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Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=65987		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  jimithing78 [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:17 am ]
Post subject:  Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
My wife's 2004 Liberty (90k miles) is slowly loosing coolant on the garage floor. It had a radiator crack last year so we had that replaced at a local shop. At the time they asked if I wanted new hoses (it still had factory hoses) with the radiator and I was being cheap and told them to reuse the existing ones. So I'm thinking that one of the hoses (or clamps) is bad. Is there any other source for a coolant leak that I should check? Is there anything different about these hoses that make them difficult to change? There are only two hoses to replace, right? An upper and lower? Anything special I need to know about replacing them? Also, I think the OEM coolant is HOAT - I'm assuming I need to use that, correct? If someone wants to point me to a walk through that would be fine. I searched for one and couldn't find it. Maybe I suck at searching. Thanks in advance.
Author:  tjkj2002 [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 3:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
If a aftermarket radiator was installed I'd always suspect that as leaking 1st.Time to get a cooling system pressure tester and go to town.With most leaks in KJ's lately you will need to test the system 3 times,once when fully cold,once when fully warmed up(t-stat open),and the 3rd time when the engine temp is between 130 degrees and 160 degrees as between these temps is when most leaks occure nowdays in vehicles and undetectable full hot or full cold.Make sure to test the cap also.

I went through 4 aftermarket radiators within 2 years and all leaked at the passenger side tank connection to the aluminum core right at the lower radiator hose outlet and only leaked when the coolant temps were between about 130 degrees and 160 degrees,colder or hotter it would not leak.I now have a OEM radiator installed and has outlasted 4 aftermarket ones combined.
Author:  jimithing78 [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 3:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
tjkj2002 wrote:
If a aftermarket radiator was installed I'd always suspect that as leaking 1st.Time to get a cooling system pressure tester and go to town.With most leaks in KJ's lately you will need to test the system 3 times,once when fully cold,once when fully warmed up(t-stat open),and the 3rd time when the engine temp is between 130 degrees and 160 degrees as between these temps is when most leaks occure nowdays in vehicles and undetectable full hot or full cold.Make sure to test the cap also.

I went through 4 aftermarket radiators within 2 years and all leaked at the passenger side tank connection to the aluminum core right at the lower radiator hose outlet and only leaked when the coolant temps were between about 130 degrees and 160 degrees,colder or hotter it would not leak.I now have a OEM radiator installed and has outlasted 4 aftermarket ones combined.


Well that sucks. I'm not sure if it was an OEM radiator or not. I guess I'll have it pressure tested and see what happens. Thanks for the info.
Author:  jimithing78 [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
Got an appt in the morning to have it tested. BTW, while I was sitting here thinking of potential problems I started wondering if there's any possibility of a head gasket problem. How's the head gasket failure rate in KJ's? The car overheated when the radiator cracked last time. But they pressure tested it after replacing the radiator and didn't find any problem. Could the warping have shown up months after the repair? The car isn't throwing any codes or even overheating. I just noticed a residue on the garage floor and found the coolant tank really low. The residue on the garage floor is almost clear but it's not water. It's oily and smells faintly like antifreeze.
Author:  tjkj2002 [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
A head gasket issue or cracked head leaks internally into the engine.
Author:  04KJcjackson [ Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
Sounds like I'm not the only one experiencing a constant coolant leak. I have replaced everything at least once including radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses (I am on my 4th lower hose). I agree with tjkj that the OEM radiators hold up better even though they may cost a little more.
Author:  jimithing78 [ Fri Mar 23, 2012 1:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
Well it turns out the leak is from the water pump. Probably something I could do myself but I just don't have the time this weekend so I'm letting the shop do it.

Other things wrong:

Leak in the power steering line but it's real small so I'm just going to add fluid every couple of months. For some reason that power steering hose is very expensive. He said it was because it was a high pressure line. He himself recommended just adding fluid instead of changing the line.

The battery is testing bad. It's a Sears Die Hard Gold and should be under warranty still so I'll take care of that this weekend

They also recommended the 90k. I'm just going to have them do the transmission fluid/filter. I'll do the differential this weekend sometime. Plugs were just done about 10k ago.
Author:  Boomerang [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
Whoa buddy, I was going to say water pump. Replaced mine at about 40k which was dissapointing. You should know that the water pump is right on front and wasy as hell to repalce. Might be a good opportunity to change the hoses if they need to be, do a cooland flush and change the belt if it's worn down. All this can be donw in a couple hours on your own and for very low cost with OEM
Author:  Boomerang [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Losing coolant - sources other than radiator?
Also keep in mind the price for the part is negotiable a bit, you can usually get a lump of cash off if you're nice to the parts guy.
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