DodgeIntrepid.Net Forums banner

New Intrepid owner and forum member

5K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Ronbo 
#1 ·
Hi all. New here all the way around. New to the Intrepid, new to the forum, and new to Dodge. I just bought my 04 Dodge Intrepid 2.7l last night for $375.. Has an overheating issue, I haven't troubleshot the issue yet, which is why the price was so low. I figured I'd check out the web since I won't have possession of the vehicle till later today and get some ideas as what to look at first. Anyway, I look forward to being a part of this community. Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Thanks. I do for fun, kind of a hobby. I am a mechanic, I work on elevators. Since I drive a company vehicle, I can mess around with vehicles in my spare time and don't have to worry about getting it back on the road quickly. I did see the water pump issue, so if that is the case I'll just order a full timing set, water pump, oil pump package and swap it all out at the same time but looking at the oil last night I saw no signs of water in it.
 
#4 ·
Good to hear that - Daytrepper and Peva know the 2.7L water pump issues real well. There is an updated pump and chain. Do some searching on this website or start a new thread. Might want to pull the valve covers to see if the motor has sludge build up. I've never worked on the 2.7L.

Late!
 
#6 ·
Yeah - the *best* advice I can give would be to *only* use OEM water pump and timing chain tensioner. Have read of way too many problems in very short time on aftermarket 2.7 tensioner and water pump. Haven't heard of any problems with the chains themselves. Ebay is fine for any of it, but *only* if the parts are genuine Mopar, preferably from a Chrysler dealer. OEM will ensure that you get the much improved later water pump design (beefier bearings and much better gasket design). Aftermarket is a hodgepodge of quality *and* old and new design - avoid no matter how good the pricing.

OEM has had kits - may or may not include chain tensioner and water pump. The kits are a good deal price wise, so get the most complete one that is available so you don't have to add individual parts (like water pump or tensioner), which aren't priced as well individually as in the bundles.

There was design change on the tensioner for 2000 MY, they are not interchangeable, but applications lists should indicate the right one for your 2004 (you should see 2001-2004).

Don't worry about the secondary chains and tensioners - no one ever has problems with those, they don't wear out.

One last twist to add a one more level of complication to your decision: They redesigned the chain (different pitch) when the LX platform came out with the same 2.7 engine. You can get an OEM kit that includes the chain and all sprockets (for both cams and crankshaft) - may or may not come with water pump (also would need the finer pitch sprocket). If no pump, you would need the pump that comes with the sprocket for the later (post-LH car) chain design. That is a nice way to go, though a little extra work R&R'ing the crank sprocket. *IF* you do go that route, consider replacing the oil pump since the sprocket has to come off for that too, but that's optional - they generally don't give problems. Not sure if the tensioner is different between later year LH and the LX platform. Unless you can find that out one way or the other, safe way would be to get complete kit without the tensioner, and buy the tensioner separately (kit may not come with tensioner anyway). I think all kits will include the chain tensioner arm and chain guides (only one design to worry about on those).

I dumped the whole load on you at once.

Oh - make sure you remove and discard the old water pump gasket. It can appear to be part of the block - installing a new pump gasket on top of that will create *big* problems. Some people made that mistake - I almost did (actually I did, but caught the error before I got things all the way back together, but not before ruining the timing cover because of it).



.
 
  • Like
Reactions: preacher Rob
#7 ·
Wow.. Lol definitely a lot of info thanks.
So I did look at the car before the rain started here, it's definitely the water pump. Oil is clean, no sludge yet, I'll know for sure when the kit I ordered arrives and I start tearing it all apart, hopefully before next weekend. I did order the kit with new guides, gaskets, chains, tensioners, oil pump, water pump, and sprockets and it's supposed to be the newer upgraded version. So far, I've spent $670 on the car including the cost of the car itself, so still extremely cheap compared to buying a new car. We will see how the repair goes. :)
 
#8 ·
Welcome!

I'm no 2.7 expert, Hopefully someone will say a few words about an optional timing chain "stop block" for this engine too.
 
#9 · (Edited)
98IntrepidTan said:
...Hopefully someone will say a few words about an optional timing chain "stop block" for this engine too
Absolutely. I failed to mention that. It limits how far the tensioner arm can move back in case the tensioner fails. They're on eBay - about $35 IIRC. Good insurance. They sell them pre trimmed for either new or used chain.
 
  • Like
Reactions: preacher Rob
#13 ·
Thanks for the warm welcomes :) I will try to keep from spending too much cash on this thing. Tires, struts, the water pump, oil pump, timing kit and gaskets are about it. Everything else looks and works good. I'm pretty sure I can get this thing on the road and reliable for right at $1k. I did peruse the junk yard yesterday, plenty of parts there if I need it and super cheap so that is a good thing.
 
#16 ·
A heat exchanger was added in line with the PCV hose around MY 2000. It steals a little heat from the coolant flow in the heater core outlet hose to keep the PCV vapors from condensing and solidifying inside the PCV hose and clogging it up.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top