Coolant Leak Not From Radiator

I have a 98 Cherokee that coolant is leaking like crazy but not from radiator.
I changed my Radiator cap because i thought it had to do with pressure, but it still is leaking. It was only leaking when i would run the A/C but now its leaking with or without A/C on. I'm pretty stumped right now.
Any ideas?

Do you see coolant on the ground or is it just 'disappearing'?

You need to find where it is leaking from. Do what you have to do to make it leak, then find the highest point on the engine where there is coolant.

the ac clutch puts stress on the belt, and can make a soon to be bad waterpump leak a bit because of the extra jerk to the belt as the clutch cycles, my guess would be the water pump is shot. with the engine OFF (obviously) reach up from the bottom and feel the inside of the waterpump pulley, if it's wet in there it's time for a waterpump.

I ran it in my drive way for 45 minutes with the A/C on and off and it didn't leak at all.
Its not disappearing. When i drive it is when it leaks and its leaking right next to the battery and the radiator...It looks like the A/C Condenser. Would that cause it?
Its not the water pump because it doesn't leak all the time. Only when i drive it and when i stop and turn it off the jeep.

The A/C condenser is not leaking coolant, because there is no coolant in the A/C condenser.

Have you looked at, removed or tightened the upper hose? Unless you can see the leak, don't a$$ume the leak is actually where you find coolant. Coolant can move from the source and make you think it's coming from somewhere else.

Look at it at night with an LED flashlight. the coolant may tend to glow a bit more.

I've had two relatively new radiators spring leaks in the upper right hand corner, inner side. Where the cross channels meet the inner end tank. It is behind the shroud and hard to see.

One was a steady drip, that only dripped when it was hot and the coolant would evaporate before it made it down to the bottom of the radiator and collected enough to drip on the ground and leave a stain. The other was pretty much the same, but leaked enough to leave a small stain on the ground.

Whether you use distilled water or regular, it will likely leave a white trail eventually. Looks alot like salt, maybe with a light tint the same color as your coolant.

ParadiseXJ said:

Have you looked at, removed or tightened the upper hose?

Look at it at night with an LED flashlight. the coolant may tend to glow a bit more.

Click to expand...

x2 on both of those. you can also buy (or at some stores rent) a radiator pressure tester kit that lets you pressurize the cooling system without the jeep running. it's a lot easier to try and look for leaks without the fan of death spinning at 1k rpm next to your head :looney:

"radiator pressure tester kit" I bought one years ago, one of the best tools I have

Are you sure its coolant and not condensate from the A/C. When its humid my A/C runs what seems like gallons of condensate. Does the leaking fluid smell/tasted like coolant. FYI coolant is sweet. Dont swallow it though it will screw up your day......

Oh, I thought you said you replaced the "Radiator" not just the Radiator Cap.

So if your radiator has plastic tanks like most stock ones are, check for cracks along the sides where the hoses connect up.

The cracks are hard to see and usually only leak when under pressure and heat.

Like 8Mud said the coolant evaporates before you can locate it most times.

My wifes ZJ had a cracked side tank that took me 6 months to see it leaking as the tank

actually expands some under pressure then contracts to seal the crack and makes it a

bear to locate.

Also, when the system is cool the water doesn't evaporate as soon as it hits the air. This way it's a lot easier to see where it's coming from. I usually install a metallic-type tire valve somewhere in the cooling system. That way I can easily air it up with a tire chuck. The radiator cap limits the pressure.

I'm dealing with a similar issue. I replaced all the hoses and hose clamps as a starting point which reduced the coolant loss, but it's still there. To see how much coolant I was actually losing, I cleaned off the side of the coolant overflow tank and marked a line on it with a permanent marker and the date next to it. 1 month later I revisited and could tell how much coolant I was losing.

My bet on my leak is either my water pump or radiator end caps. You can smell the coolant as it heats up and maybe help trace the source. I smell the sweet syruppy smell on the passenger side of the grill (likely a leaking radiator end cap). Get a good bright flash light and start inspecting as your Jeep gets up to temperature. Check the front of the engine block, near hose connections, and sides of the radiator. Removing the electric fan will give you a better visual on the front of the engine.