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Engine Bay gnome gettin krunk?

B

Bdiddy11

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boise,ID
I've got an 87 XJ automatic. Bout 165k miles on it, and my coolant bottle doesn't hold the coolant... I'm not sure if there's a gnome in there that keeps getting krunk off of it, or what's going on...

I think i've got a small leak in the radiator but i'm not sure. It's just the weirdest thing. I put in the proper amount of coolant. Drive around, check it again, and it's pretty much all gone. The crazy thing is, my Jeep doesn't overheat and it stays at the bar that's in between the first one and 210.

I'm not sure if I've got a coolant sensor issue (which could be part of the problem with my give it gas, it dies thread) or what... any thoughts?
 
It's the gnome!!!!! hahah. Great thread title :)
 
OverTheHillsATTW said:
Drain your oil. See what comes out first.
Click to expand...
im going to x2 this. oil floats on water, if water comes out first its uh oh time :D also, if your oil is reading unusually high on the dipstick i would suspect water in there as well.

go to the auto parts store and get a bottle of "block test fluid" you put some in a glass, and put some of your used coolant into it. it starts out bluish purple, and if it turns yellow when you put the coolant into it you've got a blown head gasket or cracked head, and combustion gasses are mixing with the coolant. i would say its most likely a bad head gasket.
 
I don't like the sounds of a bad head gasket...

I do need to do an oil change as is... so I'll hope and pray that oil comes out first!

What's the best way to get the used coolant? Get some from one of the hoses near the front end of the block at the T-stat housing?
 
Bdiddy11 said:
I don't like the sounds of a bad head gasket...

I do need to do an oil change as is... so I'll hope and pray that oil comes out first!

What's the best way to get the used coolant? Get some from one of the hoses near the front end of the block at the T-stat housing?
Click to expand...


Best controlled way I can think of is to pull the upper rad hose after letting everything cool. That way you can control how much comes out... yeah maybe?
 
there is a small drain on the passenger side of the radiator. you should be able to see it by laying on your back and looking up at the bottom of the radiator. it will be mounted to the side of the tank on the passenger side.
 
pull lower radiator hose off the bottom of the water pump and direct it towards a big pan underneath.

as for the mistery coolant loss, i would say you didnt burp the system and when you filled the pressure bottle and drove, air came out of the system and now the coolant is low. fill coolant to above the post in pressure bottle and run it for a while again, fill if nessacery. sometimes it takes a few times to get all the air out.
 
I've filled it with coolant at least 3 different times... and it always dissapears. I haven't seen it overheating... it stays at the mark between the 100 and 210. I don't know if this has to do with my other thread as stated above ( the CTS ), about when I give it gas and it tries to die if not warmed up.

I've also drilled the two holes 5-90 suggests to help with the closed systems to keep the system burping.
 
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