Leaking radiator

[Link]

I was thinking the same thing. But if there's supposed to be an o-ring there, where did it go? Not installed during manufacturing?

I'm not sure but orings do fail at times. The radiator tank is drilled and the cooler is installed before the tank is crimped to the radiator. It has to seal between the trans cooler and the tank somewhere. If it's on the inside, then the entire radiator is toast and needs to be replaced. I'm not certain it's an oring but there's definitely got to be a seal of some type somewhere.

If I was repairing it for the OP, I'd be replacing the radiator.

 

[LONGJP2]

My 2005 cracked. Lots of people have posted their plastic radiator tank cracked. So, the plastic tanks do indeed crack. How often? No idea but it's often enough that lots of people have had it happen to them. Either way....Mopar isn't known for quality. Sucks but that's just how it is. We all know these radiators like to fail as they age. That's why people who want to buy Mopar radiators are always trying to find one to keep on hand because everyone who knows much about these vehicles know the radiator is a weak point.

I've had other non Jeep vehicles with plastic tank radiators crack as well so it's definitely a thing.

I suspect the OP won't be able to fix his radiator but hope he can. Either way, once it starts leaking in one spot, I doubt the rest of it has much life left. I'd be replacing it if I was the OP but he might not have the money to replace it now so if not, it's worth trying a couple things to repair it.

When did yours crack?

Seems to me the Mopars can last 15+ years, where others might only last 5.

 

[ChasUGC]

When did yours crack?

Seems to me the Mopars can last 15+ years, where others might only last 5.

I had that problem with an old restored GTA convertible Mustang of mine. It was about the same age then, as my '97 Wrangler is now. I saw a bunch of rust shaving on the top fins of one radiator that was leaking. The top fin row would clog up, and the pressure was blowing the top of my radiators at the seam. I kept losing radiators. So, I got a Gano inline filter. It is clear and mounts on the top radiator hose where the shavings come from the engine to the radiator. Because the window is clear on the filter, you can see if the filter is filling up. In two weeks the filter was full of rust shavings. This is what happens to vehicles as they age. After another month, I dumped it again. After that the filter stayed empty and I never lost another radiator. You just have to make sure that you get the right size for the diameter of the top hose. I'm considering putting one in my Jeep.

https://cdn.classicindustries.com/assets/images/ProductImg/G/GF2.JPG

 

[Link]

When did yours crack?

Seems to me the Mopars can last 15+ years, where others might only last 5.

This year. I'm sure it would have failed sooner if the radiator cap had been holding pressure like it should have. I bought the Jeep last year and did a bunch of work/parts replacement on it. I replaced the water pump and thermostat, flushed the cooling system, and refilled it. As I was checking things, I noticed the radiator wasn't pressurized. Engine was hot but no pressure in the cooling system. So, I replaced the radiator cap with a Mopar one. Warmed it up after the new cap and it was holding pressure like it should. Took it for a long drive (couple hundred miles) and when I got back home, I popped the hood and noticed coolant had been spraying out. Looked at the radiator and could see the top tank was cracked lengthwise. If you google search "cracked Jeep Wrangler radiator" you'll see gobs of pictures out there from this site and others with plenty of people who have had the same problem with the Mopar radiator over all years.

I don't know if my radiator has ever been replaced because it's not mentioned on the Carfax and there have been 8 or so former owners of my Jeep. I originally thought it wasn't a Mopar branded one but when I got it out, it was clearly a Mopar one. I did a destructive disassembly of it to see what was inside and posted the pics on this site.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/jeep-wrangler-tj-cooling-system-overhaul-faq.3397/page-14

 

[KennethS]

In two weeks the filter was full of rust shavings. This is what happens to vehicles as they age.

Not necessarily. I haven't had that issue with any of my iron block cars - the Jeep (owned for 19 years) or my 1971 Cutlass (owned for 34 years).

 

[ChasUGC]

I t

Not necessarily. I haven't had that issue with any of my iron block cars - the Jeep (owned for 19 years) or my 1971 Cutlass (owned for 34 years).

I think a lot of it might have to do with how well the cooling system was maintained. Before I got my Mustang it was a rental car and there was just rusty water in the radiator. They also didn't believe in changing the oil. They believed it was a better lubricant when dirty but no particles. Getting my Mustang cleaned of that condition became an issue, so I added the Gano filter. I suspect that if they cooling system isn't well maintained and rust is allowed to build up, then it can become an issue getting all the rust cleaned out and protecting the system with rust inhibitors like coolant.
I suspect that if you open the radiator cap and see a dark orange color then it can be an issue. And just flushing it may not solve the problem because the rust settles because of its density. It might take driving it and getting the rust to flow in the coolant, which the Gano filter can then trap. Just a theory based on my personal experience.

 

[KennethS]

Well, as a young and dumb kid I read that plain water dissipated heat better than antifreeze/water mix, so I ran straight water in my Cutlass. After some time the engine overheated because the impeller rusted off the water pump. The pump was replaced, ethylene glycol mix was installed, and there was never any rust clogging the radiator. So I have no idea how you got so much rust in your cooling system compared to the woefully neglected (or maybe abused ?) cooling system on my Cutlass..

 

[ChasUGC]

Well, as a young and dumb kid I read that plain water dissipated heat better than antifreeze/water mix, so I ran straight water in my Cutlass. After some time the engine overheated because the impeller rusted off the water pump. The pump was replaced, ethylene glycol mix was installed, and there was never any rust clogging the radiator. So I have no idea how you got so much rust in your cooling system compared to the woefully neglected (or maybe abused ?) cooling system on my Cutlass..

There are pictures all over Google with that sort of condition. Here is one such picture in a 1998 TJ. This guy put a small inline filter on the outlet of his heater hose, when he got his jeep from a PO that had neglected his cooling system. It was too small, so he created his own filter. The Gano is much larger and can be easily removed. You just need to drain enough coolant to clear the top hose to empty and rinse it. Then, you tighten the Gano back in place, and put the coolant you trapped back in. It takes about ten minutes. We aren't allowed to place links to other forums. Just Google "inline coolant filter" for pictures. I'm surprised you've never heard of them. I'm done. I don't want to argue. Note: If you have casting sand, obviously that condition would have to be rectified first, before trying an inline filter. The Gano filter looks cool with the glowing green coolant showing through it, and doesn't leak if you put it in right.

 

[ChasUGC]

Here is an article on the dangers of mixing the Green and orange coolants. Read the comments for proof. I think Chrysler took it a step further and added Red coolant to the mix in the JK. It seems to produce "casting sand" when mixed with other coolants. There are 80 pages of that horror in the JK forum. Now, imagine if some uninformed PO mixed green, orange, yellow and red coolants, thinking it didn't matter. There is a recent article on this forum of casting sand in a TJ. I had a mechanic do the same thing in my TJ, and I saw casting sand in my Wrangler overflow bottle. He thought it didn't matter too. I was furious, because I had asked him not to do that. He flushed it, and I brought the green coolant before my cooling system was ruined. Your choice, I'm only trying to help.
https://kernersvilleautocenter.com/...n coolant is an,are added to ethylene glycol.

 

[Link]

Here is an article on the dangers of mixing the Green and orange coolants. Read the comments for proof. I think Chrysler took it a step further and added Red coolant to the mix in the JK. It seems to produce "casting sand" when mixed with other coolants. There are 80 pages of that horror in the JK forum. Now, imagine if some uninformed PO mixed green, orange, yellow and red coolants, thinking it didn't matter. There is a recent article on this forum of casting sand in a TJ. I had a mechanic do the same thing in my TJ, and I saw casting sand in my Wrangler overflow bottle. He thought it didn't matter too. I was furious, because I had asked him not to do that. He flushed it, and I brought the green coolant before my cooling system was ruined. Your choice, I'm only trying to help.
https://kernersvilleautocenter.com/...n coolant is an,are added to ethylene glycol.
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I think your info is good but a technical issue. You aren't seeing casting sand. Yes sand was used to cast the cast iron blocks our Jeeps have but that sand is removed in the manufacturing process. There shouldn't be any left inside the engine unless there was an issue with the manufacturer and that probably would have shown up soon after the engine is placed in service.

What I believe we are seeing is higher silicate coolants mixed with incompatible coolants and the reaction causes the silicate to precipitate out of the solution causing the appearance of sand. Clearly mixing coolants is not good. I wonder how many pictures of "mud" in the cooling system is incompatible coolants being mixed. My Jeep has had multiple previous owners but apparently the proper coolant was used (or at least not mixed) because my cooling system is nice and clean even before I flushed it. I guess I got lucky given the horror stories I've seen on here.

 

[ChasUGC]

I think your info is good but a technical issue. You aren't seeing casting sand. Yes sand was used to cast the cast iron blocks our Jeeps have but that sand is removed in the manufacturing process. There shouldn't be any left inside the engine unless there was an issue with the manufacturer and that probably would have shown up soon after the engine is placed in service.

What I believe we are seeing is higher silicate coolants mixed with incompatible coolants and the reaction causes the silicate to precipitate out of the solution causing the appearance of sand. Clearly mixing coolants is not good. I wonder how many pictures of "mud" in the cooling system is incompatible coolants being mixed. My Jeep has had multiple previous owners but apparently the proper coolant was used (or at least not mixed) because my cooling system is nice and clean even before I flushed it. I guess I got lucky given the horror stories I've seen on here.

I agree that the terminology used may deceptive in that it really applies to another situation. Maybe a more accurate terminology would be to refer to the silicate as sand, instead of "casting sand". I just used that terminology to describe the condition because it seems to have been first experienced by JK users and this is the terminology that they used to describe it. Maybe, they meant that it looks like casting sand, but in actuality it is just sand or silicate.

 

[Danarch]

I agree that the terminology used may deceptive in that it really applies to another situation. Maybe a more accurate terminology would be to refer to the silicate as sand, instead of "casting sand". I just used that terminology to describe the condition because it seems to have been first experienced by JK users and this is the terminology that they used to describe it. Maybe, they meant that it looks like casting sand, but in actuality it is just sand or silicate.

I think in the instance of the JK’s I think for some reason during the manufacturing process cast sand did actually get left in some of the early blocks for some reason. At least that is what I understand.

 

[ChasUGC]

I think in the instance of the JK’s I think for some reason during the manufacturing process cast sand did actually get left in some of the early blocks for some reason. At least that is what I understand.

There is an 80 page forum topic where they talk about it being caused by the coolant mixture after Chrysler changed coolant specifications and dealerships started mixing them. I'm done. I'm really getting tired of this.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

Our 2005 had the radiator replaced under warranty within the first 3 years we owned it (bought it with 8 miles on the odo) due to the top tank cracking. Since the replacement, not a lick of problems.

 

[LONGJP2]

I brought the green coolant before my cooling system was ruined.

Hope you didn't buy it just because it was green.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...-okay-or-will-it-cause-damage-to-my-tj.35230/

 

[Link]

Don't go off color to determine what coolant you should be using. Color hasn't been standardized for coolants although I think it might be coming. You have to go off the chemistry. If you are undecided, go with GO5. It's been pretty well shown that it's a good coolant for our Jeeps.

 

[DanOinAkron]

Just thought I’d give an update. After multiple attempts to seal it up with a healthy dose of Teflon tape on the threads and RTV on the housing and washer, it’s….still leaking. I’m giving up and going to order a new radiator.

 

[Link]

Just thought I’d give an update. After multiple attempts to seal it up with a healthy dose of Teflon tape on the threads and RTV on the housing and washer, it’s….still leaking. I’m giving up and going to order a new radiator.

Unfortunately, that's all you can do sometimes. Besides, even if you did get it to stop leaking, it might have just cracked the radiator tanks eventually anyway. I suspect you'll be much happier with a new radiator.