Hello, my jeep has new hoses, new water pump and gasket, new thermostat housing with gasket, new thermostat, new radiator cap, and I originally thought it was the radiator but the shop said it looked good. I put new Zerex coolant in 50/50 mix with distilled after I did a complete coolant change. the jeep does not overheat at all. I ran the jeep for 20 min with the new coolant with the heater on full blast to burp the system. I drove it around yesterday after for about 30 min and no leaks, this morning before work it had no leaks. Once I drove to work and parked it just bursted coolant everywhere. Once I took the radiator cap it stopped. I cant seem to pinpoint where it bursted from. Any ideas? Thanks
TJ Leaking Coolant
- Thread starter limeliam
- Start date
I had a simliar issue and it turned out to be a loose hose clamp on the bottom radiator hose connection. Check all your hose connections to see if one may be loose first.
You can find a cheap cooling system pressure test kit and try that. I was losing 1/2” coolant out of the tank about every 100 miles and couldn’t find it. Used that $45 kit and found that under pressure it would drip very slowly out of the radiator hose where it connects to the water pump. Have new parts on the shelf but it’s a tiny leak so I haven’t gotten around to the fix yet. Maybe worth a shot
bohuggabee
TJ Enthusiast
Aside from other people are mentioning. It could be the radiator cap. I have to push mine down and set it on the tabs. If i dont. It leaks like a steam train. If you bought an after market cap? They dont seal properly. It can be a small leak to a massive one from the cap. Since you said you removed the cap and everything was fine. That could mean thats the problem. Try pushing it further down and setting the cap compressed on the tabs of the radiator. I have to do it. I forgot about it and when i added coolant, i just put the cap on like you are supposed to do. I leaked coolant for a mile. And when i got gas. I restarted it and ive never seen so much smoke. I tensioned the cap. Fixed...
Leaking coolant systems will run the engine cold like a stuck thermostat. So if its running colder than usual. Its most likely got a coolant leak.
Other issues, rare, can be engine erosion. But i doubt thats it if you saw it. If the engine ran without coolant. The hoses will melt, even if new. It can be a very small hole in a hose. So when engine and system is hot. Press on the hoses and squeeze them. But you squeeze them in and out over and over again and listen.
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KennethS
TJ Addict
It can’t actually be “everywhere”, although it may look that way afterwards if the wetness is widespread. You should be able to narrow down where it’s leaking - front of engine, back of engine, etc. The fan can cause a leak near the front to blow around, but turning the engine off then inspecting should identify the area that’s leaking.
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