jeeps leaking antifeeze?

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csharp84

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so the past month i have been seeing fluid under my jeep and i posted a thread about it, but today i took the skid plate off and it was wet underneath....now i got the waterpump replaced about 2 years ago but when that went out it leaked way more then what it does now, could it be leaking again? it leaves a good 3x3 inch area on the ground wet almost everytime we drive it..since it seems like it just trickles down from somewhere im really not sure where it is comming from. any have any tricks or idea what it could be? i checked the upper and lower hoses and they seemed to be fine.
 

drawnon

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I just went through this with my 03 sport. Turns out I had a cracked radiator. The dealer wanted $100 to do a pressure test. I went to Firestone and they did the test for $30. Radiator was around $380, and the final bill ran me about $600.
 

LibertyTC

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When it is cold out and the vehicle is nice a hot, you should be able to see a small amount of steam from even a minor leak. You should be able to smell it as well. Rads tend to often have hairline crack on passenger side below cap on side, see if you can see it wet anywhere around there.
Only Use HOAT coolant.
 

csharp84

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i am definatly gonna check the radiator....up above the fan shrowed where is conects to the block antifreeze is way up there and then leaks down...so i am wondering if it is a small crack in the radiator....thanks for the input guys. i am gonna check it out after dinner. ill let you know what i find
 

kjweston

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I just went through this with my 03 sport. Turns out I had a cracked radiator. The dealer wanted $100 to do a pressure test. I went to Firestone and they did the test for $30. Radiator was around $380, and the final bill ran me about $600.

holy smokes!! I had a cracked rad and kept fixing it with quick steel until it got too bad bought a new rad for $184 at autozone, installed it in the parking lot of my University.
 

csharp84

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ok well this is what i got, i took it for a ride hoping it would get real hot and it did....pulled it into the garage and looked around and all the stuff it leaked before dried up. which is great but now it isnt leaking at all....so i never had this problem but let me know if anyone else has, if the car gets hot all the gaskets would then expand so then nothing would leak but since it is so cold out what if after driving it before the fluid would cool down one of the gaskets would shrink because of the cold which then would let it leak a little....this is just a theory lol....im no mechanic, just an electrician!! lol. but like i said it isnt leaking right now. hmmmm
 

csharp84

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ok like i said before im not a mechanic lol, but when the defrost is on the ac condensor starts to run....would this have anything to do with it leaking any ac freon? just a thought....
 

drawnon

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Normally I would have changed the radiator my self but my arm was in a sling and had a long road trip to go on the next day... so Firestone was the ticket for me at the time. Not to mention it was cold and windy that day and I don't have a garage or access to one. I also got a tire rotation and an oil change in that $600 bill. I paid for comfort.
 

LibertyTC

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How is the level in the pressurized reservoir?
It should be at the cold mark when cold.
If it was leaking you can notice there is nothing at the cold mark and fill to cold line with HOAT coolant. You should know if there is a leak by the level in reservoir.
It is normal for the Clutch on the AC to engage (cycle on/off) when set to defrost, on hot or cold to help defrost and remove humidity.
In the winter it is a good idea to still use the AC and set to defrost and cold every couple of weeks to keep system in good shape.
Normal water will drip from accumulator, (from under hood in hose off the passenger side firewall )when in defrost modes as it removes the humidity.
After using the AC /cold, set to floor and heat , which turns off the compressor, and allows the accumulator to dry, if you now let it run for 5+ minutes with heat on/floor. Stops water drips.
 
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tommudd

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When it is cold out and the vehicle is nice a hot, you should be able to see a small amount of steam from even a minor leak. You should be able to smell it as well. Rads tend to often have hairline crack on passenger side below cap on side, see if you can see it wet anywhere around there.
Only Use HOAT coolant.


Most cracks are on the drivers side upper portion
 
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