05 KJ problems :/

[whoismatty]

First off, im not entirely sure where to put this topic, but im sure the mods can help me if its an issue.

Let me begin by introducing myself. im matt, from utah and i own an 05 KJ. to this day its been the very best vehicle ive owned. and when i stumbled upon this site, well i think im in heaven. many hours will be spent here

anyways, my jeep recently has broken down. my radiator developed a crack in it, causing my coolant to escape. im not sure if it was a rapid occurrence or if it has been seeping for a while. however, after discovering the problem, i dropped water into the reservoir. this method continued for a few days. at one point i drove it about 7 miles to the point where i had noticed it has overheated. Jeep dies, and i go for a restart and it doesnt turn over.(no power) i take the battery and recharge it(overnight).
when i return in the morning, i hook her all up. it turns over, roughly, and eventually starts up after feathering the throttle. she runs rough and wont hold an idle then soon dies again. ive managed to get it home now, and ive replaced my spark plugs. codes that showed up are p2302, an ignition coil failure of sorts, so i snag a new coil. no help. im aware of the possible problems, and figured id be able to get a little insight from here as well.

the only other code that shows up is p0113, which is just an overheat code.
also, im not entirely sure how to test an ignition coil. i have the correct ohms readings, however im not to sure where i need to be testing -_-

any input would be greatly appreciated thank you all.

 

[iamweasel]

If it - any engine - overheats in a big way, the cylinder head can warp or even crack. If this happens you can get water and oil mixing - very bad.

Check inside your oil filler cap. If it's milky it's bad news unfortunately - means coolant and oil have mixed = major work: removing the head(s), having them checked. If it's warped it can be skimmed; cracks can by 'stitched' (Not sure how they do this, but I used to have a mini that overheated and got a cracked head. Engineering shop stitched the crack), new head gaskets and reassemble.

I am by no means an expert, but it's happened to me, so only speaking from my own experience.

Sorry to not have a better prognosis, but breaking down due to overheating always has the potential to be very costly.

 

[LibertyTC]

Without a doubt the first thing I would do is pull the oil dipstick and see if there is bubbles, and milky substance. If so, do not attempt to restart it. Running the KJ with a crack/leaking rad is not the best idea, as a non pressurized system/overheating as mentioned above can cause all kinds of issues, including blown /warped head & gaskets.
Fix the rad first, drain the engine oil and replenish with new if there is no milky substance and then address the coils.
If there is contamination from the coolant heads inspect and engine flush min. required.
Moving a bad coil pack from one cylinder to another should have the code move with it to another cylinder #. Just replace a bad coil pack.

 

[diyman]

Welcome to this forum. You'll find nice people here!

First, adding water and keep going is a big no no :shakehead:, only works in the movies or... here, where I live..
You will thank Heaven if nothing serious happened to Your engine's heads, even though I'd have gasket replaced
anyway. An OEM radiator is mandatory, so, IMHO, is a new water pump ( don't forget gasket...) and get rid of all
the water that's still there.
Also, I'd check everything that is run by the belt ( alternator, A/C, tensioner etc etc..), change oil, filter and...
cross fingers![-o<
Also, in case You didn't notice, KJ are fussy about battery condition and they act weird if that is on it's last leg.

Only overheated a car real badly, it was a 2000 Chevy Blazer, and the engine didn't even notice... ( no leaks, no
further issues ) but that vehicle was probably a 'natural born beater' ( just my thought, maybe I just had luck ).

PS: letting us know about the mileage would surely help...

 

[retmil46]

OUCH!!! In agreement with those above - 3.7 L V6 has aluminum heads, and if you overheat the engine you can end up warping the heads and causing internal coolant leaks. I've seen reports of people overheating and warping the heads from just using the wrong viscosity oil.

 

[tjkj2002]

Check inside your oil filler cap. If it's milky it's bad news unfortunately - means coolant and oil have mixed = major work.

But for the 3.7/4.7/5.7/6.1/6.4 engine family it is normal to have that milky substance under the oil fill cap and 100% normal and no issues will result.


Like already stated severly overheating the engine and then just "adding water" and keep on driving your most likely looking at a new engine.If any coolant got into the engine it will make short work of the bearings and most likely the cause of the rough running.When the engine dies from being to hot it's almost always beyond being able to fix on mordern engines.

 

[whoismatty]

im not gonna lie, im rather sad now, however im happy at the fast responses guys! i will have a closer look at her today. and yes, i know it wasnt intelligent :/ i didnt really have a many options haha.


ok so i too a look at the dip, and it seems fine. no white or bubbles of any sort. however down my oil cap, it looks kinda funny. but i mean the things got 140k miles and commutes on the freeway daily.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2a5kfg0.jpg

 

[LibertyTC]

If that was my rig,l I would further investigate the engine oil by draining it all from oil pan and really get a good look at it. ( keep a sample) (then replenish it) You will then know if it is clean oil or water mixed.
I am not sure if you noticed the temp light or how hot the engine was on the gauge was when it steamed up? & died, but without any doubt a compression test would now give you a good indication, maybe get it towed to an engine shop for analysis?
I really dont think I would attempt to start or drive it anywhere until investigation is done.

 

[retmil46]

But for the 3.7/4.7/5.7/6.1/6.4 engine family it is normal to have that milky substance under the oil fill cap and 100% normal and no issues will result.

Agreed. I had an '04 Dakota for about a year, with the 4.7 V8, and it did exactly that. My guess is because they had the PCV valve tied into the oil fill tube just below the cap - thus pulling all the combustion gases/air/moisture up under the cap on its way out of the crankcase - and the water vapor condensed out on the relatively cool plastic of the oil fill tube and cap.

Scared the crap out of me when I first saw this, until I figured out what was going on. Then I was rather PO'd at DC for what I felt was a frakkin poor design feature, that would allow liquid water to accumulate like this and drip back down into the crankcase.

From what I've read, on later versions of the 3.7 in the KJ, they moved the PCV valve up on one of the valve covers.