Just bought a '00 TJ. Brand new to the Jeep world. Bought this Jeep knowing the steering box needed replaced and the transmission pan gasket was bad (it has sat for 2 years). Before it sat, someone put a new radiator, overflow tank, & water pump on. I test drove this Jeep for a weekend before deciding to buy it.
I topped off the coolant level, and the next day, it started steaming every time I would turn it off. Not a lot of steam, but enough to look bad when I would park it. Gauge on the dash shows it running right under 210, and all visual inspections show now obvious leaks. First time it did it, I thought I was burning up the power steering pump, since the steering box is leaking. Checked fluid level, it was low, immediately filled it up. Good to go, so I thought.
It was still steaming, still not showing it overheating. I check all of the remaining fluids, transmission fluid is good, I know I have to keep adding until I get that gasket done, oil is good, dirty, needs changed, but no obvious signs of coolant in the oil. I add a little more coolant, and it's still doing it. The first time I added coolant, it wasn't bad low, just right at the add mark, the second time, I filled it to the full mark.
It seems like most of the steam is coming directly from the radiator, and still, the engine isn't showing it's overheating, at least on the gauge. Things I immediately thought of, maybe the fan isn't doing what it needs to do to cool, so I started running it without the A/C to see if that would help, still same result. Thought maybe the radiator cap was bad, changed it to what I knew was the correct size and pressure, still same result.
Thought maybe there was some air in the system, so I burped it, still steaming. My next check is to pressure test it and see if maybe I do have a small crack or something in the radiator. If it shows good pressure, my next thought is to flush it out, thinking that after sitting 2 years, something has come loose and clogged the radiator. After some research, I see some people saying I should only be using HOAT coolant, and I'm wondering if that's what it had in it, and I added generic coolant and it's boiling or something.
My father in law is a good mechanic, and even he is at a loss for what is going on. 95% sure it isn't head gasket, since it's not overheating, no white smoke from exhaust, no coolant in the oil, and no oil in the coolant. The whole thing is baffling, if the engine was overheating, according to the gauge, it would make more sense. Any suggestions from anyone, other than what I'm already planning to do?
I topped off the coolant level, and the next day, it started steaming every time I would turn it off. Not a lot of steam, but enough to look bad when I would park it. Gauge on the dash shows it running right under 210, and all visual inspections show now obvious leaks. First time it did it, I thought I was burning up the power steering pump, since the steering box is leaking. Checked fluid level, it was low, immediately filled it up. Good to go, so I thought.
It was still steaming, still not showing it overheating. I check all of the remaining fluids, transmission fluid is good, I know I have to keep adding until I get that gasket done, oil is good, dirty, needs changed, but no obvious signs of coolant in the oil. I add a little more coolant, and it's still doing it. The first time I added coolant, it wasn't bad low, just right at the add mark, the second time, I filled it to the full mark.
It seems like most of the steam is coming directly from the radiator, and still, the engine isn't showing it's overheating, at least on the gauge. Things I immediately thought of, maybe the fan isn't doing what it needs to do to cool, so I started running it without the A/C to see if that would help, still same result. Thought maybe the radiator cap was bad, changed it to what I knew was the correct size and pressure, still same result.
Thought maybe there was some air in the system, so I burped it, still steaming. My next check is to pressure test it and see if maybe I do have a small crack or something in the radiator. If it shows good pressure, my next thought is to flush it out, thinking that after sitting 2 years, something has come loose and clogged the radiator. After some research, I see some people saying I should only be using HOAT coolant, and I'm wondering if that's what it had in it, and I added generic coolant and it's boiling or something.
My father in law is a good mechanic, and even he is at a loss for what is going on. 95% sure it isn't head gasket, since it's not overheating, no white smoke from exhaust, no coolant in the oil, and no oil in the coolant. The whole thing is baffling, if the engine was overheating, according to the gauge, it would make more sense. Any suggestions from anyone, other than what I'm already planning to do?
