1st gen Aries wagon owner from Grand Rapids, MI!

[82WagonGuy]

Hey everyone!
As of Thursday, October 22nd, I'll be the proud owner of a White 1982 Dodge Aries wagon! My guess is its the only one left from the first generation, in this color, and body style still on the road in Michigan. Never seen another one of these in my life.

[Kwagon2]

Hi
Welcome...My '82 Aries wagon is also white in colour with a blue vinyl interior with reclining buckets dual mirrors and roof rack with the 13" road wheels. I saved it from a wrecking yard and like you I think its the only one left up here.

[82WagonGuy]

Well... I bought the car. I tried driving it home only to have it blow up in my face. It overheated and started steaming and spewing coolant everywhere on the side of the road. Hoping with my fingers crossed its just a simple hose and/or a thermostat or something cheap.

[Kwagon2]

Hi
I would check out the whole cooling system as in get the radiator and block flushed, new thermostat mandatory as I know that the "pellet" style thermostats which were common on these cars have a life span ...been down that road!! A big thing is to check the operation of the radiator cooling fan, its controlled by a coolant switch in the radiator tank if the fan isn't operating it won't take long to get hot...that's what the deal was with my '85 Reliant , once I repaired the fan control all was well.(the Reliant uses a different system but the end result is the same if it's not working) The fan needs to start at 210 deg F. Is the engine on yours a 2.2 or 2.6 Mitsu? Don't fret to much its just a cooling problem no big deal! Mine is waiting for me to assemble its engine etc. I just finished figuring out the brakes. Mine sat in that wrecking yard I mentioned for almost two decades!

[82WagonGuy]

I really wish this car came with a temp gauge on the instrument cluster. The cooling fans do work. I've seen them running before. I've got the Chrysler 2.2. My fingers, toes, and legs are crossed in hopes that this doesn't turn out to be a seriously expensive issue.

[K-CAR_WAGON]

Check for a head gasket leak. Was the antifreeze level full and clean before you have the overheating problem? Also, keep in mind that you have to bleed the cooling system to get all the air out when you change or refill the system, as the fill tank is lower than the highest point of the cooling system in the engine block.

[82WagonGuy]

Turns out the hoses just blew off from air in the system. The head gasket is fine. They replaced the hoses and re-filled the radiator with fresh coolant. Hopefully it's ready to go.

[82WagonGuy]

Well... This car has been nothing short of a nightmare. Everything seems to be breaking all at once on it. The transmission bearings are getting really noisy, the choke is malfunctioning and now the starter just bit the dust, I believe.

Now I get to decide wether or not I should sell my daily driver, a Chevy Spark, to fix the Aries or should I sell the Aries.

[Kwagon2]

I'm not good at pep talks but I'll try...
First off, Its clear your point of view is different from mine...in my view these are small problems ...bugs that come with a 33 year old car and easily repaired ...chances are if your wagon is an Automatic the bearing noise is the front wheel bearings ...a routine repair for front wheel drive.
The starter , again most times its just the main contacts are worn in the solenoid so you end up with a "click" instead of starter operation. The starter is removed the contacts replaced and you're good...I've done this numerous times!! The choke is also something that is diagnosed and repaired...just something that happens...
You should realize how fortunate you are in that you found a nice solid car with a solid power train (the 2.2 is a well designed tough engine!!) The rest in my opinion is just fluff...
You have a rare rare car one worth saving...so if you can keep going!! Its' going to be worth it!!
I literally dragged my '82 wagon out of a wrecking yard where it sat for years!! We had to cut down some trees to get at it!! It was non-operational with both rear brakes seized solid and a missing engine!! I need to make & install a floor!! I will be rebuilding/repairing every function of the car...Why... its a first gen K and they are almost extinct...a milestone in Automotive and Chrysler history ...

[86dodge600esconvert]

If it was me I would drive the spark and keep the wagon the wagon wouldn't sell for much, would be fun to tinker with and eventually get working, and could be a cool go to the beach or cursing around car.