Have a 1999 dodge Van Wagon (V6) with cooling problems - I made it back
home in time and the check engine light coming on just for a tick. I
ended up pulling out the thermalstat and placing it in boiling water
only to see
that it never opened up. Thinking that I found the gremlin, I elected
to just leave it out and tried running the engine again. This time
after 5 - 10 minutes of running, I turned off the motor and heard the
water boiling in the engine (no coolant added yet). Thinking of no
circulation, I then pulled off the water pump hoping that the impeller
was loose or something, but that was not the case. The radiator passes
water fine as I can tell. Filled the cap and watch it drain out the petcock.

I'm at a loss of why I have little or no water circulation when the
thermalstat is out and the water pump seems to be intact and looks
normal to me. I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure this out. Any
thoughts and comments are more than welcome.

Rice