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Radiator/Coolant sytem problem.

0

00'CherokeeXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
America
I have a very apparent leak but can't find where its coming from. My coolant bottle will be empty after a couple days worth of driving and im leaving puddles every where. Top hoses look dry and intact and same with bottom. Every time i park you can see the steam pouring through the grill and hood. The leak seams to be coming from the bottom left of the radiator because its really wet down there. I don't have any down time to take the whole front end off or pull the radiator and I really don't want to take it to a shop. Has anybody had a leak in this area or know of problem spots in the 00' xj radiator? Also I ran a bottle of that radiator patch stuff with the pellets and still nothing.
 
The radiators tend to fail at the seam between the tanks and the core, although it could be damage to the core, or (less common), a crack in the tank.
 
00'CherokeeXJ said:
. Has anybody had a leak in this area or know of problem spots in the 00' xj radiator? Also I ran a bottle of that radiator patch stuff with the pellets and still nothing.
Click to expand...

1.) The radiator drain or petcock behind the passenger side headlight is a known POS. Usually plastic, usually broken after first use.

2.) I would not use any kind of stop leak "insta-fix".

3.) You could take it to a shop and they might charge you a little or a lot...or a LOT.
 
Many leaks happen minutes after turning the engine off. Look for them then, on a hot engine.
 
I've found the most common source of leaks on this vintage to be the seams on the radiator or the water pump (if hoses are eliminated).

You would be well served to fix this NOW. Both a faulty water pump or a bad seam on a radiator can turn into a huge leak in a microsecond and then you have bigger fish to fry. You have an 00, which if overheated, almost assuredly will result in a cracked 0331 cylinder head.

With cooling system maintenance, it's "pay me now, or pay me a LOT more later"!
 
PLEASE do not use anymore Stop Leak!!!!!! I can't say this enough. I think this stuff should be illegal! Think about it. It is designed to stick to and stop up holes to stop leaks right? How does this material know the difference between the hole that needs to be stopped up and ones that don't? It doesn't! I just spent nearly $300 in parts and countless hours of labor last summer replacing components and flushing the system to get that stuff out of my system. It will cost you a LOT more in the long run. It will also stop up your heater core almost undoubtedly and cause your heating system to be compromised. Stop Leak will only create a bigger problem.

How did you check your hoses? I had a pin hole in my lower radiator hose that wouldn't leak when the engine was turned off. Only with the engine on at operating temp and the system at full pressure then it would start squirting a very small amount at pretty high pressure. Give it a try. Good luck!

FYI, I did not use the stop leak but the PO must have used like 2 or 3 tubes of the junk in my Jeep!
 
There is a weep hole under the front lip of the waterpump. If it leaks it runs down whatever it hits and winds up dripping from the drivers side onto the skid plate (or ground). Looks like a drivers side leak but really the WP. Should be able to put your finger under the WP and see if its leaking.
 
Samson04 said:
PLEASE do not use anymore Stop Leak!!!!!! I can't say this enough. I think this stuff should be illegal! Think about it. It is designed to stick to and stop up holes to stop leaks right? How does this material know the difference between the hole that needs to be stopped up and ones that don't? It doesn't! I just spent nearly $300 in parts and countless hours of labor last summer replacing components and flushing the system to get that stuff out of my system. It will cost you a LOT more in the long run. It will also stop up your heater core almost undoubtedly and cause your heating system to be compromised. Stop Leak will only create a bigger problem.

How did you check your hoses? I had a pin hole in my lower radiator hose that wouldn't leak when the engine was turned off. Only with the engine on at operating temp and the system at full pressure then it would start squirting a very small amount at pretty high pressure. Give it a try. Good luck!

FYI, I did not use the stop leak but the PO must have used like 2 or 3 tubes of the junk in my Jeep!
Click to expand...


Well I think its more hit and miss with this kinda stuff because my dad says its been holding his leak for the last 2 years and he has the same cherokee as me.
 
Samson04 said:
PLEASE do not use anymore Stop Leak!!!!!! I can't say this enough. I think this stuff should be illegal! Think about it. It is designed to stick to and stop up holes to stop leaks right? How does this material know the difference between the hole that needs to be stopped up and ones that don't? It doesn't! I just spent nearly $300 in parts and countless hours of labor last summer replacing components and flushing the system to get that stuff out of my system. It will cost you a LOT more in the long run. It will also stop up your heater core almost undoubtedly and cause your heating system to be compromised. Stop Leak will only create a bigger problem.

How did you check your hoses? I had a pin hole in my lower radiator hose that wouldn't leak when the engine was turned off. Only with the engine on at operating temp and the system at full pressure then it would start squirting a very small amount at pretty high pressure. Give it a try. Good luck!

FYI, I did not use the stop leak but the PO must have used like 2 or 3 tubes of the junk in my Jeep!
Click to expand...

You are over reacting. The OEMs used it on new cars from the early days (1930s ) till at least as recently as 1996 years. I used it on all my vehicles with great success for up to 5 years before pulling radiators from 1977 till last year.
 
Ecomike said:
You are over reacting. The OEMs used it on new cars from the early days (1930s ) till at least as recently as 1996 years. I used it on all my vehicles with great success for up to 5 years before pulling radiators from 1977 till last year.
Click to expand...


I might not know if every kind of stop leak and how they work, but I'm not over reacting. It happened to me. The PO had a small pin hole in the radiator and ran (2) different types of stop leak through it trying to stop the leak. I purchased the Jeep from him and replaced the radiator. All radiator hoses and the heater hoses were coated with what looked like mud as well was the radiator neck only 2 weeks after replacing. I had to flush my heater core 6 times to date to keep flushing this junk out. The water pump failed this past summer and upon removal this same muddy substance was covering the blades on the pump. Not sure if it caused the failure or not, but I'm sure it didn't help. Hopefully you have better luck with it than I did.:rof:
 
I have the same exact problem...coolant leaking somewhere behind the passenger headlight. It only leaks when i run it in temps below 30 or so.

Bought a new radiator but don't have the will the get in there in this cold.
 
Combatcm said:
I have the same exact problem...coolant leaking somewhere behind the passenger headlight. It only leaks when i run it in temps below 30 or so.

Bought a new radiator but don't have the will the get in there in this cold.
Click to expand...

If it leaks over night on a low temp drop, it may be the front water pump seal, leaking out the weep hole at the bottom.
 
Samson04 said:
I might not know if every kind of stop leak and how they work, but I'm not over reacting. It happened to me. The PO had a small pin hole in the radiator and ran (2) different types of stop leak through it trying to stop the leak. I purchased the Jeep from him and replaced the radiator. All radiator hoses and the heater hoses were coated with what looked like mud as well was the radiator neck only 2 weeks after replacing. I had to flush my heater core 6 times to date to keep flushing this junk out. The water pump failed this past summer and upon removal this same muddy substance was covering the blades on the pump. Not sure if it caused the failure or not, but I'm sure it didn't help. Hopefully you have better luck with it than I did.:rof:
Click to expand...

You and the PO probably should have drained and flushed the block, especially before replacing the radiator that had that much junk in it. Sounds like some one ran tap water and let it rust for a very long time. I have run the bars leak fiber pellets for the last 20 years with little trouble, but always use DI water and 50/50 silicate based antifreeze (the old green formula). But the newer radiators have much thinner tubes and channels, and do plug up with almost anything easier than older radiators. But most of them die a plastic tank leak death in about 3 years anyway.
 
Ecomike said:
You and the PO probably should have drained and flushed the block, especially before replacing the radiator that had that much junk in it. Sounds like some one ran tap water and let it rust for a very long time. I have run the bars leak fiber pellets for the last 20 years with little trouble, but always use DI water and 50/50 silicate based antifreeze (the old green formula). But the newer radiators have much thinner tubes and channels, and do plug up with almost anything easier than older radiators. But most of them die a plastic tank leak death in about 3 years anyway.
Click to expand...


I'll definitly agree with that. Only problem is I didn't find out he used the stop leak until after I replaced the radiator. I'll also agree that it may not have all been due to the stop leak. However, it was a mess. I did flush the block and the head and replaced all hoses. Hopefully for me it's all over with, but is it ever really over when you own a Jeep?
 
Still no luck finding this leak. If it weren't so dang cold and snowy out I might get a chance to get up in there and get a better look but if this keeps up im just gonna have to go to a shop and shell out some coin.
 
You can remove the grill, headlight trim, upper crossmember, etc with just a few tools in about an hour, (if it's not all rusted together), to get a better look at things.
 
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