1997 Dodge Intrepid

If the coolant came into the car, it sounds like the heater core has gone bad. Also, have you tried replacing the thermostat or flushing the cooling system? Does the car only overheat when sitting still or will it at highway speeds?

Let me know.

hey thanks for the reply.

Your answer leads to another question. I am running the car on water and not any coolant. Should i use any coolant, if yes, then which one would be appropriate?

I looked into the car. Couldnt find any fault so i went to the garage and turns out the cooling fan was toasted. So i replaced the fan and now its running fine. The a/c is super cool coz i replaced the accumulator!

My car has done just less than 318,000 KMS

I'm glad you got that part of it fixed. As far as the water, you should have a 50/50 mix of water and coolant. The coolant actually increases the boiling point and freezing point. Also, it helps prevent corosion and it also lubericates the water pump.

For example, water freezes at 32F and boils at 212F. With a 50/50 mix, it will drop to freezing at -45F and boiling around 270F.

If the system only has water, you can select any type of coolant. I recommend GO-5 which is a universal coolant. That way in the future, if you need to add, you can use any type.

LEt me know if you have other questions.

Joe

Awesome! thanks for that.
I dunno but my questions just keep bumping!

The mechanic told me that the car cannot be run for long distances (more than 10Kms at once)

I use my intrepid for going to uni everyday (abt 4kms away). For other purposes, I have '08 Envoy

I havent tried my intrepid to go beyond 10Kms at once. Should i try to go and see what happens? i have a feeling it might get hot again and something might go wrong. Because its summer.

Why does he feel it will overheat? Keep in mind, the thermostat doesn't open until around 195 degrees F and water boils at 212F, so it will boil over much easier than water. I would replace the water before driving too far this time of year. As far as your mechanic, he must know that something is wrong to tell you that. So I'm afraid to tell you differently. However, you and I know the vehicle was made to drive for long periods of time this time of the year without overheating.

Let me know if you have other questions, and thanks for using 2carpros.com

Joe

Well not a question but just saying that i took my car out today to a far off area about 13-15KMS out and then came back from there with a 1 hour hold at that area. And it didnt fry up anything. I dunno what the mechanic was on about.

The running problem is the brakes. They are too stiff. I replaced them not too long ago. Can there be a problem with the discs?

The discs won't cause the brakes to be stiff. If they are warped, you will get a vibration when braking. As far as being too stiff, do you mean the brake pedal is hard to push or the brakes are sticking. If the pedal is hard to push, make sure the vacuum line from the engine to the brake booster is attached and doesn't have a leak. If it is good, have a vacuum test done on the booster to see if it holds vacuum. You may be able to rent a vaccum gauge from a parts store to test it.

Let me know if I'm on the right track with the problem.

Joe