Mopar rant.

[a_d_a_m]

Sorry, I just have to vent.

I consider myself an "okay" wrench. Not great, but I've done some surgeries (timing chains/guides/tensioners, shift kids, exhaust installs, etc. on other cars). The Magnum has me second-guessing myself on everything and quite frankly, making me regret going back to Mopar.

I planned all month to make today the day I would tackle my P0520 check engine light (oil pressure sensor). That was until a few days ago when I started noticing coolant puddling on the driveway. WTF, right? So I tear a few things apart and find this:
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/206437_595115606781_39003984_3 3223502_4758307_n.jpg

Dig a little deeper and find the radiator has failed on the upper passenger side. No big deal, right? Wrong. Took forever to remove the damn thing. Clips, harnesses, etc. all in the way. Finally I decided to remove the bumper/grille to look at it from that angle. What a mistake that was. Broke all of the clips in the wheel wells. Finally got to the point where I could get it out. At this point I've got probably 3 or 4 hours into the job.

So then I started calling around and as has been the case with the other two parts I had to buy, (headlight switch, parts to fix the transfer case TSB) nobody stocks radiators for the new LX cars. Not even the dealer. I priced around and found the cheapest (and fastest) was Car Parts Warehouse at a cost of $135+tax. Lord only knows if it'll show up as the right part. Probably not. :mad2:

Speaking of radiators, the rad. housing is friggin' PLASTIC? What gives?

Anyway, my dad came home from work (I do repairs in his garage because it's better equipped) and it's a good thing, because the oil pressure sensor repair, which I found a writeup for here on LXforums.com, would have been impossible with one person. That repair went okay, other than breaking the clip on the wiring harness (instructions in the writeup don't match real-world application) and having to improvise using some RTV on the outside of the sensor to make sure it stayed on there. Who the hell knows if it'll stay on... http://www.lxforums.com/board/images/smilies/banghead.gif I started the car briefly to see if it leaked and it's holding so far. Of course, without the radiator and everything else plugged in, I managed to trigger a P0113 and the car started running incredibly rough, so who the hell knows if THAT will go away.

Dad, who's done several engine rebuilds and isn't afraid of much when it comes to cars, said it best - "this car just fights you every step of the way."


So much to love about the Magnum, but plenty of stuff to HATE about it too. As someone who buys cars and expects to have to do repairs like this, I don't know...I don't see another Dodge in my future.

/endrant.

[DEFYANT]

Came close to getting a Magnum. Got the MM instead. After reading this, I am glad! Sorry for your troubles.

[a_d_a_m]

Yeah, having owned both, I can tell you that the Magnum is a far inferior vehicle. Stock to stock, the Marauder is slower and it definitely doesn't handle as well, but with a couple basic mods (CAI/tune) it will beat the Magnum in the 1/4 mile.

Beyond that, the interior on the Magnum is not nearly as comfortable as the Marauder.

And the Marauder is actually halfway easy to work on.

[fastblackmerc]

Radiators have been made of of plastic for a long time. Much cheaper than copper radiators.

[DOOM]

Damn bro that sucks.
Hope it all works out.

[Lignum]

I used to be big into mopar. I had a 73 Challenger and a 72 Roadrunner Clone. After owning a newer Hemi Ram 1500 that was weak and prone to have problems, and watching my in-laws Charger constantly be taken to the shop I realized their newer offerings have much to be desired... (I also drove a 300 that died on the test drive due to TC problems.)

[a_d_a_m]

Radiators have been made of of plastic for a long time. Guess I'm not well-versed in them, since the last radiator I had to replace was on a '70s Mopar! :)

Just waiting for the parts store to call back and tell me that they've got their parts shipment in. Then it's back under the hood for more "fun".

It's 10:30am. Is it too early to have that first beer?

[CBT]

Guess I'm not well-versed in them, since the last radiator I had to replace was on a '70s Mopar! :)

Just waiting for the parts store to call back and tell me that they've got their parts shipment in. Then it's back under the hood for more "fun".

It's 10:30am. Is it too early to have that first beer?

:eek: How dare you ask that in the presence of an old sailor, it is never too early. :beer:

[a_d_a_m]

:eek: How dare you ask that in the presence of an old sailor, it is never too early. :beer: Hi, sailor! :wave:

[CBT]

Hi, sailor! :wave:
LMAO! I never realized how goofy that must look to new folks until now :beer:

[Egon Spengler]

Sorry for your issues, but thank you for reminding me again why I will NEVER buy a mopar.

[Lignum]

LMAO! I never realized how homoerotic that must look to new folks until now :beer:
Fixed! Your welcome shipmate!

[PonyUP]

LMAO! I never realized how goofy that must look to new folks until now :beer:

There is truth in advertising Casey :lol:

[CBT]

Fixed! Your welcome shipmate!


There is truth in advertising Casey :lol:

You guys are trashing this thread!! :mad2: :D

[Egon Spengler]

You guys are trashing this thread!! :mad2: :D
The only trash in this thread is the mopar product! :D

[CBT]

The only trash in this thread is the mopar product! :D
Oooooooooooo, kick the OP while he's down why don't ya, lol.

[Egon Spengler]

Oooooooooooo, kick the OP while he's down why don't ya, lol.
Hey, I'm down with OPP.... Yeah you know me!

[a_d_a_m]

Oooooooooooo, kick the OP while he's down why don't ya, lol. I'm up now! (that's what he said?)

The parts store radiator was correct and was $137 with tax.

I got to dad's garage and started out with this:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196262_597090294491_39003984_3 3225064_4821203_n.jpg

By some divine miracle, I got to this point on the first try:
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/208818_597092729611_39003984_3 3225069_3946664_n.jpg

YES, that is a celebratory beer.

So I reinstalled everything and, like every car repair in the history of car repairs, it definitely went back together easier than it came apart. I had the radiator in place, bolted in, and had the U/L rad. hoses connected within an hour and a half. Not too bad. Dad came home from work and was shocked that I'd gotten that far (considering the headache we had getting the car apart).

I started the car and went to add coolant, and almost IMMEDIATELY got a P2181 code. I shut the car off and then found that the car wouldn't start. Trust me, this was a big "oh *****" moment. Disconnected the battery for twenty minutes to try to reset it and it STILL wouldn't start. Finally said "F this" and held the gas pedal down while turning the car over. It fired right up. No CELs, including the original P0520 (oil pressure sensor) which is gone (for the time being).

Now, onto adding coolant. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the bleeder off of the T-stat housing due to age, so getting coolant into the system was a PITA. Had to fill the reservoir, cap it, drive it down the street to get the car to suck the coolant down. Come back, repeat x4. I'm sure there is an easier way to get around a stuck bleeder, but I couldn't think of it.

Finally, when the heat blew hot consistently and it stopped sucking coolant (honestly, the level is a bit high right now, so I will have to remove some), we started buttoning things up. Got to this point in around three hours:
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189714_597107929151_39003984_3 3225115_505546_n.jpg

I left the belly pan and the front splash guard off of the car. As you can see, we got some snow, so the car was soaked and I didn't feel like crawling under it and getting soaked. So I clipped the bumper back in place and installed the two 10mm bolts on either side. I'll finish putting those two panels back in place when it warms up this coming week.



As long as I can get it emissions tested tomorrow before the next CEL comes on, I'll be happy...

[MOTOWN]

great job! glad you got it squared away

[CBT]

Nice. :beer: What an amount of work just to do that. But I'd still like to have one.

[a_d_a_m]

There are a lot of things I really love about the car, but there are several things I cannot stand about it. That's one of them. If you're inclined to buy one, stay away from the '05s, avoid AWD unless you think it's necessary, and be prepared to spend way more $$$ on parts.

[tbone]

Radiators have been made of of plastic for a long time. Much cheaper than copper radiators.

Radiators are made out of aluminum with a plastic frame. No?

[Dragcity]

Gald you got it worked out... I think the front end looked better without the bumper cover on.... That arced box steel looks sweet......

Sorry....

So, you're going to finish buttoning things up in July? You did say when the weather gets better. Cleveland is not too far off kilter from Buffalo.....

[rayjay]

Came close to getting a Magnum. Got the MM instead. After reading this, I am glad! Sorry for your troubles.

+1, came real close to buying one too. If the Mopar dealer had dropped a couple K in price I was in.

[a_d_a_m]

So, you're going to finish buttoning things up in July? You did say when the weather gets better. Ha! Yeah, it feels like it, especially with this last bit of snow we got. Will it ever go away?

[rayjay]

Ha! Yeah, it feels like it, especially with this last bit of snow we got. Will it ever go away?

NO! :mad2:

[Egon Spengler]

Ha! Yeah, it feels like it, especially with this last bit of snow we got. Will it ever go away?


NO! :mad2:
Glad you got your car fixed. I guess you could say that same about Marauders though. There are things we love and the things we can't stand about the car... LIKE THE PAINT PROBLEM!!!:mad2:

We are going to be getting close to a foot of snow tonight into tomorrow... Am ready to cry... I already told my boss I may need to take tomorrow off as a mental health day because the snow is going to depress me! hahaha.

[a_d_a_m]

Glad you got your car fixed. I guess you could say that same about Marauders though. There are things we love and the things we can't stand about the car... LIKE THE PAINT PROBLEM!!!:mad2: Ugh, thanks for reminding me. The car's been in the garage and I haven't looked at it for a week or so. My hood and roof have the blisters in them (even after being "fixed" under warranty).

I think I am going to let it go another year and worry about it next year. The hood and roof are the only bad panels (so far)...

[rayjay]

Ugh, thanks for reminding me. The car's been in the garage and I haven't looked at it for a week or so. My hood and roof have the blisters in them (even after being "fixed" under warranty).

I think I am going to let it go another year and worry about it next year. The hood and roof are the only bad panels (so far)...

Check with the dealer to see if they warranty their paint work. I know mine gives a lifetime warranty on theirs. I had them redo my left rear door due to a defect that caused the paint to blister 2 years after they fixed it from a MVA.

[a_d_a_m]

I'm not the original owner, so I doubt any warranties would apply. Either way, the original dealer is in Illinois, and I'd rather just repaint the car locally.

[RF Overlord]

Radiators are made out of aluminum with a plastic frame. No?Yes. the core is metal and the tanks are plastic. Been that way since at least '94 as I found out the hard way in my Thunderbird SuperCoupe that sprung a leak and couldn't be repaired. N/A V6 rad was available at FLAPS for $137...supercharged V6 was dealer-only and over $400. :shake: