The end to another week that started off rather badly. My daughters car died, the radiator belched fluids and the hoses went soft; no pressure to be had. So we started at the usual places for the cooling system. Replaced the cap with a new one. A 16 pound pressure cap was required. Secondly we checked to upper and lower hoses. Nothing could be found from the initial investigation.
So YouTube was employed to find out all I could about the cooling system for a 2004 Chrysler with a 3.5 liter V6. This is important, in that the two engines have different sized hoses and not all parts match.

After 6 hours of research, I had found that a common part failure is the thermostat and lower hose. This should be replaced at 100,000 miles according to Chrysler. So I started on the adventure of replacing the thermostat and hoses.

You have to remove the front cover over the radiator/aircon and fan assembly. Make sure you label or put each bolt in a bag, cardboard or plastic so that you do not loose them, I only say this as there are quite a few and many different sizes.

Then undo the upper hose. Either a vise grip or a screw driver will be needed, depending upon the clip. Then loosen the nut in front of the tensioner for the belt on the alternator and remove the belt.
Now comes something you did not expect. You have to remove the alternator so that you may access the thermostat. Believe it or not it is located on the drivers side, lower front of the block. Yes Mercedes Benz and Chrysler engineers found one of the hardest places to get to. So that it can be changed or checked. Also the lower radiator hose is hooked in the front. Not the top under the injectors as one might think.

Alright you have now gotten the hoses off. Now you need to remove the fan assembly from the front of the radiator. Only 4 10mm bolts and a clip to get the assembly out. Make sure the fans each spin freely or you will have to replace them also.

Now you need to check the radiator for damaged fins and discoloration around the outer of it. This could mean that you need to replace it as I had to. (If you check on cars.com or other sites that post repairs, you can save yourself around 300-500 on labor) Look up to see who has the closest to OEM parts for your car. And go get them, for a radiator, upper and lower hoses, new clamps, thermostat, and gasket. Check to make sure you have all the bolts and nothing missing.

Now comes the easy part, you just have to go backwards and replace each part. Be careful and take your time. Do not rush or get overly confident in what you are doing. There can always be another part or clog in the system that you do not know about.  But you will get it done eventually and make sure each part is tight and at the proper spec.

Remember that once you have finished to make sure you do not have any parts left. Very important, you do not want to forget anything. Good luck and be slow and methodical in your approach to this type of work.

The car ran fine until the heater core backed up. Found a blockage in the heater and replace the hoses there. This is my first blog adventure, so let me know what you think if you read it.

Paul