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Stock Grand Cherokee Tech. All ZJ/WJ/WK Non-modified/stock questions go here!ZJ (93-98), WJ (99-04), WK (05+)
All ZJ/WJ/WK specific tech questions asked here!
Recently my 2000 GC 4.0 has developed an intermittent problem. Most of the time, all is well, but 4 times in the last week, I noticed some plumes of white smoke (steam?) coming out of my grille when idling in traffic. At first, I just thought it was just moisture from the rain/snow hitting something hot as it ran off the hood, but it happened on a completely dry day. Thinking I had a cooling issue, I pulled over, lifted the hood and there was no coolant smell & no apparent leak. I detected a faint smell of oil burning off actually. Visual inspection (with a flashlight) revealed nothing I could see. It is coming from the drivers side of the grille. I did catch it one time, seemed to be emanating from in between the radiator and the tranny cooler behind the grille, again, with the faint odor of oil.
This is happening when idling at a traffic light and was quite alarming. The engine is at full operating temperature (after 20-30 min), no temperature change, no oil pressure issues. In fact, my oil pressure gauge & temp gauge read right in the middle, as they should. I should note, I have a leaking valve cover gasket (in the back) and my oil pan gasket is leaking from the front. ( I plan on replacing both soon). My GC is also equipped with a factory tranny oil cooler. The leaks result in about a 1/2 quart loss over 3500 miles. Please help, I need some peace of mind, because its driving me nuts.Thanks in advance for all the input!
Last edited by JGC2000; Jan 26, 2015 at 04:52 PM.
Reason: typo
I would keep a close eye on all the fluids and fix the leaks that you DO know about then go from there.
If you checked it and it was not leaking right after you saw the smoke then it cannot be that bad.
I had a problem with my radiator leaking and it was such a hairline crack that sometimes it leaked and sometimes not until it finally got big enough to leak all the time.
The only thing I can think of is a leak in the A/C condenser. That would look like white smoke and smell like oil. Check and see if your A/C still works. I realize it's cold out! Turn it on and see if the compressor engages. If it doesn't, you've lost the charge.
I would keep a close eye on all the fluids and fix the leaks that you DO know about then go from there.
If you checked it and it was not leaking right after you saw the smoke then it cannot be that bad.
I had a problem with my radiator leaking and it was such a hairline crack that sometimes it leaked and sometimes not until it finally got big enough to leak all the time.
My fluid levels are constant. I only lose about 1/2 a quart between oil changes. I do have a very small drip of coolant coming from the neck where the top hose connects to the radiator that only drips when it is cold (and even then its only after the vehicle sits for 18-24 hours). No smoke from that side, only from the drivers side. After the vehicle warms up, it goes away. Occasionally I get some very little spots on the fan shroud, but other than that there is no visible sign of trouble and it never smells. Any more thoughts? Thanks for the input.
The only thing I can think of is a leak in the A/C condenser. That would look like white smoke and smell like oil. Check and see if your A/C still works. I realize it's cold out! Turn it on and see if the compressor engages. If it doesn't, you've lost the charge.
This is a good tip. Would that manifest itself from the drivers side? I wasn't running the defroster, just the heat. I occasionally run my AC in the winter, but have not done that yet.
I would keep a close eye on all the fluids and fix the leaks that you DO know about then go from there.
If you checked it and it was not leaking right after you saw the smoke then it cannot be that bad.
I had a problem with my radiator leaking and it was such a hairline crack that sometimes it leaked and sometimes not until it finally got big enough to leak all the time.
I just discovered a hairline crack in my 2004 grand Cherokee's radiator, was leaking on the driver's side, no coolant smell either. Was only leaking when engine temp was high enough to open the thermostat and start circulating the coolant. Had to remove the air filter box to see it. Good luck!
I just discovered a hairline crack in my 2004 grand Cherokee's radiator, was leaking on the driver's side, no coolant smell either. Was only leaking when engine temp was high enough to open the thermostat and start circulating the coolant. Had to remove the air filter box to see it. Good luck!
Thank you. I will definitely check that out. Did you get the white steam? If so, how often did that happen? Did some errands today, engine at operating temp, no sign of steam. Were you running heat/ac? Wouldn't it leak all the time when warm? I'm not seeing any leaks under the vehicle after shutting it off, hot or cold. The drip at the top hose on the other side is very apparent. It is driving me insane.
Look forward to your reply.
The thinking on my particular problem is that the radiator cap failed. I was only seeing the leak when the engine temp was warm enough to send fluid to the reservoir tank. Presumably, when the pressure was high enough for the valve in the cap to open, mine didn't, and the pressure made a crack elsewhere on the radiator. In my particular case, it was the upper left side. I had to run it at idle for about 20 minutes just to get it to leak again so we could see it. After shutting it off, the pressure keeping the crack open was gone, and it stopped dripping.
Here's a pic of the crack.. I've never posted a picture to a thread, hope this works!
No antifreeze smell, but white smoke from grille.
