******* anti-freeze. what the....

[Darth Menace]

The car should not be going into the Red at idle, If the hood is up do you notice the raidatior fan kicking on? If not It may be worth you checking this thread out.

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/646716-Relays-question..?highlight=heater+relay

Ya, I will have to check that out. I recently plugged in the daytime running light relay so I could pass inspection here...maybe my fidgeting with that caused some fuse/relay to go. That would explain the overheating likely, and the dripping antifreeze problem is probably coincidental. I thought the overheating would just be the fact that there wasn't the proper amount of antifreeze in the car anymore

 

[95Viper]

There are a couple simple tests that you can do now. 1. Replace radiator(surge tank) cap. Do not replace it with a 98 cap...use the one that was in the 2001 and other years. It has a large black plastic top. 2. The hose from the surge tank to the facia overflow bottle transitons from rubber to metal to rubber multiple times. As the car cool it needs to draw fluid from the facia tank. If the connections are loose it will draw in air and this will eventually get anough air in your system to push fluid out the surge tank upon heat up. Clamp these connections with small spring clamps. 3. Is the facia tank completely full or empty? Full could be #2 above. Empty is next. 4. As someone already said, there is a facia bolt right inderneath the tank. Remove it and see if someone previously cut it in half and rounded off the end. If not a slight facia bump will poke the tank. If empty remove the rubber hose right next to the headlight that goes to the tank. Fill the tank with distilled water and see if it starts leaking. 5. Follow burping instructions. 6. If none of this works take to certified Viper tech.

 

[Darth Menace]

I just drove it a little bit and back home to get everything going. I heard the leaking noise, and I finally found it. Oddly it doesnt show, but there is a stream of antifreeze shooting from that gasket where the arrow is

http://i53.tinypic.com/fm1214.jpg

 

[Fatboy 18]

If its coming from there that looks like the front cover timing gasket Not a 5 min job Go to the earlier link I posted up. You need to remove a whole bunch of stuff from the front of the engine to get to that! Im not in the Auto trade but with the help of members on this website attempted the job myself, it took me a while but I did it.

This Link http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...-gt-gt-(semi-write-up)?highlight=TIMING+COVER

It looks to me that your leak is in the same area mine was but on the oppisit side

Take your time and all will be OK.
Good Luck
Mark

 

[Darth Menace]

If its coming from there that looks like the front cover timing gasket Not a 5 min job Go to the earlier link I posted up. You need to remove a whole bunch of stuff from the front of the engine to get to that! Im not in the Auto trade but with the help of members on this website attempted the job myself, it took me a while but I did it.

This Link http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...-gt-gt-(semi-write-up)?highlight=TIMING+COVER

It looks to me that your leak is in the same area mine was but on the oppisit side

Take your time and all will be OK.
Good Luck
Mark

ya, thanks. I sure will try to get this done. I have months over the winter so I had might as well attempt it. On a similar note, is this normal that a random gasket springs a leak here, or is there some outlying problem that causes this? if so I should get that problem fixed before replacing the gasket.

 

[plumcrazy]

thats a common issue on 97-98 from what i recall. mine got fixed by tator years ago

 

[Fatboy 18]

I think its normal as if you look at my engine pics with the timing cover removed you can see the chamber in the block where the coolant is sitting (Green colour) Heat rises and add to that the pressure the water is under, eventually gaskets break down. I found some pitting on the engine block face where some corrosion had set in, so this did not help. That's why I added a thin bead of RTV silicone sealant around both sides of the new gasket for extra protection. All seems good so far since Ive done mine

 

[Darth Menace]

I think its normal as if you look at my engine pics with the timing cover removed you can see the chamber in the block where the coolant is sitting (Green colour) Heat rises and add to that the pressure the water is under, eventually gaskets break down. I found some pitting on the engine block face where some corrosion had set in, so this did not help. That's why I added a thin bead of RTV silicone sealant around both sides of the new gasket for extra protection. All seems good so far since Ive done mine

cool, would this go hand in hand to the overheating at idle, or is that a totally unrelated yet similar problem I have to track down?

 

[Mutts02GTS]

Definitely goes with the overheating at idle, less coolant in the system means less cooling effect at idle and higher temps but at highway speed you have mass airflow going through the radiator to help keep the motor cool. Once you finish the repair I would confirm the cooling fans are operating and the cooling system has been burped free of all air. Good luck. Jeff

 

[Darth Menace]

Is there anything I should replace while I'm in there? I dont really want to unneccessarly replace the water pump since it's more high ticket, but what about thermostat and gasket etc. I'd like to go a tad cooler anyways, but is there anything else suggested?

 

[Fatboy 18]

If you are going to change out the thermostat gasket that is also a lot of additional work as you have to remove the intake manifold to get to it. I purchased my gaskets, crankshaft oil seal and a 180 degree thermostat from Tators Garage
I have not got round to putting in the new thermostat yet, (that's a job i will be doing over the next few months)

Your going to be getting real friendly with that engine in the coming months

 

[Dom426h]

thats a common issue on 97-98 from what i recall. mine got fixed by tator years ago

+1, this is a common problem on 97-98's

You are lucky this gasket is only currently leaking Externaly. The gasket has two coolant passages through it and if/when it starts to leak internaly you will end up with coolant in your oil.(which could corrode your internals) For this reason i would not recommend driving your viper untill you replace this gasket.

If you are planning on doing this yourself(it is a PITA) Call Tators Garage. Chuck will explain in detail what you are getting into and all the stuff that you will want to do while your are in there:
off the top of my head:
-TiminigCoverGasket,
-WaterPumpGasket,
-OilFilterAdapterGasket,
-OilPanGasket(IF you have the old style)
-FrontMainSeal.
-also a good time to replace your oil-pan with the larger 00-02 unit if your concerned about oilstarvation. For trackgoers this is a must IMO.
(another cheaper option is to install the trap-door baffle kit in your existing pan which you can get from partsrack)
(the Best option is to install the 00-02 pan With the baffle kit)

When this happended to me i called Tator and a couple days later i had a box on my doorstep with everything i needed. After reading through every timing cover post on these forums and looking through the shop manual I decided that it was going to be too big of a job for me so i took my hood off and drove up to my local viper mechanic. Took him about 6hrs and i know he was hard at work because i was there for half the time. This was early Springtime so I very happy to be back on the road rather than having the Viper taken apart in my garage for who knows how long.

 

[Fatboy 18]

6hrs, WOW that's fast!!! It took me a LOT longer but I wanted to clean everything to an 'as new' condition + I was learning as you go, (having never attempted this before).

 

[Darth Menace]

If you are going to change out the thermostat gasket that is also a lot of additional work as you have to remove the intake manifold to get to it. I purchased my gaskets, crankshaft oil seal and a 180 degree thermostat from Tators Garage
I have not got round to putting in the new thermostat yet, (that's a job i will be doing over the next few months)

Your going to be getting real friendly with that engine in the coming months

It's not the taking apart that scares me, but the putting together

 

[JonB]

......is it good to drive a bit back an forth to work before i park it> a couple days

YIKES !! Belated, Urgent Note: RED ZONE means PARK IT. Aluminum Heads/Block are much more vulnerable to damage.
Besides, Leaking coolant (under your tires) is dangerous....

NOTE: BURPING (trapped Air) or a cracked overflow bottle is still themostat likley culprit in that early G2

NOTE #2: Air in motor means the Temp Gauge Reading can be Unreliable TOO LOW.....

JonB~~~~~:<~

 

[Jack B]

There are a lot of hard to get at bolts on the front of the engine. You really need a very complete set of tools and some luck. When I changed mine it required a lot of time to clean the block and mating surface on the cover. Another item (if you can find) that might be a nice addition is the ACR filter adapter. Instead of a front seal driver, a short piece of pvc pipe works perfectly. When you break and torque the harmonic balance bolt put it in 4th gear and lock down the e-brake as hard as possible. You do not have to drop the pan, just lower it a little, on the other hand, it is a good time to clean it out and add that trap door.

 

[Fatboy 18]

You do not have to drop the pan, just lower it a little, on the other hand, it is a good time to clean it out and add that trap door.

To be honest I would drop the pan, because you need to place some RTV sealant on the underside of the timing cover in the corners where it mates with the block. Look at the pictures in this "How To" Guide, http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/604150-Oil-Pan-Baffle-install, You can see the 4 red circles in the corners where you need to replace the sealant

To remove the hood its only 4 bolts and is really easy, there is nothing to 'line up' when re-fitting. Get a friend to give you a hand removing it
Get youself a workshop manual and a Torque wrench.

 

[Fatboy 18]

Crankshaft Damper Bolt.....You will need a Six sided 31mm socket, either 1/2" Square drive or 3/4" Square drive.

See this thread.... http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/642102-Crankshaft-damper-bolt?highlight=crankshaft+damper+bolt

Go for it, were here to help

 

[Darth Menace]

I'm confused...I should change the oil pan to a larger one just in case the viper doesnt get enough oil? is almost 10 quarts not enough? I obviously wanna do healthy stuff for it though

 

[Dom426h]

It depends on how you drive the car.

Your oil pan is likely the 8.5q one that came on early Gen2's(1996-1999)
The 2000-2002's came with the upgraded 10q unit.

 

[Darth Menace]

6hrs, WOW that's fast!!! It took me a LOT longer but I wanted to clean everything to an 'as new' condition + I was learning as you go, (having never attempted this before).

I just went to dodge and got a quote from them. they said 4.6 hours so i'm kind of confused

 

[Dom426h]

What are you confused about? A persons level of Skill&Experience can vary the amount of time to complete any given task. The Wizard could prob knock this job out in 4hrs as where it would take an ameture like myself 20

Your shop is prob reading the hrs out of a book. If they have never done the job before it will likely take longer. If they will hold their price to that quote then i would personaly write the check

 

[ViperTony]

I just went to dodge and got a quote from them. they said 4.6 hours so i'm kind of confused

Call Chuck Tator. It's the best call you can make.

 

[AAKVIPER]

I just did a head gasket on my 1994 RT-10..I feel you..Just crap that should not happen..but they do..

Arthur

 

[Darth Menace]

What are you confused about? A persons level of Skill&Experience can vary the amount of time to complete any given task. The Wizard could prob knock this job out in 4hrs as where it would take an ameture like myself 20

Your shop is prob reading the hrs out of a book. If they have never done the job before it will likely take longer. If they will hold their price to that quote then i would personaly write the check

Just that the above poster said he was surprised a dude did it in 6. Also, the dealer gave me the price of the gasket, not all the other gaskets that were mentioned up top. I asked them about the rest of them and they said they weren't required to be replaced. so there is two reasons im confused

 

[plumcrazy]

914-763-3136....ask for chuck

 

[ViperTony]

Just that the above poster said he was surprised a dude did it in 6. Also, the dealer gave me the price of the gasket, not all the other gaskets that were mentioned up top. I asked them about the rest of them and they said they weren't required to be replaced. so there is two reasons im confused

Call Chuck Tator. Tell him the issue and ask him what he recommends. Remember....Chuck is a certified viper tech and has worked on hundreds of Vipers since it's inception. At the very least, he'll tell you what the procedure should entail and, at a minimum, what the dealer should replace, etc.

 

[Fatboy 18]

Im stuck here in the UK I have no choice but to do the work myself, bottom line there is only one other person I would trust and he is a fair way away from me. Im Not a mechanic but Contacted Chuck Tator, I told him what I was doing and he sold me the bits I needed and I went with his recommendations. Yes you could leave a whole bunch of parts in place and break your neck getting into all those hard to reach places, but I took my time cleaning all the parts properly and checking and double checking I had done everything correctly.

Being honest If I lived anywhere near Tators Garage I would not hesitate to Give Chuck my car Some people perform this Job leaving the Hood and cross member in place, but that makes the job even harder to do IMO.

 

[scottmarston]

The cooling system on a Viper is like any non-turbo V8, V10 etc. Take it to your local Dodge dealer and put it up on a lift and see what's going on. Most likely just a split hose.

That's what happened to mine. Hose clamp split in the main return hose because it wasn't on straight and probably too tight.

 

[Jack B]

Just that the above poster said he was surprised a dude did it in 6. Also, the dealer gave me the price of the gasket, not all the other gaskets that were mentioned up top. I asked them about the rest of them and they said they weren't required to be replaced. so there is two reasons im confused

The other gaskets typically do not have to be replaced. Some individuals replace them due to age while the cover is off. The cover gasket and the cover/crank seal are the only ones that absolutely have to be replaced. As far as time goes, most (not all) mechanics would not spend the time that an owner would on details. As I stated earlier, it took me over an hour to clean the old gasket off of the block and cover mating surfaces.