Im by no means a mechanic but I do know a little bit about working on cars.

A few weeks ago, My water pump went out on me while driving home. I just got around to replacing my water pump today. I did not test drive it yet as there still seems to be an underlying issue and was wondering if anyone had any input of what the cause might be.

Once I replaced the WP, I started it and let it idle and rev'ed it a few times just to make sure there was no leaks but as it started to get up to normal operating temp I noticed that there was starting to be smoke appearing from the passenger side near the fire wall. Any ideas or pointers where to start trouble shooting next? Im on a budget and would like to avoid taking it to a shop if it can be done by me as I only work for the beer in my fridge

Thanks in advance!
Justin

 

It could be steam that you're seeing. How old are the heater hoses?

 

I was talking to one of my buddies who is a mechanic and he said that it could be just the coolant that spilled burning off. it kind of had a coolant smell but would rather be safe than sorry and create any other issues. Everything is factory, 2004. I havent ever replaced anything on the jeep besides the WP today. It never had any issues prior to the WP going out.

 

The hoses do wear out. They tend to rot from the inside out and blow without warning.

 

Thanks for the info, I will have to take a look into replacing them. How much do they typically run and is it a pretty easy fix?

 

About 30 bucks for both of them on a 4.0, not sure for the 4.7.

 

Found them and I think that just to be safe I'll replace them next payday.

 

I would replace the radiator hoses also, if you haven't already. Slip a screwdriver under them and twist to beak the seal. DO NOT yank on them. You can damage the radiator.

 

So I gave it another shot today with a short test drive and there was no smoke but now there is a sparking sound coming from behind the resonator when I got back home. No ideas on my end of what it could be.