My lower radiator hose on my 1988 Cherokee keeps leaking. I have completely replaced the hose and it still leaked so I drained it and scrubbed the end that connected to the block and reattached it but it still leaks what do I do?

 

Did you clean the connectors? Sometimes little pieces of the old hose stick to the metal surfaces and make it very difficult to get a seal.

Make sure you are using new clamps, too.

 

I'm using two brand new hose clamps and brand new hose too

 

So it's leaking where it connects to the water pump? If so, your water pump might actually be going bad. They will leak from a weep hole at the first stages of failure. When is the last time you replaced it?

 

i just replaced the OE lower on sunday- it made it to 188k miles... the only good thing remaining was that spring, which contrary to conventional wisdom, I threaded in the new hose.

use a dab of dishwasing soap on the connection- it makes it slippery to install, but dries/cooks like a glue in operation... use stainless worm clamps, and two of them per side... yeah, it's tight area to do so but it's worth it... there isn't a lot of pressure on the cooling system, but there is hella volume- the soap trick alone is almost enough to hold it in place.

by the way- the 'new' hose is slightly larger in diameter than the OE hose. that complicates your journey, no?

use the soap, you, or use a small bead of permatex if you'd rather... warning: permatex is a PITA to remove from those nipples after it's been there a while, and if not removed will cause you mating issues- which kinda points to you making sure those nipples are clear of anything that is disallowing you a good seated seal.

 

I recently bought the jeep so I don't think it ever has been and if so how long do you think it would stay and what happens when it goes out

 

I also recently bought my XJ and quickly found out that cooling system components are the best place the spend your maintenance money. Just look at the posts on this forum and others on the internet. I googled "Jeep XJ Weep Hole" and have found other posts listing similar problems. Water pumps are cheap and easy to replace on these jeeps.

A water pump should last you quite awhile depending on how much/hard you drive it.

 

IMHO if the pump is leaking it needs replaced now. Your losing coolant and pressure hence the ability to keep the engine cool. You don't want to overheat these 4.0 engines.

 

It was originally w much bigger leak but then I cleaned where the lower hose goes to the water pump and it lessened and stopped for a while then it started again, do I try and seal the pump again or get a whole new pump

 

my .02 is if you take the pump of you may as well install a new one... tehy are cheap, and there is peace of mind....

I am not a fan of using gaskets on these surfaces- here or the water neck... get some permatex in cooper... scrape the surfaces with a razor, clean as new- and then lay a nice fat bead on the mating surfaceS, allow it to set up for ten minutes or so, and put 'em on to torqued specs.

 

You don't seal the weep hole in the pump, you replace the pump if in fact it is leaking.

 

So what exactly is the weep hole

 

most engines have a heavy **** clutch fan dangling off front- which breaks the bearing and makes leaks obvious... these, not so much.

 

Would that be on the bottom of the pump like not the very bottom but like the bottom of the front

 

Yes, but gravity will cause the water to move towards the bottom. Also, you should replace your thermostat while you are in there. Here's what I've replaced on mine:

Hoses+clamps
Mopar OEM Thermostat+OEM Gasket
Mopar OEM Radiator Cap
Water Pump
Fan Clutch
Coolant Recovery Tank (mine was clogged with rust)+Recovery Hose
Electric Fan (fan wasn't broken, but the plastic was so brittle that it wouldn't mount properly)

You probably don't need to do the last two, but if you do the others you should have no problem cooling your Jeep (assuming your radiator is good). Radiator is next on my list...