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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Couldnt get a hold of South Main, went with Hunt's in Ithaca instead. They're pretty good per Google reviews, as well as local recommendations. Got this, and was recommended to drive until the reservoir is empty so we can know the rate of the leak. I also said cylinder head, head gasket, or maybe heater core. Only the gasket is mentioned on these notes.
You look straight down, right? I can't seem to locate it. I think I'm blind 8.5.2
You're not blind. I have a 2000 and dont see any markings either. I just had the cover off but didn't look real close for numbers. I think I had something like N1H and maybe a 99, which may be a date code .. Fortunately, I'm not losing coolant.....
I had cracked the plastic on the radiator and decided to replace the whole cooling system except the heater core..... Hoses, everything....
You're not blind. I have a 2000 and dont see any markings either. I just had the cover off but didn't look real close for numbers. I think I had something like N1H and maybe a 99, which may be a date code .. Fortunately, I'm not losing coolant.....
I had cracked the plastic on the radiator and decided to replace the whole cooling system except the heater core..... Hoses, everything....
Alright, I'm back after another trip to the shop. They did three more pressure tests, two cold, one hot, a cylinder compression test, and nada from anything. They think (after poking around here, I assume) that it must be a crack going right into the combustion chamber, although my exhaust isn't white. SO.... best course of action? I am planning on doing an oil analysis, and could get a new head... but honestly if it's running OK, then I could try a coolant leak-stopper thing? I don't know! A friend suggested I pull the spark plugs to look for build-up, which I will do when it's reasonable out. My only other issue is that my car doesn't coast down hills very well, but that's for another thread.
Thanks for all the help so far, and apologies for the sporadic messaging.
I had a small coolant loss issue for a year, got a whiff of coolant every now and then, I have the good cylinder head. eventually the leak got to the
point where I can see it was the cooling pump, a very tiny drip. a few weeks later it was a stream. replaced pump and now ok.
My buddy had the bad head on his, took a while to find the leak, with a bright light we saw green droplets oozing from the crack, saw it by looking down the oil filler hole.
suggest you pressure test the cooling system while observing the potential crack area thru the oil fill hole.
those antifreeze leak stops sometimes work, some times dont depending on the leak, but they always leave an aweful mess in the cooling system can gum up the radiator and heater core. I dont recommend them.
as too opening the radiator cap with engine running, sure do it but only if the engine is cold. Opening while hot can seriously injure you, the water will "explode" out and it can be much hotter than a boiling pot on the stove. you can open cap with engine off (but ONLY if cold) and then start the engine, infact that is part of the antifreeze fill procedure, run motor with cap open as you fill it, but only remove cap when COLD!
If you think it's leaking into the combustion chamber, one telltale sign would be an IMMACULATE spark plug. It get steam cleaned on every cycle. The shop should have seen that, unless you have recently changed all of the plugs.
SAE says the engine must run fully warm for over 30 minutes or 15 miles at highway speeds to completely evaporate any condensation from the crankcase. Try that BEFORE you do your oil change to see if the sludge disappears. If it does, you don't have a head gasket leak.
Of course a wonky PVC valve or related crank case breathing system defect can cause moisture build up even if the engine is fully warmed and ran for hours, even if the coolant is NOT leaakng into the motor. So if you still have water/oil milky sludge after a long high temp run of the jeep, it does not mean the coolant is leaky inside the motor, sure it can be, but a plugged PVC system will also cause a milky oil/water sludge.
I get a whiff of coolant every other time the car starts up and for the first 10-15 minutes while it warms. I'll check my sparkplugs, I replaced them maybe 5-6k ago, not sure how much wear and tear they would show?
Seems like my best bet is just to run it until it becomes obvious, or shell out a bit to pre-emptively replace the head and/or coolant system components.
11-13-2020, 07:44 AM
8.5.2
