

Start the car and let it get to operating temperature…………

Once there, turn your heater on high…………..

Feel both heater hoses, the one going in and the one coming out………..

Are they both hot or is one hot and one cold………….

Thank you very much for the donation

Please let us know if what the final fix was for your car so we can better assist others. Thanks!

Find a car repair manual for your car repair questions.

slick0047 · Posted at Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:37 pm

Hello –

Great info……….thank you very much for all of that.

Please do another check for me……….

Start the car and let it get to operating temperature…………

Once there, turn your heater on high…………..

Feel both heater hoses, the one going in and the one coming out………..

Are they both hot or is one hot and one cold………Hot going in and Hot coming out, also the first time i have had any heat come out though i didnt test it while driving….

ImpalaSS · Posted at Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:17 pm

Hello –

Okay, thanks for that. Is the car still overheating at times since you now have heat in the car?

Thank you very much for the donation

Please let us know if what the final fix was for your car so we can better assist others. Thanks!

Find a car repair manual for your car repair questions.

slick0047 · Posted at Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:39 am

Yes it still overheats, I did drive it on the freeway and turned on the heat full blast with the temp setting on hot as far as it would go and very little heat came out of the heater. Ok so now what? I'm really getting frustrated and i still havent had a chance to release the screw on top of the thermostat housing yet to try and release the possible aiir bubble, i will attempt that today. Thanks for you help.

ImpalaSS · Posted at Wed Aug 05, 2009 6:50 pm

Hello –

Thank you very much for the info……..

You are doing a great job on answering the questions………I appreciate that.

I understand it is frustrating……….they are…….sometimes it is easier if it just breaks all the way.

Why have you had to replace the heads 3 times…….because of overheating? Are they milled each time?

Me….it may be air…..the water pump or the radiator is clogged. From your symptoms are it is not circulating very good…….

Can you replace the housing that has the bleeder screw in it?

When did you change your water pump?

Have you ever had your radiator cleaned out? A new one at AZ is about 129.00 The radiator barn is about 100.00

How do you feel about back flushing your heater core??

Thank you very much for the donation

Please let us know if what the final fix was for your car so we can better assist others. Thanks!

Find a car repair manual for your car repair questions.

slick0047 · Posted at Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:52 am

Why have you had to replace the heads 3 times…….because of overheating? YES Are they milled each time? AS FAR AS I KNOW THEY ARE HAD A MECH DO IT THIS TIME.

Me….it may be air…..the water pump or the radiator is clogged. From your symptoms are it is not circulating very good…….

Can you replace the housing that has the bleeder screw in it? I WILL SEE IF ITS REPLACEABLE OR IF ITS PART OF THE HEADS

When did you change your water pump? ITS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS 4 OR 5

Have you ever had your radiator cleaned out? A new one at AZ is about 129.00 The radiator barn is about 100.00 YES, THE RADIATOR IS FAIRLY NEW, I HAD IT REPLACED ABOUT 2 YRS AGO, SON TOTALED THE CAR, FRONT END.

How do you feel about back flushing your heater core?? I WILL TRY ANYTHING, WHAT IS THAT EXACTLY?

ImpalaSS · Posted at Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:19 pm

Hello –

Wow……3 times just seems odd………..

Okay so it started overheating about a year after the first water pump change. Then a year or so after that the front end damage and new radiator…………am I kind of in the ball park?

Guess we can do one of two things…………….

If you go to AutoZone they have over on the isle where radiator caps are a Prestone radiator flush kit. It has a couple of 2 different size T fittings – you take one and put it in line with your heater hose. It is the one with a cap on it and you screw your water hose onto it.

Then it has another 90 degree hose that fits onto the radiator……….you turn the water on…start the car and let it run………you do that until the water is running clear out of the radiator………

Then you drain it all……..do the 50/50 mix.

This is a lot better flush since it circulates through your entire system……….

However…….I would like you to connect your water hose into the outlet hose of the heater core and then let the inlet hose just hang then crank the water to it and see what flows out.

Then reverse it and see if there is good flow. After that then do the above……..what we are trying to see here is if your heater core is partially blocked. If you get heat on and off then that is the indication that it is……….

Water pump is still an option for the overheating but the no heat in the car makes me wonder about the core………

What do you think……….worth the try?

Thank you very much for the donation

Please let us know if what the final fix was for your car so we can better assist others. Thanks!

Find a car repair manual for your car repair questions.