1997 jeep cherokee parked and coolant was all over under car
 

hi just parked my 1997 cherokee when i got to work and got out of car and noticed a lot of coolant on ground....prob over 1 gallon......didnt have time to look at since i was late to work

would like any input on cause

some info


just had radiator.....radiator cap...thermostat ....and water pump replaced 2 weeks ago and car drove fine since then but last 2 days have noticed temp guage about 10-15 degrees hotter than it has been ....normally about 210....last 3 days its been 210 to 225 ...

anyways i got up and drove it to store about 25 mile drive...all was ok...but was still about 220 or so temp.......then proceeded to drive to work about 20 miles....i noticed temp going up a little to about 225 to 230...as i got to my work entrance i noticed guage was now at about 235.......i then parked the car and i noticed a lot of radiator fluid immediatley under my car..about 1 gallon or so.....i didnt have time to open hood...running late ....im at work now....

any input what i should look for when i get out to my car tonite?.....

thanks

the temp guage did not go past about 235...........it did not max out like i have seen from cars in the past....it just seemed to be running hotter than normal.....

i dont know if a leak caused the overheating or the overheating caused the leak...or something else

Since you have moved a lot of the parts on cooling system I'd be looking at the radiator hoses,heater hoses,and clamps.

Learn from my mistake - find the leak yourself or get it checked over asap by someone close by. I was on the way to the shop when it let go big time. I'm now looking at a headgasket.
It turns out my problem was (originally) just the bottom hose. I've done one of those myself on another XJ but this time I didn't spot it before the big cloud of steam told me it was too late.

Definitely take a look at those hoses. Any time you work on your cooling system it's a good idea to replace your hoses... At the very least give them an extremely thorough inspection. Good luck!

i paid someoen to do the work i have no time to work on anyhting
i work 7 days week 13hrs day


anyways ill look at it tonite....i have not opened hood yet im at work and not allowed outside of building

Sounds like prison :tongue_smilie:

It would also be good to check the thermostat for proper operation (always do that before you install the part). It also could be the radiator cap not holding pressure or something.

And as everyone said, make sure that the coolant hoses are in good shape.


You might need to test it by driving it around after work close to home, keeping a sharp eye on the temp gauge. If it creeps past 210 (approaching 215) you should shut it down and cool it off, I would be really hesitant to run it hotter than 225 for fear of blowing and old head gasket (if it has high miles like mine does).

You were doing highway speeds when the temp was at 235 (anything above 45mph)? That effectively rules out the fan system (mech and electric).

I did all that work to my 2000 and if you have an overflow bottle, you might have had too much coolant installed in your system, my jeep still does that if it idles for like 20 min it sits at 210 and then more coolant will leak out of the bottle and stop.

The running hot could be a blocked radiator, or a hose that is blocked. Your t stat could be plugged up a bit too

Hope that kinda helps you