Coolant related Issue please help!

[ACKTJ]

Hi all, I have a 2004 TJ 4.0 with 134k miles. Recently I have noticed a somewhat minor coolant leak and that whenever I turn my defroster on, my windshield fogs up and it smells of coolant. Not only am I losing coolant, but it’s potentially dangerous as I am unable to de-fog the windshield. Any idea what this may be?

 

[Daryl]

Sounds like your heater core is leaking.

 

[josephbelttj]

Also here to say the heater core is leaking. It’s likely wet under your carpets.

 

[ACKTJ]

Sounds like your heater core is leaking.

While it is a possibility, I’m not noticing the telltale coolant leak into the passenger footwell. I’d like to avoid that repair as possible as I am trying not to dump money into it before selling this spring.

 

[MountaineerTom]

There is a tube on the firewall (engine side) near the battery that will drip coolant if the heater core leak is bad enough. It will also leak clear water if you have a/c and have it running. If you see signs of drips from there and it looks, smells and feels like coolant, then it’s your heater core.

If it is the heater core, you could always disconnect the hoses from the core and connect them together to bypass the core until you’re ready to replace it. Seeing that you’re in CT, I’d bundle up really well if you do that cause you’ll have no heat.

 

[ACKTJ]

There is a tube on the firewall (engine side) near the battery that will drip coolant if the heater core leak is bad enough. It will also leak clear water if you have a/c and have it running. If you see signs of drips from there and it looks, smells and feels like coolant, then it’s your heater core.

If it is the heater core, you could always disconnect the hoses from the core and connect them together to bypass the core until you’re ready to replace it. Seeing that you’re in CT, I’d bundle up really well if you do that cause you’ll have no heat.

It does seem to be leaking from there. Guess I’ll have to tackle that job. Thanks for the help.

 

[MountaineerTom]

I used some stuff I had laying around the shop to bypass mine until I swapped the core. I used the blocks of wood to pinch off the hoses so I didn’t lose much coolant. Then used some adapter to make a loop. only drove it a few days like that but it didn’t leak.

The hoses are different sized, but I don’t remember what they are off the top of my head. They sell U shaped hoses appropriately sized and all you’d need is 2 barbed hose adapter that are the appropriate size. I think I’ve also see a plastic fitting with the correct size on each end all you’d do is connect the two heater hoses with it.

 

[JasterMereel42]

Use this adapter to bypass the heater core. It is what I used and it never leaked.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G3HT7CJ/?tag=wranglerorg-20