Coolant leak
 

So I have a 1998 jeep xj with around 265000 miles on it. A little background I had to replace the upper radiator hose a couple days ago because it was leaking. After replacing that, the next morning I went to start it and there was a loud noise from the fan on the passenger side of the radiator and it only blew cold air into the jeep even after warming up for ten minutes. I got on the road and about ten minutes in the heat started working. Parked it at work and when I went to leave that night there was coolant on the ground. Drove home heat worked but only on high. Parked in my drive way and this morning there was a larger puddle of coolant and I can't see where the coolant is coming from. Hose clamps were tight. Please can someone help me.

I suspect that you are low on coolant, which is why you're not getting much heat from your inside vents. Did you fill and then re check your coolant level after replacing the hose? I also suspect that you either had a coolant leak from elsewhere in your cooling system, or you caused one during your hose repair. Fill up your cooling system with a 50/50 mix and run it parked for a while. Then poke your noggin around the engine bay to see where it's leaking. Safety first though..... Wear eye protection and stay clear of moving parts.

George, "loud noise" can mean just about anything. A description of the noise would be helpful.

Regarding your coolant leak, you're going to have to do what folks around here call "noggin poking." Which means you poke your noggin around under the hood and underneath the Jeep if necessary until you find the problem. If you can't see it from the top, it would probably be a good idea to put on an old shirt and scoot on your back up underneath it (while not running) to look around for the source of the leak. If it's leaking a lot, you might just need to sit in front of it for a while and very patiently watch it drip to see where it's coming from.

To help us help you, where are you seeing the puddle? Is it on the left, right or center? Front or back of the engine bay?

Be calm. This is a problem with a solution. It will require a little time and effort to find it.

Did it get below freezing before you replaced the upper hose? How good was your coolant protection before all this started?

[QUOTE=Firestorm500;3178485]Did it get below freezing before you replaced the upper hose? How good was your coolant protection before all this started?[/QUO

It got down to 25 degrees. Before I could change it.

The noise is a loud clicking noise and the puddle was by the front bumper.

Just from that description, I would check to see if the fan shroud has pulled away from its mount and is contacting the driven fan. Could have happened when you pulled off the hose. In any event, you do need to look for the source of the leak as described earlier.

Sounds like a radiator or hose leak. Keep looking and you'll find it.

[QUOTE=george86;3178490]Did you have just water in it, or very weak coolant?

Leak
 

[QUOTE=Orlo;3178512]Just from that description, I would check to see if the fan shroud has pulled away from its mount and is contacting the driven fan. Could have happened when you pulled off the hose. In any event, you do need to look for the source of the leak as described earlier.[/QUOTE
So it looks like the shroud around the clutch fan is loose. The coolant is just a small drip from that side after retightening all hose clamps. The clutch fan I believe it's called is still making noise, until it gets warmed up.

From the pace of this diagnosis, im guessing that you probably don't do a lot of your own maintenance/repairs, which is perfectly fine. Not everyone has the resources, knowledge and time to do that. So, if this goes beyond a basic adjustment, you should at least know how to find the source of your issue so that a mechanic can repair it and you have some preparation for the cost.

It seems that your fan shroud needs to be either reattached or replaced if it is damaged. You're still losing coolant. You need to put eyes on that cooling system to see where it's coming from. Post some pics. Ppl have seen it all on this site. I don't want to guess the source and lead you to throwing parts at it. But, if you do have to replace cooling system parts, rest assured that it's common and can be done relatively I expensively. But you have to get to it before you damage your engine from overheating. That's not so inexpensive.

Perhaps a definition of noggin pokin is in order:

The only way you're gonna find what you're looking for is to GO LOOK!

Around the Jeep that is. In these parts, we call it "noggin pokin".

That's where you use your God given senses to inspect YOUR Jeep for problems. We can only provide you with guidance as to where to poke your noggin.

There's no Silver Bullet cure you're gonna find from a keyboard, mouse and monitor.

i had that issue. all i did was replace the cap and ive been fine ever since. it was a seven doller fix, its worth a shot.