Coolant leak

[Dirty_Walter]

2006 V8 4.7 with about 87000 miles on it.

Noticed a few pancake sized wet spots under the vehicle this morning. Found a couple of drips on the underside of the vehicle (passenger side). Popped the hood and found the orange antifreeze sprayed all over the engine and the coolant reservoir was empty...

Im assuming, where ever the leakage is, is spraying the fan and thats why its all over the rest of the engine.

Ended up fining the appropriate antifreeze at the dealer (mopar), established that it was the proper type and filled it back up.

As of right now, I have only noticed a few drips on the ground after parking but cant seem to figure out where its coming from.

Anyways, if anyone has any insight or a better way to self diagnosis the problem my self, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

[Venomized]

If you are mechanically inclined then head to Autozone and rent a radiator pressure tester. Pump it up to pressure and look for leaks. I would start with the radiator cap and the hoses for inspection.

[Dirty_Walter]

Originally Posted by Venomized

If you are mechanically inclined then head to Autozone and rent a radiator pressure tester. Pump it up to pressure and look for leaks. I would start with the radiator cap and the hoses for inspection.

I actually went to autozone yesterday to buy some engine cleaner so I could clean things up to get a better idea where the leak is coming from (guessing the water pump)

I asked one of the guys at autozone if they had a pressure pump to the system and the dude got stumped. Had no idea what I was talking about.

[07JeepXK]

So your still not exactly sure where its coming from? Is your engine over heating at all? (ie have you been watching the temp gauge during idle or while driving. Get the XK up to normal operating temp and crawl und it and locate where the leak is coming from.

[Dirty_Walter]

07 jeep, I appreciate the feedback. I have not driven it extensively since I noticed the leak (its been 2 or 3 days now). 15 - 20 minutes at a time. It seems like a slow leak with drippage on concrete, usually several hours later while the engine is cooling. (Have not been able to see any spray or locate the actual leak...)

The engine has not over heated and a few times, just after turning the engine off I give the hoses a little squeeze and they are hard. When the engine is cool the hoses are soft as I assume they should be. So I assume the pressure is still pretty good and the leak is pretty minor at this point.

The level in the coolant resrevior is just at the "add" line and has been there since I filled it back up, but there is still a little leak somewhere for sure.

Ive done quite a bit of research and it looks like there is a good chance its the gasket on the water pump, but cant see the underside of that area.

The belt is tight and the pump pulley seems like its solid and in good shape for what thats worth, so once again, Im thinking it could be the gasket. I really dont know.

My 30 day warrenty just expired last week and the 90 day that the dealer uses only covers power train. The dealer said he would look into it and get back to me but its looking unlikely that they will be able to help.

Any other advice, tips or direction would be very welcome. Thanks.

[07JeepXK]

I guess the only thing you can do if look for where it is coming from in the engine compartment. Take off the radiator came and resecure it making sure it is on properly. Make sure the hose that goes from the over flow tank to the radiator is secure properly on both ends. Check the upper and lower radiator hoses for leaks. The lower radiator hose goes to the t-stat. Make sure its not leaking from there. Make sure the is no wetness around the water pump and see if coolant is coming out of the weap hold toward the top of the waterpump. If you find where its coming from its an easy fix.

[Dirty_Walter]

Brought it down to my mechanic today. He said hes pretty sure its the water pump and that the fan clutch is loose and needs to be replaced as well. (had a little play in it). Told me $360 for the job...

Called the dealership which is an hour and a half away and explained that even though my 30 day warranty is up by about 10 days, I still dont think its right that I should have to put any money into it at this point. The guy was actually pretty reasonable. He gave me two options.

1. Have the work done by my mechanic and he would pay half
2. Drive the thing back down to him and he would repair it free of charge.

Two pretty good options for being out of warranty imo.

So the question is, do I save my self the cash and risk the drive all the way back to the dealership with my slow leak and some back up coolant, or do I take the safe route and get the work done here and split the bill?

[Creek]

If you already have the coolant, I would drive it to the dealer.

[Dirty_Walter]

Originally Posted by Creek

If you already have the coolant, I would drive it to the dealer.

Yeah, I bought a bottle of mopar coolant from an authorized jeep dealer here in the area. I made an appointment to take the trek back down to the dealer where I bought the jeep (Hour and a half away), for thursday morning.

Like I said earlier, its seems to be a pretty slow leak, Im just scared that on the ride down it could get worse and piss right out on the highway. Over the past 3 days I have been monitoring the temp gauge and it stays just below the half way mark.

Guess I just need to bite the bullet and take that drive with my fingers crossed.

Thanks guys.

[07JeepXK]

Just below the half way mark is where its supposed to be. Just keep an eye on it when you drive to the dealer. If the temp guage starts climping and gets up to the 3/4 mark pull over and let it cool down. Dont keep driving it. The last thing you would want to do is overheat the motor and blow a head gasket.