Chrysler Repair: 98 sebring conv losing coolant, rear cylinder head, losing coolant

Question
it is a v-6 and is losing about a quart every 50 miles. no leaks that I can see. I replaced the thermostat and radiator cap. It will not refill from the overflow bottle. When I remove the radiator cap with the engine running I see it swirling down into the engine, even when cold.
No steam or vapor out the exhaust,
head gasket? or?  

Answer
Hi Jim,
The other place for coolant to "disappear" to is the oil pan if the leak is from a cooling passageway across a break in the gasket and into an oil return passageway. So see if your oil looks cloudy or frothy. Other than the exhaust pipe steam, particularly when you start the car from cold, those are the only places for it to go if not directly onto the ground. You might try retorqueing the cylinder heads to factory spec by loosining the head bolts slightly (to less that 80 foot-lbs reading) and in the reverse order that you tighten them and then retorque to the spec. The bolts use a 10 mm allen head hex socket adapter and the final torque is to 80 foot-lbs. If the gasket isn't frankly torn, but rather just leaking because the bolts aren't evenly torqued this can sometimes stop a slow leak. Maybe its worth a try.
The tighening pattern on the rear cylinder head begins with the 2nd bolt from the front of the engine on the inside and goes clockwise, while the front cylinder head begins on the third bolt from the front on the inside and goes clockwise.
This is for the 2.5L V-6. If you have the 3.0L engine let me know.
Roland