Hi, new member from SC Michigan. While I haven't had a Chrysler product in 20+ years, I bought an 04 Pacifica as a project today. Further, I will be asking for input on various problems as I attempt to address them. I purchased this vehicle knowing that it has been overheating, and if I have to swap the engine, I'm okay with that. I paid $500 for the vehicle.

As stated, 04 Pacifica with overheating problem. Previous owner claims to have had fuel pumps and motor mounts replaced in the past 7 months, vehicle has been sitting for 2 months. Previous owner claims to have changed thermostat, upper intake gaskets, radiator cap. It is obvious that the previous owner has used some stop leak type product.

I brought the vehicle home on a trailer, filled with water and ran . . . problem appears to be water pump. No smoke out pipe, no obvious leaching into crankcase. Read codes

P0032 (x2)
P0038 (x2)
P0700
P0562

Vehicle strains to start, does not run smoothly. My next step will be to run a compression test.

Other obvious abnormalities that I intend to address:
Climate control panel does not light, blower fans work.
Coolant fans wired to run whenever key is on.
Exhaust system no routed correctly in tunnel.
Has Viper Alarm, Chrysler key fob inop.
Electrical issues attributed to Viper alarm.

My intent is to replace my current commuter that has 282,xxx miles. My time line is 90 days.

Any input you may have is welcome and appreciated.

 

Ok, so I haven't logged in for a while. Here is the update on my project.

I completed a compression test and 3 cylinders read "0", that was my cue to bite the bullet and find a replacement engine. Found an engine with 115,000 miles and prepped for install. Resealed valve cover, pan, rear main, etc., new hoses, water pump, 02 sensors, timing belt and tensioner. Good news, the replacement came with a a complete wiring harness, etc., now I have spares.

Swapped the engine out the top, not really difficult once the rear facing exhaust manifold is removed. Started it up, took for a test drive. Here is where I found how much a car can be neglected and still be driven. So goes the perils of buying a car without driving it first.

Removed Viper alarm, found some sort of tracker (buy here - pay here?) and removed, fixed a few electrical issues. Good news, the Navigation works!

So I started driving it to work (130 mile rt), on the Monday after Thanksgiving. First thing I noticed was insufficient heat, worked fine in the garage, going down the road it was lukewarm at best. Apparently, the previous owner put so much stop leak in it that it clogged the heater core. After blowing out the heater core and changing out the climate control head unit, I had good heat.

I am now just over 3k into the car and here is a list of things I have repaired/replaced.
Used engine and misc parts, gaskets, seals
Timing belt, etc.
water pump
ac/heat control head
front link pins
front struts
lower control arms with ball joints
steering rack, ps pump, hoses
High pressure a/c lines, dryer
inner/outer tie rods
rear wheel bearings
rear shocks ($$$) / springs
knock sensor (lesson learned, should have replaced with engine out)
front brakes / rotors
battery
tires (4)
tpms valve cores (4)
various electrical issues

As of this posting, I have put just over 25,000 miles on it and while it has been a long journey, I have learned a ton about the Pacifica. I am happy with the car, it rides and drives very well actually. My average fuel economy is 20.2, I wish that were better, but fuel is not overly high right now. Hopefully it will remain dependable.

 

Was there a nut embedded in the plastic hanger for the coolant overflow mounted on the strut mount? How did you get around that?

 

The nut is not actually embedded into the tank, rather the bottom of the hole on the "tang" of the tank is molded in a hex shape, simply apply light pressure once exposed nut is removed. I simply slid a flat screwdriver under the tang and twisted the screwdriver lightly, popped right off. Be careful, the tank is held on at more than one point. If i remember correctly, there were 3 securement locations for the tank.

 

Make damn sure your subframe isn't rotted out. Check the rocker panels, and check you strut towers to make sure they aren't rusted out, either. Running into all kinds of rust issues on my PAC.