Very long story, bare with me.

I have a 2004 Chrysler Sebring. 2.7 V6. At the beginning of the summer, my parents got me a radio for my car. Best Buy noticed the check engine light on my car when I took it in to be installed and said they would run a free diagnostic on it for me. I always ignored the light. My car ran fine so I just bypassed it. I was told it was my thermostat and water pump. I noticed a few days later as the temps rose, when my car would hit halfway on the temp. gauge, I would see smoke (later found out it was most likely steam) from the right side of my hood; where my coolant reservoir is at. Now, if my car is STEAMING, I'm not gonna pop the hood (the shop I took it too kept asking me if I popped the hood). When I would turn off my car, I could hear it bubbling.

Took it to a shop. They replaced my water pump and thermostat. Got it back, drove it around, hit the middle mark, started steaming again. Towed my car to the shop (didn't want any engine damage. It was a very hot day). They looked at it, saw nothing. Checked the cap, found that it was bad and gave it back to me with a new cap without charging me. Few days later, could STILL hear it bubbling. No steam, but since the cap was new, it didn't allow it. Took it BACK. They drove it a mile or two down the road without the A/C on, it was fine. Drove it back with it on, still fine. They just told me to drive it with the A/C on. They didn't drive it long enough to see what I was seeing.

I got fed up with them. I just didn't drive my car much that whole summer. I did drive with my A/C on, but it didn't stop the bubbling. My girlfriend's dad offered to help me replace the thermostat. Spent two days taking it out and replacing it. Tested the 'old' one and the new one. Both opened at the correct temp. We decided to put the new one in. I was still careful. Continued to bubble. We knew my car was getting coolant to the radiator because when we emptied it, it had the amount it was supposed to have.

My girlfriend's dad thinks that it's gurgling. The coolant will go in down a tube and go back into the reservoir. I gave up on it since I knew what was too much for my car.

Now it's winter. Now I'm having a code that my "thermostat is opening too soon". I assumed that maybe the sensor could be the problem. Took it out, perfectly fine. My Thermostat is BRAND NEW. My sensor is FINE. My check engine light will go on and off. The gauge in my car won't hit the halfway mark like it's supposed to. It will hit almost there, then drop like the coolant is being released. My Heater won't blow hot, only cold until it goes up the gauge then back down as the gauge goes down. My front defrosters won't work either until I get on the road. I already have had an accident since I pulled off the road to scrape my windows of frost.

So if my Thermostat is brand new, my sensor is FINE, my pump is new, my cap is new. WHAT CAN IT BE! I already have spent almost twice as much as my car is worth just fixing it....

 

after u replaced the thermostat did it work everything the defrost and such?

 

I didn't think about testing the defrost. I had no need to. Didn't hit us that the thermostat effected it till recently. My coolant still bubbled when it hit the halfway mark on the gauge though. There are no leaks so the thermostat is in correctly.

 

coolant bubbles for 2 things A its to hot over 260 B there is air in the system aka a leak

 

Has the system been pressure tested?

 

Yes, it has been pressure tested. They said it was fine. How can my car get so hot when the thermostat we pulled out of it and tested worked like new?

 

Silly question... is the thermostat put in the correct way? You (or the shop) would not have been the first people to have put a thermostat in backwards.

 

No, it's in correctly. If we would've put it in one way, the rubber seal around the thermostat wouldn't allow it to fit. Also, I believe it just wouldn't fit going in one way.