Hello. We have a 2006 dodge stratus..2.4l 4 cylinder. It was overheating and John (my fiance) took it to the garage. The guy said it was the water pump. He had the vehicle for almost 2 weeks (after an estimate of about 2 days) and actually ordered and put in the wrong parts (he said he thought it was a 1999). Finished the work and John drove it about 2 miles and it was overheating. The guys said this was not a problem he caused. John realized it was completely empty of water or coolant. He filled them with water and gave it a bit to run. It was still overheating. John replaced the filter and thermostat, hoping that was all it was. Still overheating. The mechanic then told him he was pretty sure his radiator was shot as it was rusty. He found a used radiator from the local junk yard and put it in. The mechanic said it could be the radiator cap, which was kind of loose. He got a new one and it seemed to be better at first but then overheated again. He said it sucks large amounts of water, but there is no visible leaking. They pulled the spark plugs and everything was dry. This has already cost almost $1000 and we are at wits end. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

Sorry to say you need a different mechanic and return of your money. Did they check the thermostat? I see small claims court in your future.

 

I agree - stay away from that mechanic! Another thing to check is to verify that the electric fan comes on to cool the radiator.

Next time check the prices on a new radiator, I found out long ago that they usually only cost a little more and you know you have a good radiator.

 

I second all the comments and especially mark's regarding radiators. I doubt you would ever find it economically advantageous to use a junkyard radiator these days. About $75-100 for your car for a new aftermarket one.

I would be concerned about a blown head gasket, too.

 

Yeah, if it takes coolant - it goes somewhere. If there were no visible leaks, then it goes inside, what means head gasket issue, as TG mentioned.
Also, it is likely having air plug. If it was low on coolant and coolant was simply added without purging air, it WILL overheat. Presuming you drive the car, it may overheat and expel coolant out of expansion canister while driving, then it's all is blown away by air flow.
It's simple but rather complex job.
1. as mentioned, needs to be checked if fan comes up
2. needs to be checked if BOTH radiator hoses are same temperature at operating level, to make sure there is no obstruction
3. outside leaks MUST be checked, what is best done with UV dye and UV light.
4. if no outside leaks, but coolant keeps disappearing, system must be pressure tested for internal leaks.
Absolutely request refund from that "mechanic". He's as much mechanic as I am Martian.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Yes he actually did get a new radiator..took it back to the mechanic and that is when he told him he thought it was just the cap and he didn't need to replace it. So he bought a cap and it seemed ok for a bit. He has since re-contacted him and demanded a fix or return of money or actions would be taken. The guy now says he never said he would not fix the problem and to bring it back in...We realize we should go elsewhere but the money is already invested there and we have no more to spend at the moment. So main things he should have the guy check? fans, radiator hoses, leaks?

 

Did the mechanic say he would fix it for the money he has already been paid?? Most likely he'd want to keep getting paid until he figured out and fixed the problem.

A lot of what has already been mentioned is stuff you can check out yourself.

 

You shouldn't have to tell a mechanic what to check !!

 

Well he wont be getting any more money anytime soon so I hope that is what he meant. He said he planned on fixing the problem but we never came back. (which is not what originally was said..) hopefully he realizes he is wrong.

 

You need to clarify the payment before he works on it again! You don't want him to refuse to release the car back to you because of a mechanic's lien