Status · Active
Still awesome.
A 1985 Chrysler Town & Country Turbo, one diagnosis and project at a time.
This is the real record of my 2.2L turbo wagon older than 70% of the US population. Every test, every part that I try to find, and every fix that didn't take the first time. Logged as it happens.
Skip The Backstory?
Jump ahead to the basics
These may be helpful
Should you buy one?
Probably not. This is the real version of what an early Chrysler Turbo wagon actually costs to own: what to check before you buy, and what breaks first.
2.2 Turbo survival guide
Every failure point on the early Chrysler 2.2L turbo I've found so far, explained before it strands you on the shoulder.
Research library
Manuals, original brochures, parts sources. Plus everything else I found around the internet.
Right Now · Head Gasket Job
One cylinder changed the project.
A compression test found the real problem behind the overheating, and it wasn't the thermostat.
Changing thermostat didn't fix the overheating. Pulling the spark plugs for a look and running a compression test did the real work, and they pointed straight at one cylinder.
Cylinder #1 read 61 PSI. Twice. The other three were each 140. That's not a fluke. It's a serious problem and what I think is most likely the head gasket. The car is now at a shop in North Hollywood for a full teardown and inspection.
Full compression-test walkthrough on YouTube
Inside the Investigation
How I narrowed it down.
Four chapters covering the spark plug inspection, the compression test, the cooling system diagnosis, and the head gasket saga.
Spark plug inspection
Four plugs came out black and sooty. One came out wet.
Compression results
Three cylinders all were at 140 psi. The last wasn't even close at 60.
Cooling system diagnosis
Changed the thermostat, same overheating. And bonus!!! Coolant surged under pressure like a geyser.
Head gasket saga
The leading suspect, now confirmed. Teardown underway at the machine shop.
Why This Wagon?
It started with my first car.
I got this wagon because it's the same model and year as the first car I ever owned when I was sixteen. Later I found out its previous owner was named Norma, the same as my grandma! Pretty cool.
Equal parts project, nostalgia time machine, and kinda expensive teacher.
I'm not pretending this is a professional restoration, or that I know what I'm doing at all, so don't come at me! My plan is pretty simple: learn, fix what I can on my own, own up to what I know I can't fix, and document all of it, even the embarassing stuff.
Garage Departments
Pick your poison.
Repairs, buyer's research, old brochures, and everything in between, sorted. Because I love data and categorization.
Should you buy one?
Probably not. Here's everything this wagon has taught me about what to check when troubleshooting, what breaks the most, and what it really costs to keep one on the road.
2.2 Turbo survival guide
The systems and symptoms that matter most on an early Chrysler 2.2L turbo, before they become a tow-truck nightmare story.
Research library
Manuals, scans of original brochures, parts sources, and early Chrysler turbo resources.
Repairs
Every fix, every test, every mistake: the complete archive, unfiltered.
Gallery
Photos from the garage, the driveway, and every stage of the wagon's disrepair and revival.
Everything I've done
The real timeline: what's finished, what's in progress, and what's next.
The head gasket job is underway.
I finally got a new gig after searching for sixteen months. I have the budget and finally found a shop willing to actually work on a 1985 anything. So, a shop in North Hollywood has the wagon now. They're tearing it apart, taking photos, and giving me a final quote before touching anything. No surprises was the deal, and they agreed without me having to push.
The initial estimate came in at $1,471 including a head gasket set, new head bolts, coolant and oil change, machine shop work, and eight hours of labor. I'm expecting the final number to be a little higher once they're actually inside and can see what 40 years of wear and tear and weather can do to a car. It will still under my budget either way.
Today's update: the vacuum lines are brittle. I told them to look in the back for a box of vacuum tubing. There are going to be a bunch of hoses that need to be replaced as well. They will be taking the head off and taking it to the machine shop tomorrow which means that's when I'll find out what the real deal is.
To Be Continued
The wagon is at the shop. I am not done.
The head gasket job is in progress. After that: rear suspension, then AC. Updates posted as they happen.