I am thoroughly convinced that 2.5 K-cars overheat easily. Hemidude thinks they don't. Chief says they do. Time to start a healthy flaming discussion between a non-mechanic (thats me),
Chief (who has actually cooled his K-car well), and hemidude (who has a lot of experience and thinks that K-cars can run over 200 degrees without blowing headgaskets if they have a good
cooling system.) Maybe hemidude is right, maybe with a Mopar Performance gasket they can safely run at about 200 degrees. Hemidude thinks having a K-car run at 180 degrees is bad for it.
Chief doesn't think so, and was on me for over a year to get a 180 degree thermostat and dual cord radiator and is getting a double fan. Let me tell ya, my worst nightmare with this overheating
car has been that stupid gauge since I got the car 90,000 miles ago always going up to 2/3rds to 3/4ths before the needle came down. Then, in 2004 at 62,000 miles, the headgasket blows badly. The
head was replaced and some valve work was done. I am sure the pistons are still original so I guess my car can claim to have lived 140,000. Then, last summer, the stupid things starts overheating again.
So, I get it fixed (bad cooling system), and the car seems stable for a year, except now and again the needle goes up to 5/6ths before coming down. I watched the guage like a hawk. This summer, the
car starts overheating again and the headgasket just starts to go. Caught in time and my car is now recovering from major heart surgery and I hope to get it running again as reliably before. Unless someone
can totally prove me wrong, and no offense to all the techs that no more than me as I know nothing about cars, but all of you with a 2.5 K-car engine should:
GET A 180 DEGREE THERMOSTAT, A DOUBLE CORD RADIATOR, AND TWO FANS. THESE 2.5 ENGINES ARE GOOD, BUT THE COOLING SYSTEMS TOTALLY SUCK!
I am now open to constructive criticism. I still won't feel better until the guage stays at 1/2 and thats it!