My brother bought an '01 with less than 30,000 miles. He liked my '98 so much that he wanted to find one for himself. Can't beat these Cateras for the money, right? Maybe not! His cooland looked like chocolate milk, so he took it to the dealer to have it flushed. They told him that it need the oil cooler replaced plus most of the cooling system. The estimate was for $4200!!! I think it's a bunch of crap that the whole cooling system needs to be replaced. They say the oil has damaged it and there's no way to flush it all out. What is our best option? Are there any recalls on this issue? How common is this problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I haven't experienced this problem but here is some good info and a few repair procedures. It's not impossible to fix but DO NOT drive it as is. The danger is to the engine's bearings and clogging the radiator and heater core. The mechanic gave you that ridiculous estimate because he doesn't want to do the job.
