1990 Plymouth Voyager-Coolant Leak/No Heat
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1990 Plymouth Voyager-Coolant Leak/No Heat
I experienced a wierd situation with my 1990 Voyager with 3.0 L engine which had been running fine.
While delivering newspapers with repeated stops & starts in extreme cold weather, vehicle appeared to be overheating - steam coming from under the hood. Engine light came on and I returned home with minivan. Upon checking, radiator & overflow tank was dry and green engine coolant appeared splattered all over engine compartment - high and low.
Expecting a leak in a hose or the radiator, with the engine running, I re-filled radiator with anti-freeze. No visable leak could be seen and when full (it took approximately 2 gallons with capacity 2.5 gallons) the engine seemed to be performing fine. I took it for a test drive with no problems then used it for delivering papers again (for 2-hours) with no problems except now there is no heat. Heat was fine up until engine light came on with initial problem and during my test drive.
I'm puzzled about how coolant would be sprayed all over the engine with no visable leak and now wondering why there is no heat. Could it be thermostat or water pump? Any help would be appreciated.
While delivering newspapers with repeated stops & starts in extreme cold weather, vehicle appeared to be overheating - steam coming from under the hood. Engine light came on and I returned home with minivan. Upon checking, radiator & overflow tank was dry and green engine coolant appeared splattered all over engine compartment - high and low.
Expecting a leak in a hose or the radiator, with the engine running, I re-filled radiator with anti-freeze. No visable leak could be seen and when full (it took approximately 2 gallons with capacity 2.5 gallons) the engine seemed to be performing fine. I took it for a test drive with no problems then used it for delivering papers again (for 2-hours) with no problems except now there is no heat. Heat was fine up until engine light came on with initial problem and during my test drive.
I'm puzzled about how coolant would be sprayed all over the engine with no visable leak and now wondering why there is no heat. Could it be thermostat or water pump? Any help would be appreciated.
#2
The loss of heat could very well be air in the system after getting that low. Somehow the coolant level got low enough to cause it to overheat whereby it probably blew a bunch out the overflow hose to the recovery tank that probably then vented overboard. Question is, how did it get low in the first place. Be a good idea to keep a close eye on the level to see if you are loosing coolant. As for the heating problem, with the engine cold try parking on as steep an uphill incline as you can find (ramps work good too) and start it up with the radiator cap off. When the engine reaches temp and thermostat opens it should burp out any air in the system. Then top off and put the cap on. Note: when waiting for it to warm and the thermostat to open you may get some slight overflow from the filler neck; ignore that and wait until the level drops down indicating the thermostat has opened. You can also monitor the upper hose; when it gets hot the thermostat has opened. Some engines also have a bleeder bolt on the top of the engine and it is usually clearly labeled. Not sure if your vintage Voyager has one or not.
BTW, tow guy was born in Milwaukee; still have lots of relatives up there.
BTW, tow guy was born in Milwaukee; still have lots of relatives up there.
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To properly bleed the cooling system on a 3.0 find the hose connection located below the throttle body and above the transmission. It's a hose from the heater core connected to a metal pipe. Loosen this connection (originally equipped with a spring clamp) while filling with coolant until coolant flows from this joint.
It's that simple.
Kyle
It's that simple.
Kyle