Expert: Roland Finston - 8/1/2011

Question
hi i have an 02 intrepid, have had no problems besides ratteling noises in the front wheels.....  2 days ago i was sittin in a drive thru for less than 10 min when i noticed my temp gage goin up to hot,,  i pulled out and turned the heat on,  by the time i got home (6 min later) it seemed to have no problem..  i went to auto zone got cooland and added sum to the tank........to the max line....  Since then it seemed fine,,,,  then last night i ran to the stor wich is only a few mins from my house and when i got bak it was making a noise like the fluid in the tank was bubbling ?  but temp gage never move and my AC blows very cold.......  it did it again this evening and im geting very concerned  hoping you may be able to help diagnose this problem as i can not afford to take it to a Expensive repair shop that is gonna rip me off cuz i dont know anything about cars....  Please help!!  thanks in advance .....  trisha

Answer
Hi Trisha,
Is the main problem that it is making a bubbling sound, or that the gauge is reading hot, or neither or both? If the bubbling starts soon after starting the engine, and before the temperature gauge gets to 1/2 or so, then that may be due to there being a head gasket leak. That is not a simple fix however as it does involve removing one of the cylinder heads and replacing the gasket. It may be possible to use a cooling system sealer, such as a product called Bar's Leak which might close up the leak. You add it to the cooling system. Let me know again which symptom you have. Do you notice, when you first start the car from cold, that you see alot of white smoke come out the tail pipe during the first few minutes of operation? That too would be a sign of a head gasket leak. If you are also having to add coolant though there is none on the ground or frankly boiling out, then chances are it is going out the tail pipe as steam. Bar's leak may be the first thing to try. It is sold at parts stores.
Roland