302Cherokee

I have a 2002 Grand w/106000 miles on it, just purchased used a few months ago. A couple weeks in, my low coolant light came on, I added some fluid and it obviously went away...2 weeks go by and it happens again...2 more, same thing. I noticed some wetness around the top hose so i replaced both hoses which were original I assume. Problem persists...it doesnt leak...now when I say that I mean never have I seen it drip which I know doesnt mean it isnt happening but you would think I would have seen a little spot once or twice on the pavement. The engine runs great, idles perfectly and never sputters. I changed the oil when I first purchased w/Mobile 1 FUll synthetic. Also, my oil gauge has started to jump up and down upon take off from a stop or even from slowing and accelorating. CAN ANYONE HELP??? I dont want to dump a bunch of money into this thing thats why I bought it...Lastly as of yesterday the oil didn't look chocolately but it did seem a little higher than normal. Any suggestions will greatly be appreciated, avoiding the dealership or another scamming garage is my goal unless I know the problem.

302Cherokee

Hey fellas lets go...I see numerous ppl have checked this post out with no responses...is it that there are too many possible answers to this question or that it's a true brain buster???I'm open to all suggestions and methods of trying to narrow it down to the actual problem!

travis123321

Well im not to firmilair but ill throw you some ideas. Check the head casting. (Unscrew the oil fill and look in the valve cover with a small casting and report back with what it says) i doubt you have the 0331 head but hey, why not check. It could be a head gasket? Try some of that additive stuff for your coolent and that might help you find a leak? Check your coolent bottle for cracks!!!! It might be a slow leak.. hmmm check everything that goes to your coolent bottle all the hose connections. I hope that helps...

XJriot

Oil pressure jumps up during acceleration/driving and drop during idle so as long as it's where it's supposed to be while driving I wouldn't worry about it.

As for your coolant issue, you have a leak somewhere. It's as simple as that. Fill it up with coolant, let it warm up and let the thermostat open up then look for leaks.

Are you overheating at all or no?

XJriot

What else could be happening is your thermometer might be going bad and not opening soon enough. It won't cause an overheating issue but your temp gauge will jump a bit higher before going back down. This could be causing your coolant to bubble over in to the overflow and leak out from there. This would happen when you're driving so you wouldn't see any leaks since the overflow tube drains down. It would also explain why you have to keep refilling it every so often without noticing leaks.

I had it happening on my old truck so it's worth a shot. Don't know much about grand Cherokees though so just throwing that out there lol.

302Cherokee

@travis, I do have a little head gasket leak, again it doesn’tdrip but you can see some oil residue, a mechanic said the same thing about thecoolant bottle however I have not been able to see/feel any cracks. XJriot, I’m not overheating at all but I amin a climate right now that never gets above 50 degrees. With the oil pressure gauge…it always movedaround but the last couple days its gone all the way to the bottom causing thecheck gauge light to come on for a second, but then it shoots back up and thelight goes off. My biggest concern iswhen I pulled the dip stick a couple days ago, oil was pretty far above the maxline which it has never been although this was after driving about 100miles. Reading these blogs makes methink cracked head but I am hopefully thinking the worst.

travis123321

I hope the best for ya buddy

grn99

Remove the radiator cap , start engine, and look for bubbles in coolant. Sometimes the cumbustion process will create bubbles in the cooling system and they will escape when no pressure is on the system. If there is a head issue.
Also is your carpet wet on pass side floor. Bad heater core would use coolant too.
Oil pressure sender could be bad. Causing oil pressuse issue.
Just throwing some ideas out there.

XJriot

Ouch didnt know it went that low. Well take her in and hope for the best. Sucks buying a vehicle just to have things go wrong shortly afterwards.

302Cherokee

grn99; carpet isn't wet and i def appreciate any ideas you may have...I will check that out tomorrow. Anything else you can think of please let me know.
XJriot; your right about that buddy but if i can figure out/narrow down the problem I can take it to my Uncles shop (about 1 1/2 hour drive) and just pay for parts/help him and I can drastically cut cost...I paid a shop up here in Wilmington DE to replace rear axle seals/bearings....700 bucks, I could've gotten the parts myself for 150..Wont make that mistake again!!

dave1123

Take a sample of oil from the drain plug after it's sat awhile. If there is antifreeze in the oil, it will collect at the drain plug. If there is, you've got a internal leak somewhere, be it a crack in the head or block, or a gasket leak. I'm suspecting if the oil level is higher, that's what's happening.

If you've got coolant in the oil, fix it quickly. Coolant breaks down the oil film at the bearings and will wipe bearing material off the inserts. It may also be causing your pressure problems.

This could be why the vehicle was sold in the first place.

302Cherokee

Would replacing the head gasket be the cheapest and smartest thing to do first...if there is coolant in the oil?

RainShadow

GUYS: I have heard of taking a small oil sample and sending it out for analysis -- anyone know where this place is ????
Name of CO and address ???

thanks, Randy from Oceanside, CA

302Cherokee

Ok so here it is...the oil filler cap...I'm guessing this is exactly what you DONT want it to look like? Also smoke came out of the oil filler hole and dip stick hole when dip stick was removed. Engine still runs extremely well and makes zero noise/ hesitations. If I continue to drive it to work and back, constantly checking/changing the oil and keeping the coolant filled, how long do I have???

grn99

Congrats you have a bad head gasket. Fairly cheap to fix. However if upon removal you find no damage to gasket. Magnaflux head; some later castings are notorious for small cracks.
I am currently in the same boat with my WJ I just picked up. Not a major problem but annoying.