Ask the Car People.SM


Dodge Intrepid

3457 messages,  Last post on Oct 08, 2012 at 5:35 PM

You are in the Dodge Intrepid Forum.

What is this discussion about? Dodge Intrepid, Sedan

Messages Page 268 of 346

#2671 of 3457 Back in 2001... by andre1969

Feb 08, 2005 (9:41 am)

I sent an email to D-C customer assistance, asking about just this topic. Here's the response I got...
 
"Thank you for your e-mail regarding your 2000 Dodge Intrepid.
 
The 2.7L V6 engine has a timing chain. DaimlerChrysler recommends that you have
the chain inspected at approximately 105,000 miles to determine if it needs to
be changed or adjusted.
 
I hope you find this information helpful.
 
Thank you again for writing."
 
I talked to my mechanic about it awhile back, and he said that as long as I keep up on oil changes, and don't let it run low, it should be good for a long, long time.
 
I'm at around 101,500 miles now, so I guess it's about time for me to look into it. I think if you get the timing chain replaced, you're supposed to do the water pump as well nowadays, aren't you? I know that water pumps aren't simple bolt-on, belt driven devices anymore, so they're probably a lot more expensive to replace than those of days gone by. Might be worth it to do both the chain and water pump at the same time.

#2672 of 3457 Re: Back in 2001... [andre1969] by smithed

Feb 08, 2005 (12:40 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Feb 08, 2005 9:41 am)
If they recommend having it inspected at 105,000 and people have had it break before that, I would think (and I know this is wishful) that Chrysler should be responsible for damage done by a broken chain that happens at 75,000 miles. Only seems right.

#2673 of 3457 power steering problems by graeme

Feb 08, 2005 (1:48 pm)

I have a 2000 ES, with 76k on it.
 
back in october, i replaced the steering rack myself to save some money (it had gone bad due to an accident a couple years ago)
 
i went on vacation last month, and when i got back, the power steering was dead. it would turn if i revved the engine, and was going, but otherwise, nothing. i took it to a gemini garage. they have replaced the pump 10 times with pumps from different vendors, and the rack twice, cleaned out all the lines, and even replaced the lines.
 
every time, they drive around the block, it's fine, but then after a few minutes, it loses power again and stops working.
 
They've given up and suggest i take it to a dealership, but they also said they talked to mechanics at the dealership, and were told they dont know what is wrong either
 
luckily they're not going to charge me anything since they couldn't fix it, but now im wondering if the dealership is going to be able to fix it either, since everything has been replaced several times, what else could it be?
 
has anyone else heard of this kind of problem?

#2674 of 3457 The problem w/the 2.7L engine.... by mike372

Feb 08, 2005 (5:55 pm)

is that the guides are supposedly plastic and they can wear out at 70-80K miles, therefore causing the chain to malfunction/break leading to valve damage. I was on some internet site, I cant remember which one, and there was something like 500 complaints within a few month period. I just could not believe reading all the complaints explaining the identical problem....timing chain malfunction/breakage leading to bent valves. Its hard not to believe there is some problem when 100's of people complain about the EXACT same thing. I am sorry, but I do not believe the Chrysler dealers or even DC themselves. This is why DC came out with the 70,000 mile powertrain warranty, which my Trep has. But it does no good if DC isnt going to stand behind their words and not blame damage on the customers. Somehow, most other manufacturers dont have to come out with this 'bogus' warranty, why?, because they make well designed engines. Period.

#2675 of 3457 Andre........ by mike372

Feb 08, 2005 (6:15 pm)

i changed the timing belt and the water pump on the Celica at the same time. The problem is, if you dont, and the car leaks water in the future, you have to go thru all the work of the timing chain/belt all over again. Its just a pain in the butt job which I dont look forward to doing. The Celica actually had a leak in one of the gaskets between the pump and the casing of the engine. The actual pump looked good. But if I didnt replace the pump I would have eventually had to do the whole job over again. I would also recommend buying an OEM belt and water pump. Some aftermarket pumps have inferior bearings in them and some aftermarket belts are designed for several vehicles. I bought Toyota belt and pump from dealer and got 10-15% off list price. The job is just too timeconsuming not to do it right the first time.

#2676 of 3457 Re: And.......... [mike372] by bzone99

Feb 10, 2005 (10:54 am)

Replying to: mike372 (Oct 25, 2004 7:40 pm)
My 2000 Intrepid's 2.7 liter V6 died last week at 60,000 miles. I am still waiting on the repair estimate from my mechanic. Most likely the timing chain failed and has damages the engine beyond repair, just like thousands of other engines.
 
I really liked my Intrepid until last week...of course, as mentioned, Chrysler is ignoring their engine problem. Hoping for a class action suit...

#2677 of 3457 Hmmm... by andre1969

Feb 10, 2005 (11:45 am)

maybe I'd better get mine into the mechanic and at least have it inspected! How do you inspect a timing chain, anyway? Wouldn't you have to pull a bunch of stuff out just to do that? And once you got that far into it, shouldn't you just go ahead and replace it anyway?
 
I'm really not *too* concerned at this point if my engine were to go out on me, as the car does have over 100,000 miles on it and it's paid for. At this point though, I guess if the engine blew the car would be totaled. It would suck having to go get another car and get back into payments again, but at least it's not as bad as having something crap out on you while you're still paying for it!!

#2678 of 3457 Andre...... by mike372

Feb 10, 2005 (3:19 pm)

You have been pretty fortunate to get 100,000 plus miles out of the 2.7L engine. It seems to me that most manufacturers recommend replacing the belt/chain, guides, etc when the car hits the 100K mark. The Celica's timing belt was 'shot' and I was lucky to replace it with the tensioner before the engine blew up. You normally would have to take off the front cover,belts, crankshaft pulley (impossible w/out an impact wrench unless you have some way to prevent the engine from turning), possibly remove the P/S pump, altenator, etc and it can be time consuming, especially if there is no room in the case of a small Celica. Them its tricky to replace it in the correct manner, because, in part, you have to set the #1 cylinder properly before you put on the chain/belt and have to adjust it correctly (to the proper tension). Unless you have time on your hands I would recommend bringing the car to your mechanic. My girlfriends Civic is approaching the 100K mark and I will not attempt to replace the belt cuz its very aggravating job that tests my patience. However, if you plan to have some wheels to drive you had better look into it before you are forced to get a new car. Maybe just trade it in now while its still worth some $$??. And, next time (I know you are a Mopar fan), get something that does not have so many complaints on the web.

#2679 of 3457 nervous by smithed

Feb 11, 2005 (8:39 am)

You guys are making me nervous about the 96000 miles on my 3.2 timing belt. I have been planning to wait to 105,000 miles do have this job done, as the manual says This discussion of ruined engines concerns me even with the 3.2.

#2680 of 3457 Here's one thing I don't understand... by andre1969

Feb 11, 2005 (10:17 am)

how come there are two different intervals listed for the Intrepid 3.2? At least, on the 2000 there are. California models are recommended at 105,000 miles, while the rest, "Federal" are recommended at 100,000. Is there really a difference between the two?
 
It's the same for the 3.5, starting in 2000. For some reason, the Gates catalog I'm looking at doesn't go up past 2000. Also, interestingly, the 3.2 appears to be an interference engine, while the 3.5 is not. Odd, considering the 3.2 is based on the 3.5.

Messages Page 268 of 346

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement