JEEPSHEEP

Well last night I was replacing my hood latch cable on my 96 sport and thought I better check my fluids. Opened the radiator for the first time and noticed what looked like either steel or aluminum flakes sitting right below the cap in the fill neck area. Flakes are shiny like maybe aluminum. I'm assuming if it was steel they would be rusty but I didnt have a magnet to check for sure. It has been running great and engine temps have been normal compared to what I have read on here. No coolant leaks anywhere and coolant color looks good. My first thought was obviously the water pump going bad. Then I had another thought. A few years ago I bought a salvaged pickup and the AC didnt work. Took it to mechanic and he found metal flakes in ac lines that were plugging the system. He thought maybe someone cut a line with a sawsall at one point and replaced later without cleaning the system. My xj has been wrecked or hit a deer or something before I bought it and was thinkin maybe something like this could have happened on this one. The wrecked fender must have been rubbing on the tire or something so it looks like they cut most of it off with a nibbler judging by the looks of it and all the metal shavings I found laying in all the nooks and crannies of the engine compartment. Would a coolant flush be in order to start with? Anyone ever seen anything like this and or have any suggestions where to start?

storm101

I would say a flush is in order, the two things that immediately pop to mind is possibly your water pump is on the way out somehow leaving flakes, or someone used some of that metallic looking stop leak crap in the system at some point.

metaldemon7

It sounds like someone put Silver Solder stop leak in it. If you flush it you will probably find the leak. It is better than what they did to mine, the used bars leak. That stuff turns to mud in bottom of the block. I flush it every fall since 2003, and I still see some. Mine was a hole in a freeze plug under the exhaust manifold. Everything had come to off. A least the Silver Solder flushes out easy. It is good for temp. fix till you get home.

Gee oh Dee

I agree with flushing the coolant, that'll be the best thing you can do right now.

Its probably what has already been suggested, water pump or some kind of stop leak. I'm thinking its highly doubtful that someone got metal shavings into the coolant system, the hoses for the cooling system aren't solid metal like AC lines are.