RealDrJ

Christmas day I was driving around and my Jeep alerted me to it over heating. I pulled over immediately and smoke was coming from the hood, I opened it up to find a broken upper radiator hose. Replaced the hose and flushed coolant and refilled. Heat wasn't blowing hot so I checked and my coolant reservoir was at the add line. I filled it and heat worked great. Drove an hour and a half (midway through my 3 hour move with my Jeep packed full) when the thing began to heat up again (engine temp). I turned the heat on high and it cooled back down. Coolant level was at add line again. Filled it there, drove about 100 feet to eat and checked coolant level again and it was at the add line already and I could hear a gurgling from the reservoir. No visible leaks, oil is regular dark color (oil pressure is always good). Any ideas? Water pump, radiator, head gasket? I'm stumped. Thanks guys

Firestorm500

2000 XJ with the 0331 head, which is notorious for cracking.

Open the oil filler cap and look between #3 and # 4 cylinder valve pockets. Many report they can actually see the crack there. Sometimes they can see coolant there. Use a flashlight.

Long story short, if you have caught it soon enough, you may get by with just replacing the head with a brand new one from Clearwater.

RealDrJ

[QUOTE=Firestorm500;3194750]2000 XJ with the 0331 head, which is notorious for cracking.

Thank you! I had to have my brother tow it back home, but I'll ask him to check on it and let you know what we come up with.

robertj

Sometimes one overheat on the 0331 head can be enough to cause it to crack it. I hope you caught it before any damage to your rod bearings. Good luck and keep us posted for others in the future.

Firestorm500

They will also crack on their own without overheating. Even on Jeeps with the best of maintenance. Doesn't matter.

RealDrJ

Had to take it to the mechanic. He replaced the water pump and says it is running good, just not getting good heat through the vents so he's replacing the thermometer Monday and hopefully I'm good to go.

Firestorm500

Well we hope that's all it is.

Most mechanics don't know about the 0331 head issue. Not even Chrysler mechanics. Typically the head fails after the warranty was out on the vehicle. By then, many people have been taking the Jeep to an independent mechanic or garage.

Coolant level dropping frequently, burst hoses, gurgling sounds might be water pump and/or thermostat. But frequently a mechanic or an owner will do these things first to no avail.

Make sure you tell him you want a Mopar 195* thermostat. Not a $4 one from a parts store.

RealDrJ

Got the jeep back today. Head was cracked, oil had a ton of water in it. Replaced spark plugs, water pump, thermostat, and head. Looks like I'll be taking it back tomorrow. It is still missing pretty regularly. Hopefully it's just some residual water that needs to be flushed out, but we'll find out soon

madmanmarty

Did u change the engine oil?

RealDrJ

Yes, should have mentioned that. Has fresh oil and new oil filter. Also flushed heater core.

BlueRidgeMark

I keep seeing this thread title, and I can't help myself any longer....


Did you check under the seats? How about your back pocket?

RealDrJ

Ha thanks for lightening the mood Mark.

My mechanic wanted to replace the coil for the spark plugs, but after doing some reading on here, looks like I have a lifter problem from the antifreeze getting into the motor. The misfire gets worse as the jeep warms up and runs rough at running temp. Hopefully this solves the problem for good. I'll update when I know for sure.

Firestorm500

What kind of head did you put on it?

It sounds like your mechanic is just wanting to replace parts at random, hoping to solve this problem.

Is this the same one that initially just replaced the water pump? Did you tell him what I told you right after your very first post?

BlueRidgeMark

Yep. That's not even a mechanic. That's just a parts-swapper.

Firestorm500

Yeah. Since those those guys are experimenting with your vehicle, why don't they buy the parts and do the labor at their expense.

Then only charge you for what finally fixed the vehicle. Everything else should be considered on-the-job training. THEY should have to pay for THEIR education.

Not you.