Dodge Intrepid Problems

fmagri2 · July 2001

I just purchased a 2000 dodge intrepid with only 14,000 miles. Initially I noticed there was a delay of acceleration when I hit the gas from a dead stop. it was kind of like the car was ready to die out & then it would suddenly accelerate. I thought maybe it just needed to be driven for a while & maybe the previous owner used bad gas. well I still have the problem & it's quite annoying. almost every time I hit the gas it bogs likes it's going to die out & suddenly it takes off. I had the dealer inspect it & they say they cannot duplicate the problem & their computer says there in nothing wrong. any suggestions out there from anyone else who may have had the same problem & rectified it?

snowman · July 2001

I have driven several of them so far, I think that is its nature. You can not do rabit take offs with that car. They are very heavy and I don't think that your car has a problem, just enjoy it:0)

fmagri2 · July 2001

Thanks for the response snowman. Do you or anybody else out there know if there is a site I that can troubleshoot problems with my car?

snowman · July 2001

Try www.allpar.com

andre1969 · July 2001

which engine does your Intrepid have? Mine has the 2.7, and I've never noticed an acceleration problem. In fact, what you describe sounds an awful lot like what some of my older cars would do...as soon as you step on the gas pedal to accelerate, they would sputter a bit, and I'd have to lift my foot off the pedal and tap it again to keep it from dying.

Still, I'm talking about old, carbureted cars with high mileage. An Intrepid shouldn't act like a 30 year old Dart, though!

Now, I won't get much performance out of my 2.7 unless I stomp on it. After all, the peak hp comes around 6000 rpm, and peak torque around 5000 rpm. But still, I've never had it act like it was about to cut out on me, in the 48,000 miles I've owned it.

Have you checked minor things like the air filter and pcv valve? You'd think the dealer would discover something that easy, but still, ya never know!

dhughes3 · July 2001

FMAGRI2--Different engine, so it may not apply, but I cured initial hesitation on my '96 3.3L by running a good fuel system cleaner thru it. You need to look for one that cleans carbon off the back sides of the intake valves. DON'T use additives like this any more than absolutely necessary, tho. I don't know about you, but my problem probably is related to the way I drive. I think I just accelerate too gently to keep things clean. They used to call it blowing out the carbon. I try to hammer it once in awhile, but it's not my natural style.

Here's one for you to ponder, folks. When the heater control is set in other than the recirc. mode, my car makes a clunking noise after the car is started; this also occurs when switching to recirc to outside air position. The noise is a fairly loud "click, click, click", and it makes exactly 20 clicks before it quits, and won't do it again unless the car is shut off & restarted or switched to recirc & back. I think it may be a sticking flow directing door in the system--anyone else have an idea? Any cheap fixes, if you've encountered this?
Also, can anything be done to improve the almost non-existent door stops on these earlier bodies?

dhughes3 · July 2001

While I'm thinking of it, I have one other problem that bugs me. I get a vibration with A/C on that you can not only feel, but hear as a sort of low pitched "brrrr". Dealer replaced the compressor around 30K, which helped a little for a very short time. I have 90K now, and it still bugs me, although I've had no other A/C problems. Any thoughts?

dceresi · July 2001

I went to get the freon recharged in my 1995 Intrepid, and the mechanic said that i have a clog in my A/C system, and that he thinks its in the expansion valve. I know I can get the expansion valve online for about $60.00, but my Chilton's Manual does not get into the A/C system in that detail. I was wondering if it is possible, and safe, to go ahead and change out the valve myself. I have 3 years experience with this car and 10 years mechanical experience. If the clog is not in my Expansion Valve, is there any way to flush the freon pipes and extricate this clog? My father has a 1994 Intrepid and he also has had A/C problems, has anyone else experienced similar problems, ie A/C blowing warm with freon pressure good, bad compressor, etc...?

DMCeresi
1995 3.5L Intrepid

andre1969 · July 2001

I have a feeling that has something to do with a door in the ventillation system trying to open or close. I've never heard it in my Intrepid, but my '68 Dart, of all cars, makes kind of a squeaking noise when you turn the heater on, and again when you turn it off (or turn off the car with the heater on). Somewhere during it's long life, the whole assembly that contains the fresh air intake (those little vent boxes under the dash along with the tubes that run from them to the heater ducts) came loose, and one of the little doors on the passenger side scrapes when it opens and closes. I know an Intrepid is a long shot from a Dart, but somewhere in there, I'm sure there's some little doors that open and close, and maybe some little gear or cog or something that operates them.

As for the A/C vibration problem, the only thing I could think of is a bent pulley maybe?

whirls · July 2001

My 1995 dodge intrepid with 150k miles has major transmission problems. I brought it into my mechanic two weeks ago with minor lurching at 30 mph and his said that I should have my tarns. fluid flushed, he used this new machine he has so he didn't change the filter or crack the pan. I went on a few day trip and on the way back the transmission started to make a grinding noise, but it still shifts well. The grinding stops in park, neutral and when I maintain top speed on the freeway. The transmission shop man said he hadn't heard anything sound like that before and thought it was coming from the torque converter. The fix-1,500 to 2,000 dollars for the converter and transmission repair. my question, could the wrong tarns. build have caused this? how can I tell what build he put in there? do I have any recourse?
thanks for any input. Dean

andre1969 · July 2001

Could be the wrong fluid, but also, with a tranny with mileage that high, sometimes a flush can do more harm than good. Dropping the pan and letting it drain out is one thing, but I'd imagine a flush, with any kind of pressure, may have dislodged stuff that had settled in crevices, and allowed it to recirculate through the transmission.

First thing I would do is take it to another shop and get a second opinion. If it turns out to be the wrong type of fluid in the car, you may have recourse against the place that did the flush.

dhughes3 · July 2001

Andre1969- good description. The noise sounds exactly like a plastic gear jumping teeth or chattering. I will check the A/C pulley-that's a good suggestion.

fmagri2- Another thing that can cause hesitation on these fuel injection systems is a buildup in the vicinity of the air plate in the plenum neck (for lack of a better dexcription). I don't know what the buildup is composed of, but it has the appearance of carbonized gasoline residue, which of course is not likely in that area. Anyway, try removing the flexible hose connecting the neck to the air cleaner housing and cleaning the residue out with a spray Gumout carb cleaner or something similar. Have the engine running and spray clean everyting you can see, particularly around the air (throttle) plate. Go easy, the carb cleaner doesn't burn like gasoline, so it's easy to stall the engine. Just do it in small bursts. I've cured initial hesitation on several cars this way.

mcwright · July 2001

I have a 1994 Intrepid. It had the transmission replaced after 75K. Now 95K later I am having the same problem. When you brake, sometimes a shift is felt and when you take off, the transmission will only shift from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd. It will not shift into 4th. Any suggestions?

fmagri2 · July 2001

Thanks gentlemen. I'll give your ideas a try.

dhughes3 · August 2001

I put new belts on last weekend, and although it didn't totally eliminate the "brrr" noise, it reduced it quite a bit. Does that give anyone an extra clue that might help me?

tyebino · September 2001

For the past few years I have own my car (99 intrepid) I have yet to encounter any of those problems some of you posted. I have people who tried to discouraged the car by saying that those cars come with a lot of problems. But in fact, I had more problems with my lexus es 300 then all cars ( Maxima,Intrepid,Lexus) I owned.

I the only problem that I have is that the intrepid is not as smooth as the Lexus but they both split the same maintenance bill, EXPENSIVE.

andre1969 · September 2001

...well, 51400 to be exact. Nothing major wrong with it yet. The tranny's fine, the belts and hoses are fine. Needs new rear brake pads, but I can't complain, getting 51K out of the originals! Needs new spark plugs. Only real problem is a coolant leak...cracked thermostat housing. That's going to cost about $160 to fix, which I guess isn't too bad, nowadays. Still, the last time I had a cracked thermostat housing, it was on a '69 Dart, and it was my own fault for over-tightening the bolts after replacing the thermostat. I remember that sucker cost about $5.00 for me to replace. Guess those days are over!

Still, I'm happy. I know people who have totally destroyed cars by the 50-60K mark, so in comparison, a cracked thermostat housing is pretty minor ;-)

jsylvester · September 2001

You could say thank you, I'll take care of it myself. Then go to the parts dept. and buy one there. I have not looked at it myself to see the work involved.

andre1969 · September 2001

...actually, this was an independent mechanic that I took the Intrepid to. I have a feeling that it would have been even more expensive if I'd taken it back to the dealership. I honestly don't know how hard it would've been to put the part in myself. At a quick glance under the hood, it looks like only 4 bolts holding it in, but two of 'em are buried. I do remember the part itself came out to about $90.00.

The thing that really irritates me though, is that I could've gotten it fixed under warranty. I had seen the leak before, but it looked like it was coming from a nozzle. Well stupid me, I thought it was supposed to do that, like maybe to keep it from building up too much pressure or something! It was still under warranty when I first noticed the coolant, but now I'm 15,000 miles out of warranty!

golson2 · October 2001

Thanks to Greggfl (msg 178) for the response. Story concluded with the replacement of the tie rods that connect to the steering rack behind the engine. The pull to the left during shifting became a clunking sound and became easy to diagnose. The tie rod bushings were nearly gone. A several hundred dollar repair, but no more pulling to the left and the steering is solid and tight.

golson2 · October 2001

A few weeks ago a "whirring" sound started to be heard when turning to the left or right. Not so noticable when not moving, but when turning on street corners. A Dodge technical bulletin describes the symptom as a "whining" sound and recommends changing a power steering house if the one on the car is a particular part number. (If not the particular part number hose, that isn't the problem and to continue the diagnosis, whatever that means) My Dodge does have the part number that Dodge recommends be changed. The hose cost is $102 plus $150 for labor. Dodge claims it is a fluid sound, but offers no assurance the hose will fix or eliminate the noise. For now I will choose to live with the slight "whirring" sound as it supposedly is not anything mechanical that will get worse. Anybody out there have any experience with this problem. Apparently Dodge is aware of it.

Dodge Intrepid Problems

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