Chrysler Repair: 97 sebring jxi cooling system looses coolant but no leak, coolant system, combustion chambers

Question
when i pull up to a light the hot air in my sebring goes cold so i checked the radiator when it was cooled and it was bone dry.  i added coolant until it was full and added coolant to the overflow bucket to the lower line and it seemed to work fine for day but then the air went cold at the stop lights again.  once again the radiator was bone dry but the overflow bucket was full to the cap.  when i stop i can see steam coming from my car also.  so it seems the coolant goes into the overflow bucket but not back into the coolant system when its needed.  i have not been finding coolant on the ground under my car.  i hope youve seen this before.

Answer
Hi Jon,
In the absence of any signs of a water leak, the most likely cause is that there is an internal engine leak that is allowing coolant into the combustion chambers due to a break in one of the headgaskets. That would be noticeable as an excess of white smoke coming from the tail pipe when you first start the car after it has cooled down (say overnight) and also the smoke might continue to be seen as you drive it, but in lesser quanity then the initial start up and the following few minutes as the water that has so entered the exhaust system is vaporized away.
If you observe this to be the case, then you would want to correct the problem which is somewhat expensive because it involves removing the cylinder head on whichever side of the engine the leak is located. You can determine which side by removing the spark plugs after the engine has cooled down, then while a helper tries to start it watch for which side of the engine exhibits water being expelled from the spark plug holes.
It is possible that the gasket is not actually broken but rather that the bolts that secure the head to the block are not evenly tight. For that reason you could try loosening the bolts evenly on that side and then retightening them per the factory manual procedure. If you have a torque wrench and socket that fits you could try this on the hope that it is in fact the cause rather than a frank break in the gasket.
If you don't see the white smoke as I describe, then check the oil to see if it is foamy. A gasket leak can also result in coolant entering the oil pan.
Roland