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1989 Lebaron 2.5 Liter BROKEN

3K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  phantomrt 
#1 ·
Hey i have a 1989 2.5 Lebaron Turbo. i believe it's a premium. I just bought it, and my friend who is the mechanic i bought it from has told me that there must have been a hole or something where the coolant was held. That cause the head to warp. Now as far as i can tell the engine hasn't siezed....as originally i thought the reason it wasn't firing was cause of the fuel pump. So now when i crank it it just spins. Will i need to level it off? i know i have to get a new gasket...IS it even worth fixing? how much would that job cost?

Anybody with some answers would be Super Appreciated. Thanks a ton
 
#2 ·
It is definitely worth it if the body is good, just get a gasket, a good fuel pump and some elbow grease and jump on it. A days work if you know what you're doing and have some help. If not you will learn and keep learning reading those threads.:thumb:
 
#3 ·
I would start with a leak down test and then pressure testing the cooling system. If the head is warped, since your gonna have to remove it to get it decked, you might as well have it freshened up. I dont know what the goin rate in SLC is, but IMO it would be well worth it. Im not sure " there must have been a hole or something where the coolant was held":eek: is want you would hear from a mechanic. A hole dictates a leak. So how could coolant be 'held' there?

Best of luck though!
 
#5 ·
Check everything before you tear it apart. That'll be your reference point.
Check compression. If 0 PSI in 1 or more cylinders, check timing belt condition, and possibility of damaged, or broken, camshaft.
Pressurize cooling system to operating pressure and see if it holds.
Do a leak-down test. After doing all these tests log down the results. That will give you a good idea of what you're starting with.
 
#8 ·
Isn't where we all started guys? My first Ford Cortina back in England when I was a student early in 1970 I took apart the cylinder head DOHC without emptying the water first.
Didn't have antifreeze then. I remember what goofs I did some times and laugh. driving through Europe my mini overheated and lost all water we didn't have expansion tank then, poured in fresh cold water from a stream, cracked the head right in half, duuuuh.
not barely even common sense. ENgineeing student eh?:bang head:bang head:bang head
 
#11 ·
I thought about it a bit more today... I see advertisements in the paper all the time for cars that are "mechanic owned". Instinctively I thought they would be a good buy, but on the other hand, a good mechanic knows when it is time to dump a car on someone else. I figure that unless it was something rare, something in mint condition, or something they bought to fix and re-sell, steer clear of it. If its their daily driving beater and it starts consuming coolant, they see that and know that its going to need major work.
 
#15 ·
Hello to all I have a 89 GTC turbo type 1 Im building having Block Bored crank reground an head reworked Ive read that you can do away with countershaft bottom of engine .My question is will this harm the engine in any way i no it will increase oil capacity But will it harm it or will it make engine noisy an the vacum hoses are a mess is there away to shortcut them where not as many an availabe to get since dealer has nothing for replacment other than washer hose need help on these issue,s please an what i can get for the turbo on intack hose to breather there a mess tnx names keith......
 
#16 ·
The 2.5L engines in the Dakota pickups of the era don't even have enough room in their oil pans for the balance shafts. It will not harm them as long as you plug the oil feed hole to where they used to be. Hundreds of people have been doing it for decades. One "trick" is to just use a 2.2L oil pan with a balanceshaftless 2.5L engine. I think its a better oil pan design since it has an actual sump. The only noise you'll really notice is at higher RPM. Your car won't shake violently or anything like that without them.

... and you're english is pretty broken. Your only choice is to re-construct the vacuum harness using the emissions label as a reference. I think that is what you were asking.
 
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