02 town and country overheating

[macdole99]

hey guys i have a question. i have an 02 town and country that's overheating. so far i have changed the thermostat and radiator as well as flushed the system and it still overheats. weird thing is with the cap off the coolant level will drop significantly in the radiator and i have to refill. while driving the temp needle goes up and i usually shut it off. im puzzled on this one. i took the car to a repair shop and he did a block test and it came back fine. and replaced the radiator cap. and it still does it.there are no leaks on the ground and he said he has no idea whats causing this. any ideas im stumped. i was thinking of replacing the water pump but don't want to keep funneling money blindly into it. thanks for any input! also i sent in an oil sample and was told i possibly had a bad head gasket or intake manifold gasket due to the high levels of coolant in the oil, but the mechanic said its fine.

 

[tcp71]

My in-laws ford had me stumped in a similar manner once. The impeller of the water pump separated from the shaft. The outside of the water pump was turning as normal, but the inside wasn't.

 

[WobblyElvis]

Does the oil look like a chocolate milkshake?
Could the temp indicator be bad? How do you know it's overheating?
The water pump is one of the cheaper things to change.
Does it produce white [steam] smoke while running?

 

[macdole99]

oil looks fine i have a hand held scanner and its hitting 235 for the temp the fans kick on at 225 but it doesnt seem to help. and no steam comes out at all.

 

[NHGUY]

I believe the impeller is plastic.Maybe it cracked and is slipping on the shaft? Maybe remove the belt and try spinning it.Should be some resistance as it paddles the coolant.

 

[WobblyElvis]

The water pump is a common failure item. I have had 3 Chrysler mini vans.

 

[macdole99]

well i guess ill take a shot and change it and hope for the best

 

[eljefino]

If your water pump is good your heat should be roasting as there'd be tons of flow through the heater core.

If it's shot, your heat will be weak.

Also with the radiator fans blowing you should feel a hot wind at the driver's door, it blows out under the car by the firewall. If it's not hot, the van's not pumping coolant to the rad to shed heat, or the rad is 95% obstructed, etc.

 

[Chris142]

does the heater work? if the wp is not pumping you wont have any heat. Are the radiator fans working?

 

[macdole99]

they heat works most of the time then at times i gets very little heat.

 

[Chris142]

Pull the pump

 

[Warstud]

When does is it overheat? on the highway, in the city or while parked? Have you checked for a collapsed hose?

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

If you have coolant in the oil and you are losing coolant, Then you have a leak. The only question is where. If there are combustion gases in the radiator, then it's a head gasket. If not then a manifold gasket. A failing water pump will cause overheating, which can cause the other issues. Looks like you will need to pull the pump to see what is what.

Good luck,

Wayne