85 cooling system question

1985 2.5l carburetor 4 speed. Yes it is the lowest power possible for an xj :greensmok I am that cool.

I have a strange thing going on with my cooling system. It is an open system radiator with overflow bottle. Sometimes after I park my jeep I notice a decent coolant leak. I typically chase it to the upper radiator hose where it connects to the radiator. I have changed the hose 3 times, and have adjusted the pressure on the clamp more times than I can think of.

What has me curious is that when the coolant stops hitting the ground the radiator is always full, but the overflow bottle is empty. What would cause just the overflow bottle to empty?
My last trip wheeling this happened to me. I got a little white steam, and the jeep wouldn't idle right. It just kinda chugged until I let it cool down. When I opened the hood I saw the cap to the bottle had popped off but no coolant loss.
3 months ago I replaced the T-stat, and when I got the jeep last July I replaced the water pump.

I am just not sure where to start looking on this one. Is it best to just get a new radiator?
Thanks for any help

1. Coolant expands, flows through the cap out the hose and into the overflow bottle. If the end of the hose in the bottle remains submerged, then when the coolant in the system cools and retracts a vacuum is formed and coolant is sucked from the recovery bottle back through the hose, this keeps air from entering the system.

2. Cap, recovery hose--when were they both changed last?

About 6 weeks ago I picked up a new cap and bottle with hose from a u pull it. I changed all of my fluids when I did the swap. My cap did crack when it popped off so I will be needing a new one.

Check the little nipple on the radiator that the overflow hose hooks to. The "weld" around that little sucker can be kind of fragile to bumping, corrosion or other abuse. It's yet another weak spot in the cooling system, and hard to track down because it's often overlooked.

ParadiseXJ said:

Check the little nipple on the radiator that the overflow hose hooks to. The "weld" around that little sucker can be kind of fragile to bumping, corrosion or other abuse. It's yet another weak spot in the cooling system, and hard to track down because it's often overlooked.

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Agree, quite fragile.

ParadiseXJ, I'm not sure exactly what kind of statement you are trying to make with that new avatar?

OK, I changed it...vacation pic...a 3 hour tour. Jeez, can't a guy have a little fun??

ParadiseXJ said:

OK, I changed it...vacation pic...a 3 hour tour. Jeez, can't a guy have a little fun??

Click to expand...

CHANGE IT BACK, CHANGE IT BACK!

Just kidding! LOL!

Lol I like the pic Gilligan. But that is great advice. Thank you..