Losing Coolant

[Daveos]

I have noticed recently that when I start my KJ in the morning when it is cold, I get a lot of coolant smell coming out for a few seconds. I believe it is coming out of the exhaust - not positive. If I go out after about 10 seconds and stick my nose in the exhaust there is no smell of coolant at all.

I changed the spark plugs a few days ago and they didn't seem to have any evidence of coolant on them. Not sure what the evidence would be. I have them still.

I have been reading some other threads and people are suggesting it is a leaking intake manifold? I have never seen any evidence of coolant in the oil when doing oil changes. I changed the oil last week.

I am not noticing any external leaks on the engine, no evidence of coolant on the ground.

IF it is an intake manifold, is that a tough job?

What else could it be?

Thanks

David

 

[cplchris]

I have noticed recently that when I start my KJ in the morning when it is cold, I get a lot of coolant smell coming out for a few seconds. I believe it is coming out of the exhaust - not positive. If I go out after about 10 seconds and stick my nose in the exhaust there is no smell of coolant at all.

I changed the spark plugs a few days ago and they didn't seem to have any evidence of coolant on them. Not sure what the evidence would be. I have them still.

I have been reading some other threads and people are suggesting it is a leaking intake manifold? I have never seen any evidence of coolant in the oil when doing oil changes. I changed the oil last week.

I am not noticing any external leaks on the engine, no evidence of coolant on the ground.

IF it is an intake manifold, is that a tough job?

What else could it be?

Thanks

David

check your radiator, i know you said you think its in the exhaust but if u pop the hood and look at the upper drivers side corner of the radiator you will see a rubber flap between the grill and radiator side tank if you pull that out of the way (toward the front of the jeep) you will get a good look at the side tank, look at the seam on the upper corner of the plastic tank and look for any sign of a leak, thats where it was on mine and i thought it was my heater core because i always got the smell with the heat on, new radiator and no more coolant smell, if it is the radiator, i got mine at NAPA autoparts brand new not a reman, there new ones come with a lifetime gaurantee...hope this helps

 

[user113]

If it is coming from the exhaust, and if it is not a manifold gasket, it may well be a head gasket. Much bigger job. Could also be a crack instead of a gasket. If it is in the exhaust it has to have come from the combustion chamber, and there are not too many other ways for coolant to get into the combustion chamber.

 

[Daveos]

check your radiator, i know you said you think its in the exhaust but if u pop the hood and look at the upper drivers side corner of the radiator you will see a rubber flap between the grill and radiator side tank if you pull that out of the way (toward the front of the jeep) you will get a good look at the side tank, look at the seam on the upper corner of the plastic tank and look for any sign of a leak, thats where it was on mine and i thought it was my heater core because i always got the smell with the heat on, new radiator and no more coolant smell, if it is the radiator, i got mine at NAPA autoparts brand new not a reman, there new ones come with a lifetime gaurantee...hope this helps

Well, I checked the radiator and found a leak on the drivers side. It is a clear leak but isn't enough to form a puddle.

I started the jeep this morning, (very cold, fresh snow) and immediately ran to the back of the jeep to smell the exhaust. There was no smell of coolant coming from the exhaust, it was coming from under the jeep. I assume from the leak I found.

Good news.

David

 

[Daveos]

I guess my next question is, what is the best patch material to use to patch the hole? I would rather try and patch before buying a new one.

 

[cplchris]

i honestly cant say from experience what would work to patch the hole/leak but hopefully someone else will have a better answer, all i know is stay away from coolant leak stopping additives they will destroy your cooling system, they are only a temporary fix to the leak, they clog up the water pump as well as the rest of the system, my advice is a NAPA radiator, definitely money well spent there.

 

[Daveos]

i honestly cant say from experience what would work to patch the hole/leak but hopefully someone else will have a better answer, all i know is stay away from coolant leak stopping additives they will destroy your cooling system, they are only a temporary fix to the leak, they clog up the water pump as well as the rest of the system, my advice is a NAPA radiator, definitely money well spent there.

Yeah, not planning on additives. I am aware what they can do. Bought a van that had a clogged radiator and heater core. Ridiculous.

 

[mtrionfo]

When I bought my 2002 from a used lot it had a small crack in the upper driver's side corner. I found the crack during the test drive and was able to negotiate the price down by $700. (Which was the estimated cost for radiator replacement from a nearby Jeep dealer.) So I bought the Jeep and drove straight to auto parts store for a stick of JB Weld like this:

J-B Weld Company - J-B STIK Product Information

It goes on the outside like a putty and then quickly hardens. I applied it in the parking lot then waited 30 minutes or so before making the two hour drive home. Worked fine. I ended up leaving that repair in place for about a month until I could order a new radiator and swap it in. Probably wouldn't have lasted much longer but it worked as a quick fix.

Good luck.

 

[Bundu Boy]

When I bought my 2002 from a used lot it had a small crack in the upper driver's side corner. I found the crack during the test drive and was able to negotiate the price down by $700. (Which was the estimated cost for radiator replacement from a nearby Jeep dealer.) So I bought the Jeep and drove straight to auto parts store for a stick of JB Weld like this:

J-B Weld Company - J-B STIK Product Information

It goes on the outside like a putty and then quickly hardens. I applied it in the parking lot then waited 30 minutes or so before making the two hour drive home. Worked fine. I ended up leaving that repair in place for about a month until I could order a new radiator and swap it in. Probably wouldn't have lasted much longer but it worked as a quick fix.

Good luck.

Agreed.... a couple of weeks back I was in the bush here in SA watching baboons, when I noticed the Temp gauge heading north, then stream coming out from under the bonnet. I managed to get a fuel station not far from the baboons and popped the hood.

Had a teeny tiny little hole on the right side of my radiator. So I drained the radiator and waited for everything to cool down. The applied a Metal Epoxy over the hole. fixed.....

Now my jeep is in the garage getting it fixed and also a new water pump.:disgust: