My 2001 Sebring LX convertible had a coolant leak at the fitting for the fill bottle. Also sometimes I would hear bubbling coolant, but engine did not overheat. It did take a long time in the morning to heat up. Last I drove it it would run fine and then overheat quickly. No leak from water pump nor coolant in oil. I just drained the radiator, changed radiator hoses (not heater hoses), thermostat, and added new coolant. The newer fill bottle seems to be sectioned off it to separate compartments. When I add coolant it goes into the overflow area, but not in the area on the side where it shows how far to fill it. I ran the engine and it took for ever to heat up. When I opened the bleeder on top the engine, all that came out was steam. No coolant ever came out. When I originally filled the fill tank, it only took half a gallon. I carefully opened the cap on the fill bottle, cause the coolant was bubbling. When I removed the cap the coolant shot out under pressure. When I opened the bleed screw the temperature gauge went down to about 1/4 gauge from 3/8 gauge. It never did overheat. Any ideas what the problem could be? Thank you for your help.

 

You didn't specify which engine you have but I'm guessing a 2.7L V-6 from your description. You seemed to indicate that the new fill bottle was somehow different from what was there before. The bottle for the 4 cylinder engine is a different design and functions differently. You didn't put in the wrong part did you?

As for that bleed screw on top of the engine, please don't touch that. The screw threads into a metal part that is embedded in plastic. When the part gets old, the threads tend to bind and turning the screw winds up rotating the female threaded part in the plastic, stripping it out and causing a leak. The system can bleed out the air by itself after a few warm-up and cool-down cycles or you can disconnect one of the heater hoses up there to bleed out the air as you fill the system.
Not sure whether your current complaint is overheating or what. "Bubbling" could be caused by many things including a blown head gasket. Try topping up the system when it's cool and keep your eye on the level. It may take a few "topping-off's" to get it full and to get the air out. If the bubbling continues, have it pressure checked and maybe have the compression checked to rule out a head gasket problem.

 

Thanks dcotter,
It is a 2.7 and too late, I've opened and closed the bleeder screw many times and you are right, there is a small leak. When the engine overheated once before, I shut it off immediately. It cooled down quickly. I drove it home and got there just as the temp was climbing. The bubbling occurs with the engine running and a little while after it is shutoff. There was a large pressure in the bottle when I opened it with engine running and warmed up. I know how to relive the pressure on the cap when it is hot. This time seemed different. Do you know what causes a head gasket to blow on these engines? I know not to drive it overheated cause it warps the head.The fill bottle looks the same as the original. Is the bottle partitioned off? If ikt is the head gasket I am thinking to pull the engine because I need to do the waterpump, timing chain & gears etc., much easier when engine is out. I do not have a hydraulic or electric lift so can I get the car high enough on stands to get the engine out? It has 134,000 miles and we've had it since 110,000. Really like the car. In fact I have a 2002 twin also except it is an LXi instead of LX and has a black top. Sorry for rambling back and forth and thank you for the help once again! George

 

If the bleeder screw seat is leaking coolant out when it's hot, then it is almost certainly leaking air in when the system cools down. So you probably have air in there. That would cause bubbling and erratic temperature readings because the sensor needs to be immersed in coolant (not air) to work properly.

You are going to need to replace the coolant outlet manifold, which houses the bleed screw. Here's a very long thread discussing the subject, which includes information on where to get the part and the tool you want to have to do the job easily:

https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...-sebring-2834/

Read through the whole thread. Realize that there is some erroneous information in that thread posted by people who don't necessarily know what they are talking about.

If your bottle has a pressure cap, it's the right bottle. The 4 cylinder bottle is not pressurized.

I would replace the coolant outlet manifold first, and run the car a few times, letting it warm up and cool down and top off the antifreeze each time to get the air out. Chances are that will solve the "bubbling" problem.

If you continue to want to pull the engine, the shop manual says to drop it out the bottom with the whole sub-frame. Of course the shop manual assumes that you have access to the whole array of dealer tools and equipment including a hoist and engine carrier, etc., etc. People have reported being able to take it out the top.

No. I don't know what causes a head gasket to fail. I wouldn't assume yours has failed without running the proper diagnostic tests.

 

I would do a compression test to prove whether it's a head gasket or not. As for the bleeder housing I replaced mine recently and it wasn't that difficult a job. I didn't totally remove the intake. I just removed the bolts and lifted it up slightly so I could get to the back housing bolt. I ordered mine from Rock Auto. I ordered the one made by Standard Motor Products. The bleeder and socket is much better than the factory one.

John

 

Good tip on the SMP part. It has a hex shape so you can put a wrench on it to prevent it from moving when you loosen the bleed screw.

I would still go with the flex head wrench to get that back screw out and not touch the intake manifold.

 

I purchased a Dorman brand coolant bleed outlet and it matched original one perfectly. While I had the outlet off I filled the engine with coolant. Engine was definitely not filled and was causing the coolant to bubble in the reserve bottle. After installing the outlet I took a hose, connected it to the heater hose pipe of the new outlet and filled with coolant. No more bubbling, overheating and the temp gauge works properly. Thanks again Dcotter! You were right again as always. I really appreciate your help, knowledge, and time! George