Q: Jeep leaking coolant, not overheating, can't find leak.
I've been experiencing a lot of cooling system issues lately with my Jeep. Within the last year, I've replaced the radiator, both rad hoses, the cap, and the thermostat. I'm stationed in Guam, so it never gets below 70 degrees all year 'round, so cooling issues are common. However, I've been leaving puddles of coolant everywhere I go now for about a month and for the life of me I can't find where it's coming from. When I get beneath the Jeep, I see drips coming from where the lower hose connects to the radiator, so I replaced the hose again, made sure it was as far down as it could go on the post, tightened it on, and I'm still leaking. Recently I found what looked like coolant near the rad cap and some wet spots on the parts below the cap but above the lower hose. This is the second cap I've gotten, so I'm disinclined to think it's the cap. Thoughts?
My car has 186500 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Hi there:
First off, thanks for your service to our country. Trying to find a coolant leak is one of the more difficult things to do without having the vehicle in motion. However, one thing you might want to do is to make sure to wipe clean any cooling system components; from the coolant lines, overflow reservoir, hoses and especially the bottom of the radiator. Drive the vehicle around for a while, then park it on a level surface. Let it sit for about an hour and locate the source of the leak. It’s very possible that you may have too much "coolant" or the wrong ratio of coolant to water (it should be 50/50 to distilled water). As coolant heats, it expands and is sent to the overflow reservoir (tank). If the leak is coming from that direction, remove some of your coolant and add some water to "thin it out". Good luck and let us know if you’re able to find the source of your leak by trying this method.
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