I'm confused
Thread Starter
Seasoned Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 320
Likes: 1
From: Calgary, Alberta
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0L
Everytime I open my radiator cap the coolant isn't at the brim of the spout, so I put more in the radiator to fill it up and then the next day it's low again in the radiator, so I add more. After a while my reservoir filled up and started spewing out the overflow spout, and even though my reservoir was full to the brim (because I added all the time into the radiator) my radiator was still low everytime I checked it before driving. Why is this happening. I looked at the bottom of the reservoir but I can't find a place for the reservoir to flow back into the radiator, there is a hose but it just goes up and has a cap on it. How do I fix this it's annoying me
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 8,172
Likes: 17
From: The Republic of TEXAS
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L HO
With a "open" or coolant recovery type system a properly functioning rad cap is very important..........the rad cap is a 2 way valve. The bottle should always have coolant in it somewhere between the 2 marks, engine hot or cold. Rad should always remain full to the top, check rad when the motor is cold.
CF Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 4
From: Blue Springs, MO
Year: 1993
Model: Grand Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L Laredo
[QUOTE=dilljeepo;1428045]"Everytime I open my radiator cap... I looked at the bottom of the reservoir but I can't find a place for the reservoir to flow back into the radiator."
The coolant returns to the radiator thru the same hose it exits from. X2 on the other replies you got.. the cap is letting hot coolant out to the reservoir, but not allowing it to return to the radiator when it cools off
The coolant returns to the radiator thru the same hose it exits from. X2 on the other replies you got.. the cap is letting hot coolant out to the reservoir, but not allowing it to return to the radiator when it cools off
check the hose and connections as well... might be sucking air through a small crack or something so that the coolant will flow out to the bottle under expansion but it's not airtight so when the engine cools it sucks air back in instead of coolant. Basically everything between the bottle and fill neck must be pristine and well sealed for this to work correctly.
Seasoned Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 289
Likes: 1
From: Joliet, IL
Year: 1998,2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
x2 on the rad cap. I would also pull the bottle and make sure the passage thats built into the bottle isn't clogged. There might be enough room that at 15psi the bottle will fill but clogged enough that it won't return to the rad.
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Thread Starter
Seasoned Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 320
Likes: 1
From: Calgary, Alberta
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0L
WOAH!! I sure freaking hope not I just bought this jeep. I will try the Rad cap first, Hopefully that is my problem thank you all for replying I didnt know that the rad cap is a two way flow, letting fluid back in as well as out. It all m akes sense to me now it must be the rad cap. Thanks everyone for helping solve my problem.
CF Veteran
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,074
Likes: 0
From: Bergen County, New Jersey U.S.A.
Year: 1990 Laredo
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 Inline 6 Renix
what color is your coolant? I would do a coolant serviceand make sure everything is all nice new and clean.. I do it everytime i get a new car.. well new to me i should say.. who knows how long the coolant has been sitting in there... just to be safe
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