I have a 1996 jeep cherokee, and today I drove it only about 5 minutes to my destination and it started to overheat. As soon as the temp got in the red, I shut it off and there was white smoke coming out from under the hood so I popped it and checked it and sure enough, the hose to the antifreeze overflow was disconnected and looked as if it had sprayed everywhere.

Also, underneath, antifreeze was leaking out. I could tell exactly where it was coming from but it looked like the radiator. I came back an hour later with more antifreeze and dumped in some for about 5 seconds in the radiator and about 3 seconds after I started dumping I could hear and see the antifreeze gushing out again. It looked as if it was coming from the front of the engine and running down the plastic brush guard and then flowing onto the ground.

I had to get it towed home, it would overheat in about 2 minutes tops and I didnt want to ruin anything.

My uncle said a possibility is freeze plugs but I'm not too sure. I hope so because that sounds like a cheap fix. I just hope my engine isn't ruined. I am in college and cant afford many things right now.... If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Get a couple gallons of drinking water, a good flashlight, maybe a friend to help and start some serious looking to find the leak. A freeze plug is a possibility but then there's lots of possibilities. At this point, your eyes are the best/sharpest ones to find the leak(s).

 

Check the water pump. They are notorious for leaking or just completely failing.

 

Yea whenever I get time this weekend I will have to look at it and search for a leak. How fast can a water pump go bad? I just replaced that, the radiator, and most of the hoses less than a year ago.

 

Actually, in my experience, a good brand lasts a long time.

 

Start looking at areas where parts haven't been replaced. In order for us to help diagnose a problem over the Internet, it's always helpful to know what has/hasn't been replaced/repaired.