I was towing my boat home last night and started noticing white smoke coming from the right front passenger side. I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and could't get off and it seemed to go away. Then a few miles later the oil temp and coolant temp warnings started to flash (300 degrees for the oil temp) and could smell coolant. Pulled over to the side and the coolant cap was loose and looked like it had splashed over the engine bay. The coolant reservoir also seemed like it was boiling inside. Detached the boat trailer and limped to the dealer. Just spoke with them and they want to install a coolant temp sensor "as a first step". They also say they can't ID the smoking (I have had it in before for the same smoking issue and they can never replicate it). Do we think that will solve it or is it my radiator?
Kori, thanks. I guess my biggest concern is whether this will actually fix the problem? I am about to take the boat on a 300 mile trip and it seems to me that a faulty coolant sensor wouldn't cause the engine to smoke but I am also no mechanic.
That relief hose at the top of the resevoir should have let the pressure out. Thats very strange to have it blow-off under pressure. You should def get a new radiator cap at least.
Also, note that the cap does not go on easy since it is a pressure cap. It's two stage. First, place it on and press it down while turning. It will turn slightly and come up against some resistance. Press and turn a little harder and you'll feel it pop into place. That gets it past the locking tabs and locks it into place when you stop pressing down. Just like a normal radiator cap.
Akinney has it right about the 3.0L EcoDiesel system and the OP has an ED motor.
The "overflow" tank is a part of the PRESSURIZED cooling system. The cap is rated at 21psi and, as he stated, it is just like a regular pressure cap that requires a two stage installation.
This cap not being closed correctly would definitely cause overheating in a hot running ED motor!
I would definitely have a go at your dealer about the Engine cover not being installed correctly plus, and more importantly, that the Coolant bottle cap was loose!
I just spoke with the dealer and the did not end up installing the coolant temp sensor. While they were testing it under pressure they noticed the radiator had a small leak (which may have also been causing my smoking issue). So now I need a new radiator which won't be in until tomorrow. I am hoping they cover it under warranty since I raised the smoking issue several times in the last 2 years.
Fingers crossed that this fixes the issue and FSA covers it but now stuck without a tow vehicle before my vacation on Thursday
Edit: Spoke with the dealer again and they are going to cover the cost and it will be done by tomorrow afternoon. Still makes me nervous without ample time to load test it.
I'm glad they found the problem and it's being covered by warranty.
Consider asking them to do another pressure test after installing the replacement. They might already be doing that anyway, but, if not, they might consider doing it if you explain your concerns about overheating during towing if another problem occurs.
If, for some weird reason, your Jeep has the wrong cap type, a pressure test should catch that, too.
These issues may or may not be related. I had the the white smoke issue... but it was coming from the right side of the vehicle, not from under the hood. If thats what you have then you might have a leaky DEF injector! You can tell if you jump out of the vehicle (safely) when it happens and look under the passenger door. I will try to attach a video. You can easily see the injector if you look under there....and on mine I had a trace of white that pretty clearly indicated a leak.