I just got an 98 XJ a week ago and I flushed my radiator fluid yesterday, because my fluid was brown, in addition to fixing the hose and thing connected to the radiator cap. (

(opened hoses, flushed with water, put new fluid in; maybe i did something wrong?)

But anyways today on my way to get some food, i noticed my temperature was at the 2nd notch above 210. I then proceeded to slow down and my car shut off in the middle of an intersection and i had to quickly shift into neutral and then coast to the side of the road. I opened my hood and there was a brown fluid all over my engine and engine compartment. I let my engine cool off and then i started my car again and then idled my way home at 210 degrees. My xj seems to be leaking power steering fluid or a brown fluid.

What the hell happened? What should i replace? Please help, I'm 17 and I had to convince my mom an XJ was reliable... and I don't want her to get pissed.

 

Try replacing the the thermostat with a 180-190 degree. Its $5 and a $1 gasket. Use gasket sealant on both sides of the gasket or on the non sticky side. There are some that are like a sticker, and let it sit for a couple of hours hand tight. then tighten to 15lbs. If you still had brown fluid you didnt flush properly. There is a little petcock (plastic butterfly bolt on the radiator behind the grille. Its hard to get to but its worth the effort. Flush the system with a hose until only clear water comes out. And if your making your own 50-50 mixture make sure you use distilled water. Other waters contain minerals wich will f up your radiator.

 

Make sure you double check all hose camps and radiator cap. Don't run it down the road until you let it warm up to operating temp and check for leaks in your driveway.

 

next step will be the water pump, also check to see if your fan clutch is still engaging. remove it and use a lighter on the little coil in the front of it to see if it locks

 

PO might have put some sort of spot leak in the radiator but that is supposed to be a temporary fix check that, see if there is anything blocking the radiator

 

Almost sounds like the rad is leaking! I had my rad leak and it gets coolant everywhere. To tell you the truth the only best thing is, is to replace the rad. I got mine on ebay new for only 60 bucks

 

XJ's are reliable.......the previous owners maintenance was not. One needs to be mechanically savy, when buying any 12 year old vehicle. Might be worth your while to have it checked/reparied by a mechanic before serious/costly damage is done.

 

true true x2

 

turns out it was human error. when i ghetto rigged my radiator cap to the hose back to the resevoir i removed the electric fan and i put it in and didnt tighten something enough and the fan cut through my tranny cooler line. Can I replace just the hose, or do i have to replace the metal tubes too (i hope not).