Hello,

I have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport that I need coolant for. The owner's manual says to use an ethylene glycol-based coolant. But, the coolant in the reservoir tank looks pink? Can someone please help me out by telling me what kind of coolant I need to purchase? I don't want to screw up and add the wrong kind. I know that prior than me purchasing the Jeep that it was always serviced at the dealer (if that matters).

I have what is supposed to be a "universal" coolant that supposed to be compatible with many coolants. Would it be safe to use this?

Thanks in advance,

Ryan
Ryan

 

Any green/yellow universal coolant boss. Prestone...peak...etc
I don't know why your coolant overflow tank would be pink. Pull it and dump it out.

 

You should be safe to go with any modern jug of coolant. Just check the bottle - the older "conventional coolant" will be clearly marked that it's for vehicles up to X year.
They used extended life coolant around 2001 that was supposed to be good for 100k+ etc. etc.

https://www.autozone.com/antifreeze-...ant/391379_0_0

I would change the whole system (flush and fill with a high quality coolant). You need to be extra careful with the 2001 due to the 0331 head (unless this has already been addressed). If you have to add coolant randomly, you need to check your oil for cross-contamination that would indicate a likely cracked head.

 

Pink is the color of the coolant the the dealer used. Maybe it is HOAT? That's what I am trying to figure out.

 

[QUOTE=
I would change the whole system (flush and fill with a high quality coolant). You need to be extra careful with the 2001 due to the 0331 head (unless this has already been addressed). If you have to add coolant randomly, you need to check your oil for cross-contamination that would indicate a likely cracked head.[/QUOTE]

My head isn't cracked. Thanks for the "heads up" though!

 

Punny!!

I put 305k on my 00 TJ with the 0331 head and never had an issue with it, but coolant in your engine oil trashes the bearings so it's always best to be watchful.

 

Don't quote me on this but I think Napa Extended All Makes All Models is red. So diluted at 50/50 maybe pink. Supposedly this can be used with any type of coolant. If this were me I would flush the hell out of it and just use green anti-freeze.

 

So would I.

 

I decided to flush the hell out of it and use a HOAT coolant.

Thanks

 

Why?

 

true... but I would consider yourself lucky... I have rarely heard cases of NOT having an issue with the 0331 head. Honestly if I had an 00-01....and planned on keeping it, I'd probably replace it beforehand just to be on the safe side...otherwise it's the cost and time of either dropping in a new plant or a rebuild.

 

Your choices aren't quite that limited. I keep an eye on pressures, coolant levels and have an oil analysis done each oil change. That's nothing out of the ordinary for me though, I do that with all of my vehicles. I just don't usually do analysis as frequently. Head cracks aren't usually immediate and catastrophic.

 

To each their own.

I mentioned that I didn't have the head crack only to illustrate that "Yes, it's possible to not have happen over 300k+ miles", but yes, it's a major concern which is why gave the requisite warning.

How one addresses it is up to them. The first thing I would think is (if you didn't buy the Jeep brand new yourself) to check that you still have the 0331 non-tupy head. If you do and are experienced with wrenching, the best option might be immediate replacement. If a head replacement is outside your comfort zone, maybe you opt to keep a close eye on it.

I wasn't even aware of the head failures while I was daily driving my TJ. However, I bought it brand new, maintained it pretty well and didn't abuse it, so I'm sure that was a big part of avoiding failure.

 

@WestsideRyan I also have a 2001 sport with the 0331 head with 198,000k and still ticking. Changing the head isn't necessarily out of my comfort zone as it is cost prohibitive. Beyond checking for signs of a cracked head (which I eliminated after checking multiple ways), the easiest thing to do is to just get a "Blackstone Labs" report done when you change your oil. See my thread here: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/200...report-249837/

In any case, I finally noticed that my stock radiator had a leak in it the other day, and decided to change the entire cooling system. Here's what I changed:

-new radiator
-new upper and lower radiator hoses
-new upper and lower heater core hoses
-new metal hose from water pump to lower heater hose
-new thermostat housing
-new thermostat
-new engine temperature sensor
-new electric fan
(flushed all engine and heater core during this process and ran 50/50 brand name green/yellow coolant back through)

I'm not gonna price it out, but lets just say it was "Silly" cheap on Amazon Prime for all of those, like laughably cheap, and especially EASY in terms of wrenching under the hood.

*Sidenote: I probably should've changed the water pump too, but hey everything is running like a charm now.

Main point here is that if Blackstone labs tells you that there is no coolant in your engine oil and you have a healthy functioning coolant system then your 0331 head is fine, especially if you are past say 150k my miles. These things tend to go much earlier than that from what I hear. In an case, you can do a lot of good for your entire engine by simply getting a blackstone labs test done.

 

The way I understand it is Chrysler went to HOAT coolant because of the aluminum heads on the 4.7L V8. They have used green ethylene glycol coolant in the 4.0L and everything else since the dawn of time and to my way of thinking that's all that's needed unless you have aluminum heads. Environment be damned. Originally Japanese coolant was yellow but was still EG with additives for aluminum block engines. As far as I'm concerned it'll be Green until I die!

As for the 0331 head. The one in my 2000 WJ lasted until 157K miles then cracked into an exhaust port, not into the valve area resulting in no oil dilution. I got lucky. I just had lots of steam in the exhaust and coolant dripping out the tailpipe after long periods of idling. I was loosing about a quart of coolant a day. A Clearwater head cost me $455 including shipping both ways (core return). The engine was pulled at 253K miles because of low compression and a scuffed piston. It turns out it had several burnt exhaust valves. My 2000 XJ has that same head on it with 136K miles and I'm keeping a watchful eye on it.