Don't buy a Dodge Intrepid/Stratus/Concorde with a 2.7 liter

[88Accord-DX]

I'm just going to warn to anyone that wants to buy one of these cars. The engine in junk. I'll post my pics & reasons why. (give me a day)

[mkymonkey]

lol i have one in my tow yard that i keep hitting with my forklift. the front bumper has fallen off so many times! and i guess the reason the owner hasnt picked it up (its been over a month) is because he shares your same thoughts lol


oh and its a 98 stratus or sebring or something.

[speedpenguin]

You mean we need a reason not to buy those? I just figured the fact that they look disgustingly ugly and had a domestic FWD V6 was reason enough.

[87accordlxi]

Oil sludge buildup.

[aerokid1987]

DON'T BUY ANY CHRYSLER/DODGE CARS PERIOD!!! They suck!

[diegoaccord]

I would buy the 300M with the black/gray lip kit.

Too bad it's only auto.

http://auto.consumerguide.com/images/autoreview/400x266/2004-Chrysler-300M-04101281990001.JPG

[ZackieDarko]

my mom has a 2003 Stratus R/T..i love that car..i think its sexy..to bad its FWD and has a triptronic tranny

that car + RWD + 5/6spd would = teh sex and i would own one

[aerokid1987]

I would buy the 300M with the black/gray lip kit.
Too bad it's only auto.
http://auto.consumerguide.com/images/autoreview/400x266/2004-Chrysler-300M-04101281990001.JPG
Yeh that does look hot but I still wouldn't buy it...
The only Chrysler that I would slightly consider is the 06 300m srt8. That is a hawt lookin car!

[88Accord-DX]

Oil sludge buildup.
Yep, the oil sludge buildup in the motor causes engine failure. I'm currently rebuilding two 2.7 liter engines, & had nothing but headaches with them. I wish I had pics of the inside of one of the engines.

Anyhow, the engine in the first & second pic had engine slugde so bad, it was cooked on about 1/4 inch, burned up the piston rings & had no compression.

The last pic had exhaust valves bent flat cause of timing chain guide breaking. This motor is Interference design. Here is link I been looking at too.
http://www.dontbuyone.org/messages.htm

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ddude2uc/Intrepidengineinstalled.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ddude2uc/Intrepidengineonstand.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ddude2uc/Intrepidheadworkwrebuild.jpg

[snoopyloopy]

yeah, don't buy the stratus/cirrus/breeze with the 4 cylinder while you're at it. especially not in auto. heavy car, under-powered. and the power seems to disappear a little more each day. maybe it's getting the sludge issue too. but it's really a dead feeling car, especially in these summer months when we use a/c.

[A18A]

lol i have one in my tow yard that i keep hitting with my forklift. the front bumper has fallen off so many times! and i guess the reason the owner hasnt picked it up (its been over a month) is because he shares your same thoughts lol


oh and its a 98 stratus or sebring or something.
sounds like you have fun at your job

[88Accord-DX]

I think this guy ended up cutting the car up.

CAR FAILURE # 1,184 Oct. 05, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
2000 Dodge Intrepid. Engine died at 102,000 miles. Coolant in the oil pan. I'm pulling the engine apart to see what the problem is and get an idea how much it will cost to repair it myself. I can do this cause I have the time and the tools. My goal is to do the repairs (good luck) so I can drive it till it dies, again. I have 2 years of payments on the car. If I disassemble the engine and find it's not economical to repair, I will slowly cut up the whole car and put it in the trash a little at a time. I don't have the title so I can't junk it. But as long as I make the loan payments, the loan company won't know a thing.
Dale H



Here is some more.

CAR FAILURE # 1,180 Oct. 04, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
i just bought my 2001 dodge intrepid with the 2.7 liter engine about 13 months ago. changed oil every 3000 miles and about a week ago the check oil light started flickering on my dash board. took it in for a diagnostic and was informed that the oil pressure is low in the engine due to some internal problems and apparently need engine replaced. i still owe around $6000 dollars and and an estimate of $4500 or more for new engine. i'm in a tight financial situation in the moment and can't afford a loan. i depend on my car to travel to work everyday. i bought this car expecting reliability for travel and now at 83000 miles i need a new engine. i'm very upset and now stuck with some serious problems. - Yonic R.

CAR FAILURE # 1,179 Oct. 04, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
I have a 1999 Dodge Intrepid that died on me on 09/21/2005, they say two piston exploded and the engine is ruined beyond repair. It gave no warning. The temperature gauge did not go over normal until after the engine died. - Angie T

CAR FAILURE # 1,178 Oct. 03, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
We bought a 2002 Dodge Intrepid about 15 months ago. I stopped at a store and when I came out and started the car and put into reverse it wouldn't go. I put into drive and it did go so I kept driving home. When I got to a stop sign after I stopped and pushed on the gas I heard the engine revving but there was NO pull. I turned the car off and restarted put into drive and the vehicle did move but only about 20 feet and then coasted. I turned off and restarted and it did the same thing. I had to repeat this till I got home. About a mile. After calling Chrysler they informed us that there was nothing they could do. Called the dealer that we bought it from and they said So sorry but your warranty just ran out. There is no way we can afford to pay the 2000.00 cost to fix this car, plus the 346.02 per month. We still owe just under 10,000 on this car. We bought it cause we were so sick of buying used cars that need so much work and we trusted the Dodge name. Not anymore. We had no idea that Chrysler was such a ripp off artist and they need to be stopped. Please let me know of any lawsuit.
Thank you, Brian and Holly P., Black Oak, AR

CAR FAILURE # 1,177 Oct. 03, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
What exactly are the symptoms of failure of the engine. I just bought Chrysler Concorde 2,7 l engine 1998 year. it have 134000 miles and it is running excellent. I just went to the Fast Lube to change the oil with request of checking for sludge. There was no on the oil filter and oil cup. So they just put new oil (mobile one synthetic) and i'm using it still. I didint notise any white smoke from the exhoust. I can fill a little shakes on the acceleration pedal but just a little bit stedy shaces through whole time engine is running. I am a litlle worry becouse after reading your article i realize that i have the heater problem. When i turn the blower swich over nothing is happening untill it reaches the highest level, than it starting blowing like creazy. Is these the simptom you talking about or these is some thing else, like swich problem. when i swich it to highest spining level the hot air is blowing. Please help me with the answers i dont know what to do Sincerely, Lee

CAR FAILURE # 1,176 Oct. 02, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
My case started when I was going down to Florida, about nine hours drive from Charlotte, NC. Taking a 30 minutes rest every two hours, the check engine light came on after the sixth hours. Due to concern that the engine may be overheating I started taking longer rest every hour after that, even though the heat level was still below half. The check engine light finally went off for good once I got to destination and was planning to have it checked at the nearest dodge dealer (it would certainly have been a waste of time to have someone tell me that they can't find anything wrong...) For one month the car drove fine; no engine noise, no smoke coming out of anything, great start. Finally early July 2005, I drove it for about three miles and as I was going up a ramp off the interstate, I heard a noise from the engine. The car started to shake and I stopped about one mile away at a safer place. Smoke was coming out of the engine and the passenger side of the engine showed a crack on the front spark plug connection. The Dodge dealer where I bought the car for $21,000 (including the extended warranty that will not fix anything less than $500) told me I would have to replace the engine at a price of about $6,000. I am still waiting for a better solution than paying that much more. After interest, the cost of driving this car has been about $5,000/year. This is a total waste of money!!! - Lukky

CAR FAILURE # 1,175 Oct. 02, 2005 - Chrysler/Dodge Engine Failure
I own a 2001 Dodge Intrepid 2.7 Liter with 29300 miles on it. My wife went to start it this morning and it turned over and begun sputtering, as if it had a gas pick up problem, and then shut down. She tried to start it again, but it would not start. I then went to start it and it turned over, but I noticed that it didn't sound as if the engine was turning over (like no compression). So, having years of automotive knowledge, I marked the serpentine belt with a crayon and turned it over again to see if the belt moved. The belt was rotated, so I knew that the engine crank was rotating. Then I knew it was major! I went to my regular serviceman and asked what he thought. He told me that it was probably the timing chain, and that these engines were notorious for that. Also he gave me the news that the engine was more then likely "Junk" now because the valves got bent, and there may be piston damage etc. . This is a motor that has less than 30000 miles on it, and has had the oil and filter changed every 5000 miles with Mobil One synthetic. Now, being out of work for 5 months now, I can not afford to have it repaired. Any ideas as to what can be done? - Maine Man

[Selfmindead]

Geee these cars sound like a scam, thats some serious stress on people paying those stupid amounts to fix a sack like that.

[AccordEpicenter]

My dad bought a concorde with that engine that had a light knock (for REAL cheap), he thought it was going to be an easy fix but the motor was completely trashed, it was missing pretty much the entire #5 rod bearing, so we put a new rod cap on it and a new bearing just to see if it would quiet down and it didnt do much, the crank and rod and probably a few other parts were shot. We sold that pos as fast as we could.

[89l_x_i]

i remember in school reading an article about a 2002 chrysler sebring with only 20,000 miles having to need its engine replaced for $6500:jaw: because of engine failure due to oil sludge. The owner had only changed the oil 3 times in those 20k but according to dodge the oil should have been changed 9 times during those 20k. The car was still under warranty but of course it doesnt cover engine sludge. So i guess on dodge cars the 3000k/3 month oil change rule doesnt apply more like every 2225k/ 2 and 1/4 months oil change lol. I remember when i had my 4g accord i only changed the oil once in a 20 month period and the car had over 215k miles and it never gave me any problems. Can the dodge/chrysler/plymouth cars of the late 90s early 2000s really be of such poor qualilty? i only heard of the 2.7l engine being problamatic so im not sure if the other cars(neons, trucks, minivans etc) had similiar problems.

[MessyHonda]

my mom has a 1999 3.3L V6 in her mini van and it has 132K and so far the valve cover gasket is leaking some oil....its a fast car...faster than the honda cuz it has 180hp and you can burn out in it...to bad its big and it turns like a hog...my mom does not care...thats why the honda got mest up since it overheated and cracked the head.....i love my new Lx-i just imagen when its moded...lol

[AccordEpicenter]

my dad had a 3.3 in his minivan with like 158k or somthing, it ran good, just had a slight lifter tick in the morning, otherwise a real solid motor. Those 3.0 mitsu v6s that they put in those vans suck ass also, almost as much as the 2.7

[snoopyloopy]

the older chrysler engines were much better. we had a 1988 new yorker for a couple years. had 5 or 6 fires in the engine bay and it still ran strong. we got rid of it because it started overheating/drinking water and my mom didn't like the fire issue. but it was running strong when we got rid of it. the person we sent it to had some guys do some work on it and after that the engine wasn't the same again.