Need help with coolant leak

[medicnole]

Hey everyone I need some help trying to find out where this coolant leak is coming from? Or at least I assume it is a coolant leak and that's what others have suggested as well. It's a slow leak but somehow it's coming out on the bottom of my engine and I cannot find the source. Here are some photos of what it looks like underneath it also has gotten up onto the underside of my hood. This all just happened recently when I replaced my engine mounts for 1-in raised ones

 

[P man]

Buy or borrow a pressure tester that goes on the radiator neck

 

[medicnole]

Don't know how to edit my original post to add the photos so I just put them here

 

[medicnole]

Buy or borrow a pressure tester that goes on the radiator neck

Okay I'm going to see if I can get one

 

[P man]

Okay I'm going to see if I can get one

Should look something like this

 

[Dunkut88TJ]

Looks like it’s coming from waterpump area, could be the weep hole indicating it’s gone bad. Had this problem 9 months ago myself. It could also be the thermostat, but that pressure test it will isolate it.

I would mentally prepare to overhaul the whole system or pay someone else to do it. I did my thermostat and waterpump only and 3 weeks later it caused the radiator to go.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

I have a waterpump, hoses, thermostat, radiator etc all sitting in my garage ready to (hopefully) go in this weekend. Have a leak coming from the same spot. This thread is SUPER helpful:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/jeep-wrangler-tj-cooling-system-overhaul-faq.3397/#post-43776

 

[97TJnotstuck]

@medicnole, how did the pressure test go? Looking forward to seeing if changing the water pump made the leak disappear.

 

[Jezza]

Front of that radiator end tank and the body mount looks gross. I would check the radiator.

 

[97TJnotstuck]

I changed the radiator, top bottom hoses, thermostat/gasket. Put it the “Chrysler” coolant. I wish I had known about this forum before changing all of the parts, would have changed the water pump also. I have some weep leaks for sure!

 

[medicnole]

@medicnole, how did the pressure test go? Looking forward to seeing if changing the water pump made the leak disappear.

So I did the pressure test and the only leak that I could find was a very small leak coming from the top radiator hose but it wasn't nearly enough to be causing everything in the picture is let alone to be able to get underneath the engine so I'm still at a loss and I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not coolant that is making that white powder film whatever it is

 

[Not_Invented_Here_]

So I did the pressure test and the only leak that I could find was a very small leak coming from the top radiator hose but it wasn't nearly enough to be causing everything in the picture is let alone to be able to get underneath the engine so I'm still at a loss and I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not coolant that is making that white powder film whatever it is

Based on your pictures, it sure looks like coolant. What did you pressurize the system to? I'd turn the jeep on, leave it parked and let it run/get it up to temperature and see what happens.

 

[medicnole]

Based on your pictures, it sure looks like coolant. What did you pressurize the system to? I'd turn the jeep on, leave it parked and let it run/get it up to temperature and see what happens.

I pressurized it to 18 PSI.

 

[MikeE024]

I changed the radiator, top bottom hoses, thermostat/gasket. Put it the “Chrysler” coolant. I wish I had known about this forum before changing all of the parts, would have changed the water pump also. I have some weep leaks for sure!

View attachment 268558

View attachment 268559

View attachment 268560

All good the water pump is easy.

I thermocure and flush multiple rounds of distilled water as well to remove corrosion.

 

[Not_Invented_Here_]

I pressurized it to 18 PSI.

Any luck tracking it down?

 

[medicnole]

Any luck tracking it down?

Nope no luck tracking down the leak. Is there any way to find out if that white powdery stuff is definitely coolant? Could it be something other than coolant? Any ideas?

 

[P man]

Nope no luck tracking down the leak. Is there any way to find out if that white powdery stuff is definitely coolant? Could it be something other than coolant? Any ideas?

Taste it

 

[MikeE024]

Nope no luck tracking down the leak. Is there any way to find out if that white powdery stuff is definitely coolant? Could it be something other than coolant? Any ideas?

The white residue is likely from engine coolant. I had that look in my engine bay after rock crawling my vehicle for the first time, and it was from my fan spreading coolant all over that was coming from the overfill port from the aft/top portion of the coolant reservoir.

I used a small hose clamp and rubber hose from Autozone (1" i.d. IIRC, but ask them to do a test fit before you buy the hose). My hose drains the spilled coolant along the frame (forward of the steering components).

My aftermarket coolant reservoir still leaks a little from the yellow fill cap and the fan does the same thing with the coolant. I'll likely use some adhesive-backed 1/8" closed cell foam in an attempt to solve this.

Update (photo of the hose):

 

[MikeE024]

Nope no luck tracking down the leak. Is there any way to find out if that white powdery stuff is definitely coolant? Could it be something other than coolant? Any ideas?

Update: No more cap spills since adding 1/8" adhesive-backed closed-cell foam to the coolant reservoir cap and window washer fluid cap. Hope this helps you out.

Clean and happy