FOUND IT-CAUSE FOR OVERHEAT-BROKEN WATER PUMP SHAFT

WANTED

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after many hours, multiple times purging the system, replacing thermastat which
took many hours of work having to take off intake plus other things. so many phone
calls i cant even remeber all the guys i discussed it with all of which were helpfull.

cause for over heating - BROKEN WATER PUMP SHAFT :mad: my car has a total of 2200
miles on it. ( OUT OF WARRANTY )

CAUTION FOR THOSE WHO OWN A 2001 - 2002, AFTER MANY CALLS I FOUND OUT THE WATER
PUMP WAS A PROBLEM FOR 2001 YEAR BUT NOW IT HAS SURFACED ITS UGLY HEAD IN THE
2002 MODELS. IF YOU HAVE A WARRANTY MAKE THEM CHANGE IT ( THE SHAFT BREAKS AND
IT TURNS OUT DODGE WAS AWARE OF IT ) COST FOR THE WATER PUMP WITH GASKET WILL
COST YOU APPROXIMATELY $400 PLUS LABOR UNLESS YOU DO IT YOURSELF WHICH I AM IN
THE PROCESS OF AND IT TAKES HOURS.

from the very beginning i thought it was one of two things THERMASTAT OR WATER
PUMP. which i took the pump off tonight the way i knew it was broke (i held both
ends of the pump, plastic blades on one end and opposite end with pulley attached.
when i would turn one end holding the other end tight, one end would turn and
i could prevent the opposite end from turning. ( the reason my car was over
heating was no fluid was flowing ( no pumping of water ) when any rpms were
applied. at idle it would stay fairly normal for as long as 15 minutes. then
once you applied any throttle at all the pump would turn on the outside (fan belt)
but inside the pump where the blades are never turned.

i hope this helps others with 2001-2202 ( make dodge replace yours )

THE GOOD THING ABOUT BEING OUT OF WARRANTY ( IF THAT MAKES SENCE ) i have been
able to work on my own car, learning a ton about it. the viper really is pretty
basic to work on. i will be changing over my coolant to a mix reccomended by
ROE RACING - PRESTONE ELC (SILVER BOTTLE W/ORANGE CAP) MIXED WITH 2 BOTTLES OF
WATER WETTER ( MADE BY RED LION ) ***I FOUND BOTH AT PEP BOYS***

ROE RACING STATED TO ME GUYS WHO ARE TRACKING THEIR CAR WITH THIS MIX ARE RUNNING
18 DEGREES LESS :2tu: I ALSO PURCHASED THEIR UPGRADE HOSES (TOP W/PURGE PLUG)

i was going to take pics but really not much to see. i will be starting this week
to put it back together. i will keep you all posted of outcome. :2tu:


A HUGE THANK YOU TO SO MANY WHO HAVE HELPED ME TO GET TO THE POINT OF CORRECTING
THIS PROBLEM, ALOT OF GUYS REALLY STEPPED UP TO HELP. :2tu: I WILL BE MAKING
A POST SOLELY FOR THAT. well its going on 2am and i have to be at work by 6:30,
good night and thanks again. :2tu:

tom
 

Vic

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Told you so, nah-nah-na-nah-nah!! :)

Just kidding, glad you found it. And be thankful you didn't damage the engine before fixing it, like happened to some people.
 

Saint_Spinner

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Glad you found the problem. What would be great (albeit, probably too late now), would be a step-by-step process of the water pump removal/install w/ pictures to add to the "Do it yourself" section.

This should help all the '01-'02 owners. Keep us updated!
 

EllowViper

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SO...should I be concerned with my 2001 GTS w/13K miles??? Is there a TSB out on this or is this yet again one of those "if you have a problem we'll fix it, but we won't identify there may be a problem beforehand..." I think I'm feeling the need to reach for my ankles...
 

Knight Viper

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Tom, what a post for 1:30 in the morning! We can see how much you love this car, just waiting till the holiday guests depart just so you can work on it, then so energized you found the problem you stay up to tell us all about it! That's what owning a snake is all about and what better way to learn more about the car you love than to jump in and get er done! KUDOS buddy :2tu:
 

VENOMAHOLIC

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Warfang, Glad you found the problem and are correcting it. A lot of appeal about Vipers is that the engine is relatively low tech unlike a Porsche. Home garage repairs and mod additions are common. Looking foward to hear when you are running again. :2tu:
 

747Capt

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Had same problem with my 2000. Happened after a weekend of racing at Willow Srings. Impeller was loose on shaft. If anyone else has an overheating problem the easy water pump test is to operate the windshield defroster at full hot then increase engine RPM to approx. 2500 and hold. If the air gets cold there is no water flow to heater core. Will also see a rise in water temp. Pump and gasket cost me $450. Approx six hours to change pump myself with basic hand tools.
 

EllowViper

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Same same on my 2001 w/14000 miles (see my recent post from Sunday). Just cancelled my tow to the Dodge dealership since I clarified with Bill Pemberton that my 7/100K powertrain warrantee that I thought I had was non-transferable. So I will be doing the install myself. Oh well, like WANTED, I get the chance to learn even more about my Viper. Oh yea, I'll take the step by step photos. May not be the exact flat rate process, but I'll get the job done!!
 
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