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Jeep drinking antifreeze like crazy

13K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  Walt 
#1 ·
Hello all,

I got a 2005 5.7l Limited WK. I just had my water pump replaced under my power tran warranty it was leaking. I have been check coolant levels for weeks it keeps going down. So last weekend I filled the resovor up to full line and check it tonight and it is at the low level. Ive got zero leaks so where is all this coolant going? My engine temps are all normal. Also, how do you check the power steering fluid when it is hot or cold, I checked it cold and I got zero fluid on the stick. It looked dark and cloudy looking how do you drain it .


ChrisWK
 
#2 ·
1. Pressure test radiator cap for 18 psig. It can leak by and evaporate coolant without apparent leak point. With a borrowed (or rented) pressure tester, you can do the cooling system & radiator cap at the same time.

2. Check power steering fluid either way. Dipstick should be marked with 2 lines: Hot & Cold. Fluid level should correspond to fluid temp. No indicated level indicates immediate attention is required. At least get to bottom of "cold" when the fluid is hot until you can drain the system and refill with new. Refill procedure involves some fill, turn side-to-side and re-check until air is out and level stabilizes. Some model years use a vacuum withdrawal method for entrained air. Maybe a '05 member has a FSM with specific procedure for you. I only have '08 FSM.
 
#3 ·
Thanks Walt I will look into the pressure test. Could a bad tstat give pressure problems ? I changed the radiator cap to a 18 psi stant couple months before. The oem one it was spraying coolant. Then I replaced the water pump because it was leaking . The tstat I installed was a jet 180 should I go back to the stock 203.

ChrisWK
 
#15 ·
I wouldn't think the 180-degree thermostat would cause the symptoms you describe. Not sure why you would want to change from stock though.

Pressure test of cooling system could at least tell you if the pressure boundary is intact. You just changed the radiator cap, but test it anyway while you have the tester, just to be sure.

My radiator cap was leaking coolant at 3 yrs and 60K miles. Not much fluid loss, but telltale orange stain around the filler neck. Engine seemed to behave better with proper pressure/temperature (butt dyno method of measurement). There is a particular orientation and position for the thermostat; I'm assuming you have reviewed that.

If the cooling system fails to hold pressure, diagnosis is an entirely different matter. There are several suggestions in previous posts. These may be difficult in practice to pinpoint which is the culprit. Bad head gasket or cracked cylinder head may give bad startup performance that improves as the engine gets hot. A bad head gasket will give you gas bubbles in the coolant system and it would smell like exhaust. Leaking radiator core may only show the telltale orange color residue with a bright flashlight after it cools. Escaping coolant will flash to steam as it exits the pressure boundary (>212F) and may not be visible while running.

Don't know if all of this helps, but others may have some better ideas also.
 
#5 ·
I just chaned the oil two wek ago it was dark old looking. What to look at for the heater core.
 
#8 ·
No leaks on the ground, Where is the heater core location and where are the hose to it.

Chris
 
#11 ·
I just check the passenger side dry as a bone.Earlier this evening before doing searching I ran the heater at full high heat it was very hot so the heater core must be working. I looked all over the engine no signs of leaks around the resovor bottle. I am going to do the pressure test next.

Chris
 
#14 ·
The symptoms you're describing could be an indication of a more serious problem, namely a cracked aluminum cylinder head. This can be confirmed by the appearance of white exhaust smoke upon start up that goes away after driving for a while. Once the cylinder head heats up a bit the crack seals itself. A cracked cylinder head allows coolant to pass through the water jackets and into the combustion chamber, consuming coolant. Sure hope that this is not the problem though because the repair could be costly, but covered under a powertrain warranty if you still have any left.
 
#16 ·
What does this white smoke look like is it different from the exhaust smoke you see in the morning on a cold day. I changed the tstat back to a new oem one. The jet 180 it did not have one of those dog ear things like the stock on, Would that cause my coolant to leak somewhere. The funny thing I remebered is when I picked up my jeep from them the service guy told me the tstat was bad and that the radiator was not holding pressure so you need to get a new one. I borowed a radiator pressure kit but could not get the right caps and pressure thing to fit my jeep so I may take it to my service guy to check for me. I saw that there was head gasket test that you use some blue dye in a tube in the radiator hole if it turns yellow you have a leak. My jeep has never overheated. I will tell you that the oem tstat felt the same as the jet one for power.

Chris
 
#17 ·
What does this white smoke look like is it different from the exhaust smoke you see in the morning on a cold day. I changed the tstat back to a new oem one. The jet 180 it did not have one of those dog ear things like the stock on, Would that cause my coolant to leak somewhere. The funny thing I remembered is when I picked up my jeep from them the service guy told me the tstat was bad and that the radiator was not holding pressure so you need to get a new one. I borowed a radiator pressure kit but could not get the right caps and pressure thing to fit my jeep so I may take it to my service guy to check for me. I saw that there was head gasket test that you use some blue dye in a tube in the radiator hole if it turns yellow you have a leak. My jeep has never overheated. I will tell you that the oem tstat felt the same as the jet one for power.

Chris
It's not really smoke, but mostly steam (water vapor condensing out of the tailpipe because you cannot actually see steam). Looks just like cold start scenario, but probably worse. Engine may be running rougher initially until it warms up. I think the power business is a bit of snake oil. The lower temp thermostat fools the PCM into thinking that the conditions are colder, so probably enriches the air-fuel ration, so you actually do get some additional power, but maybe at the expense of mpg's. Not entirely sure since I haven't done it and only thing I've read is advertisements and butt dyno reports. Think of it this way: If it were so simple, Chrysler would do it as a part of the original engine assembly with no additional cost to them. :poke: Some other members will likely have other opinions. :popcorn:

Think you really need to get a good cooling system pressure test before anything else. In the best of all worlds, you will be able to be there and witness it. I'm not familiar with the dye/color changing method. Do the easy stuff first.

Breach of radiator core pressure boundary (core or soldered seam) would allow a slow leak that is not immediately evident. Would clearly leak more under hot engine/pressurized cooling system conditions. Might see some evidence in the bottom of the radiator support.
 
#18 ·
When idling I have water coming out of the tail pipe.

Chris
 
#20 ·
You need to go in for a leak down test. If this continues.If you have no leaks, you have only one place it can go- get burned up.That is if when you done the water pump they properly burped the coolant system and got all the air out.

Getting the engine hot and cold it'll eventually burp itself, thus lowering your coolant level.

If your vehicle is hot and you still have some steam...that's not really good.
 
#21 ·
You need to go in for a leak down test. If this continues.If you have no leaks, you have only one place it can go- get burned up.That is if when you done the water pump they properly burped the coolant system and got all the air out.

Getting the engine hot and cold it'll eventually burp itself, thus lowering your coolant level.

If your vehicle is hot and you still have some steam...that's not really good.
...and parking with the nose slightly uphill will assist the process of allowing any air pockets in the cooling system to accumulate in the top of the radiator. Eventually, the air bubbles will "burp" off and the coolant from the overflow tank will be sucked back into the radiator (as a vacuum is generated under cold conditions).

There is also a plug on the top side of the water outlet housing. This can be used to bleed off air before you run it.

Going back to your first post, it is possible that there was a large amount of air left in the system when you got it back. That condition would account for your adding coolant several times. The question to ask whoever did it is "Did you replace the same coolant in that you drained? If you did, did it ALL go back in ...or... was some left over?" The answers to those questions may provide more clues for you.

Let us know how your pressure test turns out.
 
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