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Where is my coolant going?

bmyohn

bmyohn

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Lake Orion, MI
Lately ive been filling up my coolant reserve bottle, and in the matter of a month it is bone dry...its not leaking coolant anywhere that i can see. It still runs really well. Every now and then my girlfriend says she can smell coolant. I had the radiator replaced not too long ago so i doubt its leaking. What could it be?

On a short trip around town, the jeep will run around 220* and the aux fan will be on almost constantly...could just be from the lack of coolant though

Last time i checked the oil it came out normal. I have to change the oil again this weekend so i will check that again.

Any help here guys?
 
what year?

im assuming a 91 or up as you hav a coolant reserve or overflow. are you filling it to the mark or completely filling it? the level of the coolant in the overflow will go up and down when the system expands and contracts. you could have a bad radiator cap and its letting steam out.

if you dont have any external leaks(radiator, hoses, waterpump, thermostat housing, radiator cap) check the oil or the transfluid.
 
have you checked the heater core? Could be leaking inside, where you might not see it(under carpet). Could also explain why your girlfriend says she notices the smell.
 
I had a case of disappearing coolant with my grand am...turned out to be a bad radiator cap....just my 2 cents.
 
I had the exact same problem with my 98 XJ. I replaced the radiator and was getting a coolant smell while driving or when stepping out of the Jeep. I never smelled coolant inside though and the culprit ended up being a seaping thermostat gasket. This was leaking down and burning off leaving no drips on the ground, but my recovery tank needed to be topped off every couple of weeks....just my .02
 
i have no carpet anymore, but at one point when i did it was getting wet. now that i have no carpet i never really can tell if its wet or not.

i have an 01, i fill it up to the full line on the bottle. the radiator cap is a possibility, i may as well start cheap and work my way up
 
I have an '89 that I had to fill the recovery tank once a week. My problem was that the hose clamps were loose. But mine didn't leave a leaky trail either.
 
X2 on trying the radiator cap...the load spring on the cap wears out and gets weak and doesn't keep the proper pressure. You might be vent coolant steam from a weak cap...
 
Highly classified secret: rent a cooling system pressure tester.
 
ok so some new info

I had my radiator replaced (late last summer) and since my coolant had been going dry i thought it was odd.

So i opened up the radiator cap to see if it was bad. Well dark red/brown mud comes pouring out of it, it was rust colored but extremely thick.

I took it to a shop to see if they could tell me what it was, he said a blown head gasket.

One guy (complete hilljack, so i couldnt tell if he was just giving me the runaround) said that i just had to get the sytem flushed and it would be okay. the radiator is practically brand new, he then question if the radiator really had been replaced or not...i said yes i watched them do it...lol

i dont see mud pouring out of the jeep anywhere so i am doubting a leak, but its still a possibility i guess.

i will try to get a pic of the "mud" when i get a chance.

both guys said, "shit, ive never seen that before, thats not good", then one guy at the shop i usually take it to immediately called it as a head gasket problem.
 
'00 & '01 have the infamous 0331 head. They crack all the time near the #3 cylinder. Take out the oil fill cap and look on the underside of it to see if it has milky crud accumulating on it. Your probably not so lucky as to have a blown head gasket. Search "0331 head" and you'll find many suggestions for replacement.
 
as for replacement, im already throwing the idea around for a Golen 4.6L stroker as a replacement, my parents said they would loan me the money to get it done if it came to that. i mean if it is just a head gasket thats blown, rather then paying the shop to do it all, i could drop the motor myself and put in the 4.6L Golen
 
well im thinking that the head gasket could be an underlying problem of the 0331 head cracking issue. in which case i would have to find a new head to swap anyways. i might as well start with a brand new motor, with a three year warranty. and many many people saying that they will run over 250,000 miles with ease. the engine is the only thing letting me down right now. the entire suspension is practially brand new, newer tires, and a rust free body.
 
98NWCherokee said:
I had the exact same problem with my 98 XJ. I replaced the radiator and was getting a coolant smell while driving or when stepping out of the Jeep. I never smelled coolant inside though and the culprit ended up being a seaping thermostat gasket. This was leaking down and burning off leaving no drips on the ground, but my recovery tank needed to be topped off every couple of weeks....just my .02
Click to expand...

X2 I had the same problem in my 98.
 
Sounds like the infamous cracked 0331 head to me. How's your oil pressure?
 
bmyohn said:
blown head gasket for sure....85% its a cracked head

did the tests today on it
Click to expand...

so, are you going to spend your parents money on a stroker, send it to a shop to replace the head, or fix it yourself with an older head(search for the 0331 head)?
 
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