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Coolant Leak , Passenger Side

J

jeepsrock

NAXJA Forum User
Location
LA California
Today after driving the xj for an hour in the hot heat (100+F) i noticed that there was a small puddle behind the passenger tire. Now this has happened last week but i thought nothing of it. When i saw the puddle it was about an hour after it was driven. I popped the hood and noticed that the coolant bottle was empty. I went under and looked and noticed that the coolant was coming exactly from the coil spring stop absorber, bc as i moved it liquid shook out. Now i noticed that the colant bottle sits exactly on top of this.

At first i simply thought that this was simple and that there was a leak in the bottle. I removed the bottle and filled it with water and even blew into to kinda pressureize it and there was no leaks ?

What wouuld cause it to go empty ??

thanks.
pete
 
What wouuld cause it to go empty ??
Click to expand...



a leak?
thefinger.gif







just kiddin man if you think it's comin from the reservoir it could be a crack or a faulty cap.
 
Drive it till its hot and there is a lot of pressure in the bottle from the system heating up. Sometimes a bottle/cap develops a pinhole leak that (starts out) only leaking under temp/pressure. The leak will eventually get worse until you have to replace the bottle, maybe it's just a leaky line though. You wont be able to tell till you drive it a little and check. It shouldn't be anything major with the leak where you say it is.
 
What year ? Open or closed cooling system ?
 
I had a similar problem on my '91 that took me a while to finally track down. It turned out to be a crack in a heater control valve located on the passenger side, just in front of the firewall. The crack was on the rear of the valve, so I couldn't see the problem visually and had to feel back behind it before I could confirm that's where the leak was.

Another way to find the valve is to follow the smaller hoses coming from the thermostat housing and the water pump that head back to the firewall. The valve is some sort of plastic housing that had ended up crystalizing and becoming brittle.

You may or may not have this valve, but the location you're describing for the leak is in the same vicinity, its worth checking out.

Good luck.
 
Okay, stupid question time (from me). Are you sure it was coolant dripping? I get similar dripping from the AC after I shut it off. It's not coolant, it's moisture and I'm told this is normal.
 
I am sure its coolant as it was greenish and i smelled it. The heater control valve was replaced last year as it was all brittle and dying. Plus this has to be something that would cause the coolant canister to run dry.

pete
 
A bad pressure cap can cause this, the system pumps out alot of extra coolant into the recovery tank and overflows it, then pulls it back in like it's supposed to. Fill the recovery tank with water and see if you have any leaks in the tank or the hose leading to the radiator neck.
 
well today i had to go get some stuff so i filled the coolant canister with coolant put it back in the jeep and drove it. On my way back the temp went a bit higher than it normally does about 225F. I parked the jeep and after a few minutes it started to drip again(from same spot) . I looked at the coolant level and it was about halfway then after a few minutes of watching it , it surged with fluid almost all the way to the top and after a few more mins it went down to about halfway- thruout the process i heard a bubling noise from the radiator cap. I took this oppertunity to remove the canister again and it was wet from the bottom but there was no eveidence of a leak, as their was fluid in it still ?

??
pete
 
ya i think so....

About an hour ago i went ahead and removed the canisters once again and boiled a pot of water and carefully poured it into the canister to check for leaks and it did not even leak.

So i am guessing that i need a new pressure cap and amybe a new clamp on that line between the canister and rad.

Should i get the cap from the dealer?

pete
 
As a side note, I lost it but once had a weblink, hoping someone has it.
It detailed how to put a newer, open system in the older XJ and get rid of that wonderful Renault cooling system.

The wife has a 91, plugged up radiator, dealer wants 500 for one and 140 to put it in, LMAO

Meanwhile she has no defrost in winter as I did bypass surgery on a relay to keep the electric fan on whenever she has it running and the heater control is off or on defrost, in defrost mode she gets ac which heats up engine, so she just doesn't use the heater at all, lol
 
There is NOTHING WRONG with the closed system, they work fine as long as all the parts are in good condition. The OPEN system has no big advantages, it does not cool better, it just has one less thing to go wrong with it and thats the turtle and cap plus maybe the plastic mixing valve. The way to bullet proof the turtle is to replace it with an aftermarket surge tank made from aluminum or steel, one that takes a standard pressure cap. Thats all that turtle is, a cheap assed plastic surge tank. Summit racing has them as well as other hot rod suppliers and the radiator manufacturers themselves in a variety of shapes and sizes, chromed, powerder coated or engraved if thats what you want. :D
Just replace the rad, turtle and get a new mixing valve and in your case REPLACE THAT RAD so your wife has heat and defrosters again. I understand that the parts stores sell metal mixing valves vs the OEM Jeep plastic ones so that to me would be a good option and I understand cheaper too..
 
jeepsrock said:
How does this all cocern my post or question.

pete
Click to expand...
Pshawww, you're done till you try the new cap.... as for cap suppliers, you can go aftermarket but the price diff between dealer parts store is like a buck. I use OEM myself.
 
I picked up a radiator cap at the dealer yesterday for 12$ and it was rated 16psi compared to my other one that was rated at 13psi. Additionally i have put in a new clamp on the line from the rad to the canister. So far it seems ok and there is nothing under the jeep, but i havent driven it for a good amount of time- i guess we will know in a few days.

thanks

pete
 
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