Car over Heated white smoke knocking noise dying

[Ctown]

OK The car was fine until today. Last time It over heated I just added the coolant back and everything was fine for a week no noise no lost in power nothing. However today it got over heated again but the thermostate is not telling me the right temperture one min it was fine the other it was in the red.

My car died off doing a corner and I lost everything. I have been hearing knocking noise and feeling that the car lost alot of power on the hiway. but it happened once on a local street. it died off. It wouldn't turn back on and when I open the hood white smoke was all over. BUT the coolant bottle is still full!!!!!!! I had to let the engine cool back down.....my car was in the middle of a corner facing the opposite direction and the engine hesitate to start but i force it to start and I just bearing got it back home.

Now I have a feeling that the engine overheated and the oil broke down and ruined the engine.........can I say what a piece of poo-poo. I had it with this thing 80K miles and I keep daily repair and up keep. My dad got a Toyota van and a subaru. also on the same shedule maint with 160000miles and 140000miles and NEVER NEVER overheat or got anything wrong with them. I really had it. Lucky when I was turning no car was on the other side cause once power steering was gone the whole steering locked up. I felt lucky the car did catch fire. whats worst is that there were NO warning! NOTHING!!!! at time it was telling me the the car was fine!!!

Looks like I'm looking at a new engine..... and 2 weeks taking the subway

O and I really regret every getting this car. I don't regret the depreciation but this got to be the WORST. it piss me off even worst is that I see 20 year old cars without any problem passing by and me with only 5 year old and had to wait there for the engine to cool down. Now I just HOPE HOPE it's the water pump

[rszappa1]

sounds like another famous Chrysler Head Gasket failure....Even though i have a 04 PT you dont buy a Chrysler if you want to keep in for a long time...they just dont last....by long time i mean 5 to 10 years and 150,000 and up in miles...for that i have two honda Civics...

[bobs turbo pt]

it sure does sound like a head gasket

[Ctown]

quote:Originally posted by bobs turbo pt

it sure does sound like a head gasket

yea but I don't see anything in the oil

and when now the engine is cool down it feels normal

[beelsamin]

Looks like you should have had a mechanic look at it the "FIRST" time it overheated.
Sorry but I have no sympathy for people who ignore a fault then toast their car and blame the company.
Oh and rszappa 1 I have had 2 Chryslers last more than 10 years, one had 524,000K and the other over 400,000K both sold and were running fine.I also had A Honda civic, service on it became way too expensive after 140,000K.

[Konkeler]

quote:Originally posted by beelsamin

Looks like you should have had a mechanic look at it the "FIRST" time it overheated.
Sorry but I have no sympathy for people who ignore a fault then toast their car and blame the company.

I agree, if your car was having problems with over heating, espicially one more then one occasion, it's nothing to ignore. As far as the needle suddenly jumping up, I find that hard to believe unless a massive leak occured in the cooling system. I think it was stupid of you to keep driivng the vehicle espicially after it started making a knocking noise, and seemed to loose power. Don't blame Chrysler; you messed it up yourself by ignoring a small problem and letting it turn in something worse. I hope you learned your lesson.

Also, just because your coolant box is filled doesn't mean anything. I hope after the first time it cooled off you opened up the radiator to check the fluid level in it (not the over flow box). Something makes me think that the first time you over heated, you could of very well lost a good amount of coolant, and didn't realise it because the box still looked full.


Also, I had a old 89' Dodge van with a 318 that made it nearly 180,000 before I got rid of it when I got my Cruiser. Didn't have a single problem with it, ran like a champ when when it was sold too.
[/quote]

[Ctown]

well we check today and guess what it's the head gasket and maybe a cracked head too. total for repair will be as much as $2000.

I got no warning for overheating. today the mechanic changed the thermostate and thought everything was OK. We drove it around nothing. BUT like he say it suddenly jump up the roof. NO WARNING.

I'm just a little mad at chrysler for doing such a poo-pooty job on the most important parts of the car. Look I believe in their products 1st thats the reason I got the car but If I never had coolant going into the engine of my 1989 Nissan I shouldn't be having problem with a car that 11 younger. Also this car is only 5 or 6 years old and no way anyone would expect that to happen. Look if this happened around 130,000 than FINE. but this happened around 80K and chrysler NEVER warn us about this NEVER ONCE. I did all the timing belt water pump everything that anyone brought up just so I won't get stuck on the side of the hiway of a daily 12miles drive to work. I didn't ask more for this car I just need 20+mile a day and I didn't abuse it at all.

what a pain in the ass.

Also Please I'm not bashing Chrysler and domestic products cause I'm having problem right now. I really hope they can catch up so I can support our own products. I believe in american products but you have to admit we're way behind in quality and liability from everyone else.

sad part is this will be my last chrysler ever

[Ctown]

quote:Originally posted by Konkeler

I agree, if your car was having problems with over heating, espicially one more then one occasion, it's nothing to ignore. As far as the needle suddenly jumping up, I find that hard to believe unless a massive leak occured in the cooling system. I think it was stupid of you to keep driivng the vehicle espicially after it started making a knocking noise, and seemed to loose power. Don't blame Chrysler; you messed it up yourself by ignoring a small problem and letting it turn in something worse. I hope you learned your lesson.

Also, just because your coolant box is filled doesn't mean anything. I hope after the first time it cooled off you opened up the radiator to check the fluid level in it (not the over flow box). Something makes me think that the first time you over heated, you could of very well lost a good amount of coolant, and didn't realise it because the box still looked full.


Also, I had a old 89' Dodge van with a 318 that made it nearly 180,000 before I got rid of it when I got my Cruiser. Didn't have a single problem with it, ran like a champ when when it was sold too.

[/quote]

I didn't iqnore any problem I'm super sensitive to these things. I did fix I could but how do u know if there where any problem if u can see it hear it or feel it until it was too late?

Also small problem should lead to major life treatening problems alright. It shouldn't be telling me that the engine is fine and it was actually eating up coolant and the car shouldn't be stalling in the middle of a turn.

All these problem I have with this car is not suppose to happen to anycar maybe for another 80Kmiles. Look what kind of car get it bushing all crack up around 50kmiles? only 4 or 5 years old! U can support what every u like but accepting the fact their quality is crap is another.

U can make any car run for ever if u r willing to fix those millions of small problems.

[bobs turbo pt]

good luck, let us know what the guy finds out

[rszappa1]

You are in a minority.....