what the hell fluid is coming out

Okay so the wife's 01 4.0 with 63k appears to be leaking a type of lubricant from below the ac condenser. it is yellowish green and appears to be coming out of a hose that seems to have no other purpose than to be an overflow release. My 89 has no such hose and neither chilton nor Hayes has any pic or diagrams mentioning it. I wouldn't be concerned but there seems to be about a pint of the stuff on the unirail and the wife said she noticed about two small puddles one about 1oz and the other about 1/2 oz. She also said the ac seemed not as cool.

Anybody got an Idea?

my jeep has been having the same problem for quiet a while (mines a 96 so im not sure if its the same in the engine compartment or not).Mine runs down and has left a greenish yellowish stain/residue down parts of the engine and some hoses. it keeps leaking more and more crap... I believe it to be coolant as its a discolored kind of greenish/yellow. But it seems to have leaked more junk then I have ever put coolant in the car - leaks about as much as yours does. my engine runs just over 210°f like it should for AZ i guess though... my dad has had the problem for at least 2 years and now its my problem i guess. not sure what to do about it.

im probably even more clueless then yourself but I got to thinking... if it has to do with the A/C and coolant; but i still have coolant; could it possibly be some kind of condensation from the A/C or cooling system?

sorry if it seems like im trying to hijack your thread; ive just been curious of the same thing for a while.

Change the cap for starters.
It's coolent.

Rev

test it to see if its coolant.. it most likely is.. it will have a "slippery" feel to it and a kinda sweet taste.. dont actually ingest it.. just the tip of your finger on your tongue will be more than enough..

after rereading you initial post i understood it better.. this leak is in the front of the vehicle near the radiator and the grille area right? not near the rear of the engine and firewall area is it? there isnt alot of room but get a flashlight and get under the vehicle and find the leak.. look at the hose connections and the seams on the radiator tanks.. does it run hotter than normal lately? have you checked the coolant level? hot summer weather is here and the cooling system problems are starting to surface..

ok... my xj is definetly leaking coolant...not from the radiator or an overflow escape type hose. actually im not sure where its leaking from but im pretty dang sure its not the radiator.

a few minutes ago i ran the jeep for a bit around the block and such and got it leaking, got a flashlight and took some pictures hoping you guys could help me figure out why its leaking/where its leaking from exactly since I am not an expert.



ok...this one im pointing the flashlight at the leak; you can see the big hose thats got a trail on it and the area of metal thats covered in the goo.
im on my stomach under the jeep with my head facing aft while taking that picture if that helps any.



much better picture; im facing straight up lieing on my back now instead of stomach - different perspective from the underside - my head pointing aft once again.


closer blury shot from the same position.


ok... this is from above - im standing looking from top down in there....
if you look where the flashlight is you will see the same hose that has the trail of coolant on it. it starts there and runs down and to the right.

i dont believe its the hose with the coolant trail leaking as its coming from higher up/deeper inside - or off that metal to the right (passenger side direction). I have no idea what any of this is and I hope someone can go under their XJ and look at that hose and tell me what the heck that is; becuase I couldnt find it in the Haynes manual. I think its just an air hose and i tried tightening the clasp thing on it... if its just an air hose then i see no reason for it to be leaking coolant and I'm not quite sure where its leaking - closest guess would be the metal area you can see in the pictures taken from under the jeep thats wet.

w/e you guys can tell me would be greatly appreciated.

Water pump, mine was leaking the same spot last week before I put a new pump on it...

I can say with very little doubt that is leakage from your water pump's weep hole.

It's shot; replace it. It's a pretty easy fix. I just did mine (and replaced the radiator, belt, hoses and thermostat at the same time). 87k miles....

Concur. The fact that it's all the way down the hose tells me that it's not a hose leak.

There are shaft seals in the water pump, and there is a weep hole (you'll see it when you get there) at the bottom of the water pump snout that is there to let you know when the shaft seal starts to fail.

I'm also reasonably sure the hoses are original, since they still have those shonky spring "clamps" on them. Ditch the springs, and get worm drives. Get Gates or Goodyear hoses, and install them. Change the belt, you'll have it off anyhow.

Do a flush before you tear into everything, since if the hoses are original, the coolant is probably original as well. Most coolants are rated for about two years of service before the additive package starts to break down - and I have yet to see anything to convince me otherwise with the new ones. You should only need a mild flush - just to loosen anything that may have accumulated.

Expect to spend about three hours, all up. There are tips here on changing the water pump - we just went through this with someone else over the last few days.

5-90

now is it the seal I want to replace or the whole water pump??
how much does the whole water pump cost anyways? (id look around a bit more but if someone here changed one just a week ago i figured id ask)

EDIT:
ok... water pump should only be between 30-40 buks right?

Get a NEW water pump from NAPA, Carquest, dealer, not a rebuilt unless you have a maschostic streak
Pump, gasket, go to DEALER for hoses both upper and lower and might as well do the heater hoses too.
Thermostat and gasket, again DEALER ITEM,
Bottle of Indian Head gasket cement.
Serpentine belt
Idler pulley
Pressure cap, adain dealer
Two gallons of green antifreeze and two gallons of DISTILLED water.
When removing the heater hoses from the firewall move the clamps back on to the hose then use a razor knife to slit the hose length wise then peel it off, if you fight it and try to break it free from the heater core bung you might break the bung and that adds alot of time and money to the job...

thanks for the info Richp
i think you are saving me alot of time and possibly money.
hell, not an hour and a half ago I didnt even know where the leak was coming from. i guess i know where 3 hours of me and my dads time are going this weekend.

Yep - but I've no complaints with aftermarket NEW - ACDelco, Carter, or TRW. Probably $30-60, depending on what parts prices are like there, and if you're friendly with your parts people (when you find a good local, stick with them - the prices gradually get better...) I also use aftermarket thermostats (180*,) but I also drill a pair of holes in the thing to take care of any "burping" issues. Search for my posts on the subject (it would be good practise for you - I'm tired of typing it all anyhow...)

If your temperature gage has gone up into or near the Rod zone on the right, or if the temperature light has come on (I don't know what's on your panel...) change the thermostat as well. You'll find it under the housing where the upper radiator hose attaches to the engine.

If you can't get distilled water in your area, water filtered by the Reverse Osmosis process is every bit as good (and often a little cheaper.) Find a place or machine to get it in bulk, and you'll come out ahead. I have two 6.5-gallon water jugs that I keep filled for use with coolant, batteries, and any other automotive water requirements. Don't mix anything with it, and it can also come in handy on long trips when you get thirsty. Just another one of those things you should always have handy... (Think: first aid kit, canned food, extra soap, bog roll or two, spare jacket, ropes, ...)

Paying for changing the water pump will probably hurt - but I've always worked on my own vehicles, so I can't say for sure. Given labour rates, it's gotta hurt these days.

Gates and Goodyear aftermarket hoses are fine - I've been using Gates for a considerable number of years (belts, too.) There's nothing wrong with aftermarket parts - provided you stay away from crap. If you're not sure, ask here before you buy anything, and we'll be happy to advise you.

I don't have anything against RichP - he usually very good with his advice! I just have a problem with spending more money on things than absolutely necessary... I rarely go to the dealer for parts - and that's only if I can't find it anywhere else or make it myself, or redesign the thing so I don't need the dealer part anymore...

5-90

thx to you too 5-90
i just looked through some papars from a while back and figured out why my dad never fixed the water pump/thermostat deal...
490 is what the dealership wanted to replace a 40 and 10 dollar piece... sure its 3 hours... but thats like 100+ buks an hour! I will definetly not be paying 500 buks cash.. id rather pay it in my own time and pain (and my dads help/pain/time too).

thank you guys for the advice... I will let you know what happens when we rip it all up saturday.

When you do it do not hesitate to remove stuff from the work area, the more open area you have the better. Ensure the pump area is DRY so you need to get all the coolant out of the area you will see when you pull the pump, I used a baster [bought my own, wife got a bit miffed when I used her's from the kitchen and that was just for adding battery water]. Don't force anything, use a torque wrench, a difference of 2 ft lbs will mean the difference between a good seal on the gasket and a leak which means a redo.
I prefer the dealer hoses because they fit, the bends are correct, the heater hoses go back in their holders and the spring in the lower hose comes with the OEM ones as well as new clamps on the heater hoses and hose protectors on the upper and lower rad hoses.
One tip that I did not use was to break free the metal hose on the pump that goes to the heater hose loose BEFORE you remove the pump otherwise you need to put it in the vise. I also put indian head gasket cement around the threads on the pipe when I installed it on the new pump. I'm going to hit a plumbing store and get some copper pipe as 5-90 suggested because I can see it having to be done on my daughters TJ soon, the outside of her's is corroded very badly and I think it's only a matter of time till it lets go.

Okay So someone hijacked my thread so much for having a life and getting sleep.


Anyway Mine is NOT At the front of the compartment. MINE is On the firewall and it is more like the oil one uses for oiling air tools. More Yellow then Green and doens't task/smell at all like anitfreeze (Remember I have an 89 and I know what antifreeze looks like and smells like. THis stuff is more like oil I will post a pic tonight when I get home.

againstherwill said:

Okay So someone hijacked my thread so much for having a life and getting sleep.


Anyway Mine is NOT At the front of the compartment. MINE is On the firewall and it is more like the oil one uses for oiling air tools. More Yellow then Green and doens't task/smell at all like anitfreeze (Remember I have an 89 and I know what antifreeze looks like and smells like. THis stuff is more like oil I will post a pic tonight when I get home.

Click to expand...

I wonder if your A/C system has a bad leak and that may be PAG oil with dye in it. PAG is used to lube the compressor on A/C systems. Some one previous could have put dye in to locate a leak....

Besides, it was a friendly hijack....you just need to read quicker and more often :laugh3:

Rich,


Thanks I Know I should read more and More often. Just been a hell week for me. My SAN Server went nutz and I had to rebuild the thing and then the kid got strep throat and yada yada yada.

I kinda thought it was something like that but wanted to get some backup from some that had seen it prior.

Most hijacks in OEM are good and profitable for something.

sorry about that dude. i was kinda hoping you were having the same problem and that it would help... next time ill make a new thread. hope everythign smooths itself out this weekend after a rough week.