Where is the coolant going??

[prcjeep]

My jeep seems to be consuming the water that I add to it every 3-4 days... Its not leaving any puddles in parking spots and on the 3rd or 4th day it starts running hot right up next the the red and itll take over a gallon straight into the radiator to fill it back up. It runs at or below the 210 mark after being filled but then its low... Where is it going? I have a 1996 cherokee SE 4.0 HO with approx 144k miles on the motor and 124 on everything else.
Water pump has 25k miles
thermostat has 25k miles
upper hose is about 9 months old
lower hose has the spring inside and is about 14 months old
Heater control vlve was replaced 2 weeks ago do to a cracked hose fitting

[msmoorenburg]

Well the last time we were at creekside, I could smell ya 50ft away. So i'm gonna say look at the radiator or water pump weep hole first for a leak or a wet spot

[bigjim350]

Well ive seen your jeep run hot about a million times. so Im gonna be the mean one and say its a head gasket.

[RustyXJ]

I'm in a similar boat. Haven't figured mine out yet, either!

[Mudderoy]

Believe me you want to find a leak, otherwise it's being burned during the combustion cycle and leaving your Jeep in the form of steam.

[default83]

no leak + losing coolant=head gasket.

what does the oil look like? any smoke coming out of it?

[Outlaw]

Fill it up cold and start it. Let it warm up and look into the coolant resevior with a flash light, Bubbles = head gasket. Easiest way to check.

[RustyXJ]

Well, I luckily found my leak (hopefully the only one!) this afternoon. It's coming out the thermostat housing, but only when the rev's are up. Only a very small leak, and the fan blows the coolant around and it never hits the ground.

[prcjeep]

Okay well i suppose i could test and see if i got any bubbles

[prcjeep]

Fill it up cold and start it. Let it warm up and look into the coolant resevior with a flash light, Bubbles = head gasket. Easiest way to check.

You're saying to look into the coolant overfill bottle right? or do you mean for me to look into the radiator fill opening?

[Mudderoy]

You're saying to look into the coolant overfill bottle right? or do you mean for me to look into the radiator fill opening?

Either just the over flow bottle is easier to see when everything is hot. Taking the cap off the radiator might burn you.

[prcjeep]

no bueno... I got the tiny bubbles:sad0147:

[prcjeep]

well my overheating went away a for a little while as long as i kept the reservior and radiator full but now its back... Will heat up and boil over within ten minutes about. I looked at the water coming out of it today and it did happen to have a very light oil slick look on top of it but I think that could be from dripping onto the skid plate which is covered in oil and muck and then onto the ground... Any new suggestions?

[Mudderoy]

well my overheating went away a for a little while as long as i kept the reservior and radiator full but now its back... Will heat up and boil over within ten minutes about. I looked at the water coming out of it today and it did happen to have a very light oil slick look on top of it but I think that could be from dripping onto the skid plate which is covered in oil and muck and then onto the ground... Any new suggestions?

Have you already monitored your tail pipe for water dripping, and/or steam?

[toebee97]

Fill it up cold and start it. Let it warm up and look into the coolant resevior with a flash light, Bubbles = head gasket. Easiest way to check.
Aw man, don't say that... that's what mine is doing!


Sent from my CyanogenMod Inspire 4G

[xj4life2]

ok the water has to go somewhere right ? so check you oil is it overfull ?? kinda look like choclet milk ? Yes = blown head gasket. NO lets move on, do you have any white puffy smoke comming out the tail pipe ? Yes= blown head gasket NO so we move on again, pull your plugs and look at them does on appear cleaner than the others ? Yes would say water in the cyl=blown head gasket. No lets continue on. At this time I would tell you to opt for a cooling system pressure test at a local shop or a chemical test for a blown head gasket. It is true that water does evaporate from the cooling system especially in HOT weather but not at the rate you are describing. Let me add that the more you run it the worse it gets as far as repair cost goes so try to get the answer as soon as posable.

[ralphy]

Payless4x summed it up pretty well, Bubbles in the overflow tank, milky colored oil, or a sweet smell at the tail pipe will also indicate a blown head gasket, or a damaged head. Also white exhaust smoke is another sign. You may want to look around the radiator, and freeze plugs for wet spots and rust. my rad was rusty from a slow leak before it blew out the tank seal. and freeze plugs can rust, (found a pit hole in one a long time ago) hope you find the problem.

[xj4life2]

Wow Ralphy brought up an interesting point there that i had forgotten about, FREEZE PLUGS, Be sure you go through and check them all, they can seep and dry before it hits the ground and you would never know untill it rots all the way through. I think the manual has a diagram of where they are, and I believe there is one on the back of the head agaist the firewall and another under the bellhousing in the block. You can usually remove the inspection plate and see it with a flashlight

[prcjeep]

Well i discovered the leak... The passenger side of my rad was leaking where the plastic tank and metal meet. Mut the pelletized stop leak in and now no more leak... I have a video of it but cant find my computer connector for the camera lol

[JMadigan]

I had a similar problem with over-heating and leaking antifreeze a few years ago, It turned out that the radiator was actually plugged up on the inside and the pressure was building up. Eventually the pressure forced off the lower radiator hose. That might be why the leaks are sprouting up everywhere though! Hope that helps!

[IZAREBL]

im having a similar problem problem, coolant is disapearing and the remaining coolant turns brown and oily after a short drive. shop said it was fine, and to flush it..... well ive flushed it 4 times already and same thing happens. i guess i need to flush the whole coolant system next. ugh...

[msmoorenburg]

im having a similar problem problem, coolant is disapearing and the remaining coolant turns brown and oily after a short drive. shop said it was fine, and to flush it..... well ive flushed it 4 times already and same thing happens. i guess i need to flush the whole coolant system next. ugh...

So what color is the oil? engine & tranny. it could be a headgasket or a oil cooler in the radiator too

[pikapp504]

I have a similar coolant issue, but it only seems to happen after I stop driving and shut it off. I can hear/see the overflow bubble for a few seconds, and then stop. After a loooooong drive though, I'll notice the level's dropped about 1-2". If I just drive it back and forth to work (~9 miles each way), the level doesn't drop much, if any. Could I possibly have a slow leak? I don't notice any coolant anywhere, all hoses and mating points (thermostat and water pump) are dry.

[LizardRunner]

Do you have plastic end tanks? I would check those first off. I've put dye into a radiator before just so I could find freaking mystery leaks. I found that yellow dye works very well for that, just be sure you have it dissolved completely before you add it to the radiator. Usually I find leaks either in the core or in the hoses, once though it was the freeze plugs. the oil will tell fairly quickly if it is a head gasket or warped head problem.

[prcjeep]

Let me describe the way I found my leak... It was really by chance.

I Bought the kit from the auto store
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQyOZNYNQko2E2jqnLiK1WaiR9eVW5OK Gmh4WMhqt_WYQN-Z0_BYA
Installed the "T-fitting" here
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT0vx0vNWViq-HVjS7OBt-QHyO2Vo1duHDXiiiaRJIt0uM0hsKP8w

While trying to get the temp up i put the radiator cap back on but my Dad hadn't shut the water hose off yet, So this made the system VERY over-pressured and thus how I found my leak... It leaked at the radiator cap, one of my hose clamps, and on the radiator where the plastic tank connects...
Now I figured The system had around 25-30 psi in it cuz the radiator cap is rated for 18 psi but can stand more when they are working good.

Anyways, If you can find another way to force water in to overpressure the system, it will make your leak apparent... Unless I suppose its the head

[prcjeep]

I have a similar coolant issue, but it only seems to happen after I stop driving and shut it off. I can hear/see the overflow bubble for a few seconds, and then stop. After a loooooong drive though, I'll notice the level's dropped about 1-2". If I just drive it back and forth to work (~9 miles each way), the level doesn't drop much, if any. Could I possibly have a slow leak? I don't notice any coolant anywhere, all hoses and mating points (thermostat and water pump) are dry.

Mine was the same... I assumed I had an internal head leak cuz no water was visible externally to point to a leak... No water on thermo or waterpump housing's... no leak on hoses, nothing... No I flushed and "pressured" the system as I stated above and my leak was apparent... I think the reason I never saw it is because the water evaporates off the radiator VERY quickly and its hard to see the tank on both sides... I removed the front crossmember that is over the radiator to confirm and fully diagnose the leak.

Bottle of pelletized stop leak later, I have no leak.