I have a 97. Im a typcial girl who knows nothing about cars/ trucks, so the mechanic is my second home. I live in the desert in Baja Mexico so heat is a major problem here. The radiator was replaced 2 months ago, then 2 weeks ago, it wouldn't start and the mecanic installed a new electrical system for the gas system. Just this week, when I turned off the car, smoke and bubbles of coolant were pouring out of the radiator cap. It was like an explosion. A guy came by, poured water over the system to cool it, opened the cap, poured water in the radiator. The reservoir was full. From reading the forum, I must have a closed system and this was a bad thing to do. Now I can't drive more than 10 minutes before it starts to leak coolant and hiss from the cap. The pressure is def way too high when I drive it. So if anyone can help me with some terms when I go to the mechanic, that would be great. If I tell him what to replace, he will do it. If you know the terms in Spanish, even better! My limited knowledge coupled with a language barrier is keeping me from going camping!!!! Thanks!

 

A bad radiator cap would not be able to hold the pressure in the system. May not be the actual cause but is worth replacing the cap (~$10) and see if it helps.

GL and Welcome to CherokeeForum!