Chrysler Repair: 1997 concord radiator, head gasket leak, coolant level

Question
Hello Roland.  My sister just bought a 1997 concord and is leaking coolant somewhere. Is it possible to add stopleak to the cooling system. I couldnt find a radiator cap. The heater only gets warm and not hot so thought it may be a faulty cap. Any help appreciated. Have a good day and God Bless.    Harry

Answer
Hi Harry,
The pressure cap is part of the overflow bottle which actually has a pressure part and an overflow part. There is a procedure for filling the system that uses a special funnel No. 8195, and it would be useful for you to have the pages from the manual that describe the system, etc.
I would suggest though that you see if you can locate the leak. If it is not obvious on the ground, then notice whether there is excess white smoke coming out the tail pipe when the engine is first started; that would be a sign of a head gasket leak. See if the oil looks milky or foamy another sign of such a leak. Look around the radiator and all the hoses, and see if the carpet under dash are wet on either side which would also be a sign of a local leak. Stop leak can be used but I would think it can be more effectively added if you drain off part of the system and then refill it with diluted stop leak per the manual instructions for refilling.
I don't have a scanner and anyway the site won't take illustrations so all I can offer is to copy about 8 pages from the manual and postal mail them to you. If you would be able to send back 3 41-cent stamps to cover the costs that would be appreciated.
Use the "thank and rate" tab where you can enter a postal mailing address.
If you aren't getting heat it could either be low coolant level in the system, a partially blocked heater core, or a thermostat that is opening too soon. The latter would show up as a low temp reading on the instrument panel when the car has warmed up as much as it is going to (and of course if the system weren't low on coolant which will make the system overheat).
Roland