by Allen Teal

Created on: March 24, 2009

If you have had to replace some part of your Dodge Intrepid cooling system, you will need to bleed the air from the system. Most Intrepid owners discover this truth the hard way. If you do not bleed the air from the cooling system, your car will probably overheat. Most car owners work to find out if the car is low on coolant. They may even add coolant to the reservoir just to be sure. Feeling like the problem has been solved, the driver will head back out on the road only to be greeted by the unpleasant sight of the temperature gauge heading toward hot.

When a repair was made, air became trapped in the cooling system.

Because the the cooling system on the Dodge Intrepid is a closed system except for the overflow reservoir, air cannot naturally escape. On older cars with a radiator cap, most of the time, the air would eventually find its way to the upper part of the radiator and escape through the cap. This is not possible on the Intrepid. Once air is in the system, it will stay there until someone lets it out.

The problem is that you need to bleed the air from the Dodge Intrepid's cooing system.

It does not take long to bleed the air from the Intrepid's cooling system. You will need a small end wrench for the job. It may vary from this, but it will require about a 3/8" size. Just get two or three around that size ready. If you do not know where to find the bleeder, it can make the job much more difficult.

The bleeder is on the connector where the upper radiator hose attaches to the engine.

With the hood raised and the engine off, looking at the motor from the front of the car, the upper radiator hose begins at the radiator and extends to the top of the engine. Follow the hose until it connects to the engine. The connector will be slightly ball shaped. Extending out of the connector, the bleeder will be a small somewhat cylindrical attachment with a hole in the end of it. Near its base, it will have a nut that fits your end wrench.

Unscrew the bleeder about 3 or 4 turns.

As you unscrew the bleeder, you will notice that air starts to come out of the engine. Do not unscrew it any farther. The trapped air will eventually all leak out. You will know that it is completed when only coolant runs out of the engine. At this point, tighten the bleeder back down to reseal the cooling system on the Intrepid. You may need to add a few ounces of coolant, but more than likely, it will not be needed.

Here are some words of caution.

You may have to do this process more than once to completely bleed the system. Take the car out for a drive that is long enough to warm up the motor to full operating temperature. If it does not overheat, the problem is fixed. If it does overheat, try bleeding the system again. If more air comes out, repeat the drive test. If no air comes out, it may mean another problem. If you are not skilled at working on cooling systems, you may need a trip to the mechanic.

Do not bleed the air from the Dodge Intrepid's cooling system when the car is hot. This could cause severe burns and release vaporized coolant into the air. Breathing this is definitely not a good idea for your lungs and body. Let the car cool before opening the cooling system for any reason.

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