I have the worst luck sometimes

[dodgestang]

Popped in the Viper this afternoon and cruised down to daughter's daycare to pick her up and maybe go get some icecream with her....pulled out with her in the car...look down and temp is 250+ shut if off and coast it into lot....shoots coolant all over the place.

Turn the key....fans are working, everything looked okay.....not sure why but it definitely overheated bad.
Wait 45 minutes for tow truck, starts right up, still at 190 degrees, ran fine (no strange noises or smoke) and pulled onto the flat bed.

Took it to the dealer I don't even want to look at it I am so disgusted right now.

I'm betting waterpump failure....because I am hoping that is simple and easy.
I'm also hoping nothing worse happened.



Silver lining is obviously now that it is at the dealer...I can have them fix the AC...again.

[capevettes]

They look pretty on a flatbed but it's sad. You're probably going to be OK since you shut it down so quickly and it sounded good when you started it again. . Good luck.

[plumcrazy]

very few dealers id let anywhere near a viper, let alone an almost 20 year old one

[dodgestang]

very few dealers id let anywhere near a viper, let alone an almost 20 year old one

I know the tech from mustang club we are in together. He is 'viper certified' but beyond that he is relatively competent.

[Ricketts]

That sucks man, sorry to hear. Did you happen to look at the heater hose on top of heater box area? They are notorious for sliding off and puking coolant everywhere.

[dodgestang]

The coolant all came out from the passenger side front right in front of the tire....so I 'assume' it was the radiator dumping it all back into the overflow after overpowering the cap with pressure.

[Vprbite]

very few dealers id let anywhere near a viper, let alone an almost 20 year old one

The worst part is these cars shouldn't be that hard to work on. If you are a professional mechanic, most things on this car should be fairly straightforward. Of course we have some impressive techs around here who can hear the car pull in to their shop and instantly know what's wrong with it, for a coolant issue I would think any certified mechanic should be able to fix it.

[plumcrazy]

you havent seen dealership mechanics i assume ?

[Vprbite]

I have. That's what's upsetting. Many of us can wrench in these cars ourselves when so inclined. A professional should be able to diagnose and fix a coolant issue.

[Geronimo]

Bummer. It happens to all of us sooner or later.

[Steve-Indy]

Aside from water pump and t-stat issues, it may be as simple as being low on coolant due to lack of vacuum after cooling off...which means each time you drive car and heat coolant, more goes into overflow bottle. If so, simple fix is place a hose clamp to secure rubber hose coming off of pressure bottle neck...and another where that hose joins metal tube. I also replace pressure caps every few years.

A more alarming possibility for 1996-8 would be blowing the timing chain cover gasket. Check your oil to see if level has risen and if it looks like chocolate milk.

[Drlee50]

that thing site HIGH. jesus

[dodgestang]

Aside from water pump and t-stat issues, it may be as simple as being low on coolant due to lack of vacuum after cooling off...which means each time you drive car and heat coolant, more goes into overflow bottle. If so, simple fix is place a hose clamp to secure rubber hose coming off of pressure bottle neck...and another where that hose joins metal tube. I also replace pressure caps every few years.

A more alarming possibility for 1996-8 would be blowing the timing chain cover gasket. Check your oil to see if level has risen and if it looks like chocolate milk.

I did that 2 years ago already. That had completely different symptoms when it happened.

- - - Updated - - -

that thing site HIGH. jesus

Assuming you mean "sit"....stock ride height....it drags every as is...I'm not going to lower it

[Matt M, Pa]

My '96 RT was pumping coolant out of the overflow tank too. In my case 9very thankfully) it was just a bad radiator cap.

[99RT10]

Sounds like a stuck thermostat or maybe the pump. Either way, good luck with it.

[dave6666]

Ask your "Viper tech" how many Gen 2 Vipers he works on every week. That should answer that question quickly.

[dodgestang]

Ask your "Viper tech" how many Gen 2 Vipers he works on every week. That should answer that question quickly.

I live in BFE.....mine's the only Viper he gets to work on.

[Patentlaw]

I believe that your diagnosis is the most likely issue.

[dodgestang]

Update: Inspection has tracked problem to electric fan only running intermittently.
Other issues: Radiator has developed leak

Fix: New radiator, hoses and fan coming from Jon. Also getting new seals since the AC was leaking at the o ring in the lines in/out of the condenser.

[MH60M]

"Worst luck" would involve fire......coolant issue isn't that bad.

[dodgestang]

All patched up thanks to some parts from Jon at Viper Parts

New Fan, New relays, New Radiator, New O Rings, New hoses....I'm a little lighter in the wallet...but I'm back on the road.