96 cherokee coolant leak

..freezer valves?..

If your friend is talking about the freezeplugs or casting plugs then that is possible but highly unlikely.

It is more likely the hoses are old. Look around the engine, under the engine, and check the hoses that lead to the heater core (run back along the passenger side of the valve cover) These can crack at the pump.

Is the radiator compleatly empty? You will probably have to fill it up and run the engine to find where the coolant went.

Also wash down the coolant from the street/driveway. It is toxic to animals.

Hey DougW I got under my jeep this morning to see if i could find where it was leaking from. i opened the radiator cap and there was coolant there. there are 2 spots on the ground right below the radiator. the biggest spot near the trans. seems to have "rode a rail" from the front and dripped back there. even though i've seen the 2 spots under the radiator, i can't find where it is coming from. any suggestions from these findings? thanks!

Sure it's your Jeep that left the antifreeze? :)

Take some paper towel and wipe dry the area around the radiator cap, upper and lower hoses (where they attach), the bottom face of the water pump housing (behind the fan), and the overflow bottle.

Check the upper coolant overflow hose for cracks and the overflow bottle to make sure it's at the full mark.

Thing about coolant is it's very hard to determine where it came from until there is a lot of it. A tiny pinhole can spray coolant across the engine compartment or a worn pump bushing can cause leaks from the weep hole that's under the pumps driveshaft.

Your going to have to run the engine and feel around for leaks just watch the fan (bit myself too many times). You might not get a leak till the system is hot and pressurized so if there are no leaks just idling, take the jeep for a short 4 mile run and then check again.

When the system is hot and under pressure, take a close look at all the hoses where they attach. You looking for swelling/ balooning and soft spots. Fairly easy to see, it looks like one of those clown baloons partially filled. I had the return hose to my heater core do that and it could only be seen with the engine hot.

Your XJ is a decade old and has reached the design life of the radiator, like mine did last month.

"Freeze plugs" are a thing commonly blamed by those who don't know what one does or looks like. My money would be on the water pump, hoses and radiator, in that order.

gcdenis wrote:

It sounds like the system is leaking when under pressure (running or still warm).

One low-tech method is to wrap the hoses in paper towels (when cool) and tape them on. The leaker will soak the hose.

You could also try an ultraviolet dye.

"gcdenis" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.talkaboutautos.com:

Does the Cherokee also have the plastic tanks like the Grand or does it still have a real radiator? If the plastic, that would be the first place I'd look. Hard to see unless under a bit of pressure or you can spot the liquie.

Red Jeep proclaimed:

I thought that is what the oil leaks were for...

That's Harleys.

i got my cherokee to a dealer today and they told me what was wrong with my jeep. they said its radiator is clogged, i need a new thermostat for it, and i need a flush. they quoted me an outrageous price. $200 for the radiator plus labor and $129 for a flush are 2 that stick out.

am i being ripped off? i've heard '96 cherokee's radiators are a pain to get in is that why they would be charging me $500+?

If the radiator is 'clogged' you probably need more than a flush but as far a pricing goes a flush-n-fill kit is $5, the flush solution $5, and the thermostat $10.

That gives you $20 in materials and $480 for about an hour's labor.

Sounds like typical dealership charge to me

Yep. The labor rate and time alloted to each task is fixed.

For 500$ you could get a new aluminium radiator from radiatorbarn.com and still have money left over.

As for cleaning it, call around to radiator shops.

You should find yourself a good local auto shop. There is nothing magical about dealerships.

As for difficulty, dunno. The ZJ requires you take out the fan and shroud then it's realy easy to pop out the radiator.

I just pulled a Cherokee rad out. It took less than a half hour and I am disabled, not able to turn a wrench well at all.

Mike

You mean BSAs (AKA "the BSA Drip").

DougW wrote:

The local Midas shop put a new after market radiator in my `96 Cherokee for $400.