QuestionI guess 2.5, Ive taken it to several mechanics and they cant seem to tell me what the problem is.
I just changed the timing belt on it. This is what it does:
When Im at the red light it acts as if its going to turn off. (Sometimes it does) White smoke is coming out of it, and the engine shakes alot! Now they are telling me it could be the fuel injector or something? Could it be that it just needs a tune-up?
Thanks!
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
My head gasket blew on my 1997 Chrysler Seabring Convertible 2.7. Is it fixable? Or worth fixing anyway? It has about 127,000 miles on it.
-----Answer-----
Hi Susie,
Are you sure that the engine is 2.7L or is it 2.5L? The 2.7 was used in the LH series cars beginning in '98 I believe, but I was not aware it has ever been in the Sebring.
In either case, the loss of fluid due to a headgasket leak is very common and not usually a reason to give up on a vehicle. Other considerations:
Has the timing belt ever been changed, for if not this would be an appropriate time for that to be done as part of the same repair.
How is the transmission working? That is a more significant issue as you pass 100,000 miles because these electronic transaxles are very expensive to repair, and they seldom go beyond 200,000 miles before needing rebuild.
If you are the original owner and have driven it with care, then doing a head gasket (on only of the two cylinder banks, because there are two head gaskets and presumably only one has blown) is no doubt worth it compared to the alternative of buying another car.
One thing you might want to try, if the head gasket leak is not major in rate of fluid loss, is to simply loosen the head bolts partially and then retorque them to spec, on the chance that the leak may be due to loose head bolts rather than a frank blowout of the gasket. I have successfully stopped head gasket leaks that way on several different engines. It may be worth a try and would not be expensive.
So those are the considerations as I see them. Let me know if you have other questions.
This is not an unusual situation so repair is probably going to make sense. It is worth it if you like the car and intend to drive it further. I suspect that it might be toss up as to whether you would be able to sell it for more with it fixed than with it blown to make up for the cost of the repair. But I am not expert in the pricing of used cars needing an engine repair.
If it were my car, I would no doubt repair it (probably myself, of course). But if you are contemplating having a shop do the repair, I would really try to get a reference on a competent mechanic and one who has the shop manual for the engine and knows all the fine points of the job so you get it done correctly. I can xerox the pages from the shop manual and postal mail them to you if that would be of help.
I would only request that the copying and postage be repaid.
Roland
AnswerHi Susie,
If you find that the coolant level in the recovery bottle is low or out of coolant and you have been needing to add coolant or water to that bottle to bring it up to the minimum mark on the side, that means you are loosing coolant. If there is no sign of coolant under the engine compartment due to a leak, then I would conclude that the white smoke (that comes from the exhaust pipe at the rear of the car, correct?) is water vapor that is lost from the engine to the exhaust system due to a head gasket leak. If you haven't had to add water to the system, then I would not be thinking that it is the head gasket. But if the engine heats up quickly, and you hear bubbling sounds coming from the radiator soon after you start the engine, and you get white smoke: these are nearly always "diagnostic" of a headgasket the leak: particularly the copious amounts of white smoke from the tailpipe when you start the car from a cold shutdown state.
So if on this list of symptoms you agree it is a headgasket leak, then re-read my first response which decribed how to approach that repair. I would be very careful about choosing the shop to replace the gasket, as I described earlier.
The stalling at a stop light could also be as the result of a head gasket leak, but other things can do that too. The injector explanation would only be reasonable if the smoke were to be black in color rather than white, and you were not loosing coolant.
Roland
