I have a 95 Dodge Intrepid. V6. 3.5. On 7/21 the car overheated and eventually stalled out. When I popped my hood it was steaming like mad and antifreeze or just plane water was spitting out the Radiator I believe. I put Antifreeze in it and it ran fine until it did it again last night. The exact same thing happened. I put a very long and wide peice of cardboard under the car to see if it was a leak. It WAS NOT. My car also is missing the A/C belt. Could that be the problem? If not, what could it be?
Note: When it overheats, I put water in it and it cools it down for a small amount of time. Maybe it'll get me about 5 miles until it over heats again.
2006-07-23 08:15:55 · 23 answers · asked by big_b_860 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Two things it could be. If your AC belt is supposed to be routed around other pulleys, it may have been responsible for running the water pump as well. If that is not the case, it is probably the thermostat sticking open. This causes the water to continuously circulate and not allow it to actually sit in the radiator to be cooled. Once all the water reaches such high temps, there is no cooling any of it and the engine shuts down.
Be careful, you can melt the rod-caps in the lower end of the engine which would require a rebuild. I would get it fixed quickly. A thermostat is a quick and inexpensive repair.
2006-07-23 08:24:00 · answer #1 · answered by hogsrule 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Could be a couple of things. A bad thermostat or water pump. The water pump will usually be obvious, you should see water moving in the radiator, if it's broken it may be noisy too. It's probably the thermostat, in hot weather you can just remove it, and the car will work fine, it's intent is so cold water does not go next to a hot engine, when the water warms up the thermostat opens and the water helps cool the engine. If this is stuck, it will cause overheating. You will need the thermostat when it get's cold (freezing) but in hot wether you don't. I would change it so if you are ever in cold it won't be an issue.
BTW- I read the person's above me's post - do check that the A/C belt doesn't connect to the water pump.
2006-07-23 08:22:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water alone is not a good enough coolant. Neither is antifreeze alone. You need about a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. Check your antifreeze mixture at a gas station with the proper tool or just drain out all the fluid and replace with the proper mix so that you know where you are on you ratio starting out. If this doesn't solve the problem then you may have a bad water pump. Or a stuck thermostat. I'd guess the water pump myself. If your missing belt was the one that drives the water pump too (and it may be) then that would of couse solve the problem to replace that. Did your problem first start when the belt was remove or broke? Don't forget to check for a slipping belt if the missing belt isn't the problem . Good luck.
2006-07-23 08:26:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would check my thermostat. It's a simple cheap solution. It helps regulate the temp of the car. I remember having a 1971 Plymouth Valiant.. and the car overheated so bad that I would have to turn the heater on while I drove to divert the heat from the engine. That really sucked when it was 105 degrees outside. Another cause could be a broken hose or one of the connector thingies that hold the hose on there. Ask a buddy of yours to check the thermostat and hoses for you if you don't know how to do it. I don't know if missing the A/C belt being gone would affect that or not. I had a problem with my heater core once too and it turned out the anti freeze was leaking INTO THE CAR on the passenger seat so even though it wasn't leaking on the ground there still was a leak.
Good luck huh?
(Not a bad answer from a girl eh?) LOL
2006-07-23 08:22:45 · answer #4 · answered by Ms_E_Bunny 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The belt runs the water pump too (I'm guessing), it's 19 years old, time for a new thermostat. They're only a couple of bucks, look on Youtube for how to replace one.
If the A/C has a separate belt, check to see if the fan belt is loose, or does it make a high pitched squealing sound at any time? It could be loose or worn out, again if it's 19 years old it needs maintenance. Best advice is don't drive it under these conditions, and with these temperatures you may pop a freeze plug in the engine block (we all face that problem in these temperatures) but you may be running a higher risk if your coolant level is low due to overheating.
2014-01-06 05:44:01 · answer #5 · answered by timbo44b 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You definitely have a circulation problem. The AC belt, if it operates the water pump, is the culprit. The most unfortunate thing about overheating todays engines is the risk if warping or cracking the heads. If the problem persists after changing the t-stat or water pump, or simply reinstalling the belt, you should have the cooling system pressure tested with the engine running to see if there is an abnormal rise in the pressure or have the system tested for the presence combustion gasses. If these gasses are present, then the integrity of the seal of the head gaskets or the possibility of cracking in the heads has allowed these gasses to enter the cooling system. This increased pressure from the introduction of these gasses under pressure from the combustion chambers can forcibly drain the cooling system and create further overheating or create an air dam in the system and prevent circulation. I hope your heads aren't cracked... very expensive repair regardless of the make or model.
2006-07-23 09:18:53 · answer #6 · answered by Winter Wolf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first how long has the A/C belt been off ?...if the A/C belt is not driving the water pump then that isn't the problem. Possable causes of an over heat are 1. a faulty water pump (given the age of the car, very likely). 2. a pluged radiator (not likely if it's all ways had antifreeze in it) 3. possable termastat failure (a common problem, but not likely if well maintaned with antifreeze)
buy a repair manuel for your car at any auto parts store and it will tell you how to check each of these problems
2006-07-23 08:28:10 · answer #7 · answered by jim h 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The most important ways that the people can combat global warming is getting rid of their older model cars (1979 Buick) because, older cars emmitt more toxic fumes into the air. Its obvious that the more technological advanced a car is, the less harmful gases it emmitts. A car that was built 3 or 4 years ago will be more economy friendly than a car that was assembled 35 years ago. For high populated cities such as New York, Bus and Taxi companys should replace current vehicles with cars that are powered by hydrogen or electricity. Just think, if every major city used the Toyota Prius as taxi's, there would be a decreased level of pollution, and also taxi fares could be drastically lower as well.
2016-03-27 04:09:40 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are just missing the belt to your AC, that wouldn't be it. Unless the belt is a serpentine belt (one that wraps around other pulleys) Running your AC will make your car run hotter. It something in your cooling system. Could be a few things. Clogged radiator, bad thermostat, water pump. Have a mechanic look at it. If you can't figure out whats wrong yourself, you proabaly can't fix it if you knew.
2006-07-23 08:25:43 · answer #9 · answered by rmurf6987 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have serious engine problems The a/c belt could also be attached to the water pump. Without this drive belt, your water pump will not spin, thus creating the overheating issue.
If you have run your engine in this condition, you have probably destroyed it. Get it to a qualified mechanic for a better diagnosis.
Sorry.
2006-07-23 08:22:11 · answer #10 · answered by Lonnie P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋