2014 Dodge Challenger: Chasing the Overheating Issue

One day my 2014 Dodge Challenger SXT decided to demonstrate an overheating issue. It never showed any sign or symptoms before this, It had about 104k miles on it. I get out, popped the hood and see that my coolant reservoir had coolant pushed up all the way to the cap and coming out of the overflow. My first thought was probably a head gasket and that I wanted to push the car off a cliff.

Before closing the hood i loosened the bleed screw above the thermostat housing to relieve some of the pressure and checked around for any obvious problems. No leaks besides what came form the overflow. I checked the oil level and any coolant mixed in it but all was good. Not even a check engine light except the temp warning light. Once the coolant dropped down close to normal I started it up let it idle. I checked that the fan came on with and without the AC. The temp gauge was back down to normal at this point and idle was smooth.

so i was able to get it home without it overheating again and the car ran great. No CEL’s, No misfires, No exhaust smoke, No leaks internally or externally except from the overflow when it over heated. I hate it when i know there’s something wrong with a modern car but the computer just thinks everything fine. WTF!

This is my regular daily driver and my only way to get to work at that time. So i decided i needed to start with the path of least resistance and run some tests.

I checked and/or replaced:

• Fan – checked relays, wiring, blades. I replaced resistor just in case
• Oil- discoloration from coolant, level
• Wiring – no broken, bridle, exposed
• Leaks – used UV dye and light in coolant. checked internally, externally, under the dash
• Thermostat – 180 T-stat removed placed in boiling water to test
• Tune – Diablo I3 checked and re-installed factory tune to test
• Heater core – no leaks, bypassed and ran water though to check if plugged
• Hoses – no damage, swelling or collapsed
• Oil cooler – these are a common failure with these engines due to the plastic housing cracking so i replaced it with all aluminum. I found some kind of gunk in the coolant passages. looked like maybe block sealer from the previous owner. Go figure!
• Radiator – replaced radiator with a larger all aluminum after finding the gunk from the cooler. Its shiny and makes the car go faster.
• Coolant flushed – I Made sure all gunk was removed from the block as much as possible and Vacuum filled the system to prevent air pockets. Check out my Radiator Flush: Step by Step guide
• Compression test – all cylinders 155psi
• Coolant gas – No hydrocarbons in the coolant at all, repeated the test many times and checked tester with exhaust from the tail pipe
• Water pump – I replaced and found a small crack in the impeller

The Realization:

After all the checks and replaced parts the engine idled fine with no issues. But after driving for about 15 minutes around the block the temp would shoot up, then go back down, then shoot up again and stay up. WTF is going on here. I popped the hood in the drive way and again the coolant was to the top of the reservoir, i loosened the coolant bleeder and nothing but air came out for about 3-5 minutes. The dreaded answer in my gut was the head gaskets, especially after finding what looked like block or head gasket sealer in the oil cooler. That’s the risk when you buy a used vehicle. It may have had an overheating issue before.

What are my options:

I really did not want to dig into this engine on a weekend and not get it back together before going back to work.

Thought about:

1. Replacing the head gaskets and getting it over with, but while I’m in there i might as well replace the timing set too
2. If I’m replacing the head gaskets and timing set. should i just pull the engine and rebuild the bottom end at the same time. I’ve built engines before.
3. Maybe I Should just replace the engine with a remanufactured and be done with it.
4. If I’m gonna replace the engine anyways. should i opt for the V8 but then have to change out pretty much everything, trans, ECU, suspension, brakes, etc.

Ended up going with option 1 – about $300 off Amazon

• option 2 I didn’t have a way to pull the engine or the space in my small two car garage ~$800 – $1000 for parts
• option 3 was just too much money ~$2800 – $4000 and would take to much time
• option 4 was just stupid and unrealistic

Ill be honest replacing the head gaskets with the block still in the car was a pain in the ass. but it was mostly just time consuming. It took me an entire Sat and Sun to do the work and Monday to check and double check and test drive and was able to get it running again before work Tuesday. I also added fresh oil and filter and vacuum filled wit fresh coolant.

Full disclosure:

• No I didn’t get the heads resurfaced due to time restraints. I used the poor mans method with a some sand paper and WD40.
• when installing, I used new head bolts but I didn’t have a degree wheel to set the angle on the head bolts so i made a straight mark on the top of the bolt and a mark on the valve cover surface on top of the head being 0 degrees then turned the bolt to approx. 70 degrees following the torque specs and sequence. what a pain that was!
• While replacing the timing set i did not replace the oil pump chain or crank sprocket due to needing to remove the lower part of the block that the oil pan attaches too. but i replaced everything else in the kit including the new water pump that came with the kit.

It has now been a little over 2k miles since the work was done and the car has been running great with no more overheating issue.

Conclusion:

Where there’s a will there’s a way, sometimes you have to improvise in order to get something done. You don’t have to have a big shop with 10k worth of tools. Experience goes a long way. but you really just need to be resourceful and have decent problem solving skills more than anything. Everything else can be found online in great detail. If you can get some one to help you do the work or at least brainstorm is also very valuable.