Plastic (like zip ties) found inside 2006 TJ Unlimited 4.0 coolant system

Gary Steinman

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Jun 26, 2017
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Tustin, CA, United States
Apologies in advance for being the new guy who throws out a crazy question to everyone!
I'm wondering if anyone has ever found or knows why twisted pieces of plastic would be inside my TJ 4.0 coolant system? They look like spiral zip ties. I purchased a Manual 2006 Wrangler TJ Unlimited about 18 months ago for my son (he will turn 16 and get his license in Aug 2017). It's been a project for us to work on together and motivation for him (I required him to keep a 4.0 GPA to get it).
We replaced fluids, belt and thermostat when we got it with no signs of anything strange then. Yesterday, we replaced the water pump because I was starting to see some dripping and he's been learning how to drive it.
Once we got it apart and pulled the water pump off, I found these two twisted plastic pieces behind the water pump - fluid side inside engine (about 6 1/2 inches long each). From the marks, it looks like there were in the impellers and probably lead to the leak. I did have the heater core replaced a few months ago by a mechanic, but those guys claim zero knowledge and zero responsibility. I then took the pieces to the local Jeep Dealer and their head mechanic had no idea either..... So now I ask the forum - has anyone else seen these before? Or can they guess why they are inside the coolant system? I purchased the Jeep from a Police Officer who has been very helpful. He had it all these years and he doesn't know either. My fear is that I'm giving this to a new driver and I really don't want something to fail right as he starts driving it alone.... My sincere thanks for any suggestions on this!

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Just when you think you'd seen it all...I wish I could help, I've never seen anything like that. Hopefully someone has.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Not the kind of thing that would get very far in the system. Not twisted by the pump, the shadow is too symmetrical. Which side of the pump would say more. They could have been on the cold side of the heater core.

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I have't the slightest clue what those are, or how they could have got there. I think the best possible thing to do in this situation is to flush the cooling system with several gallons of distilled water, just to make sure you get any of these things out.

Makes you really wonder how they got there.
 
Any chance those could be something that came apart in the water pump's bearing? Just bizarre!
 
I found a weird piece of plastic tubing inside my coolant overflow container when I bought it. Its like WTF.
 
I found a weird piece of plastic tubing inside my coolant overflow container when I bought it. Its like WTF.
That is supposed to be connected to the fitting under where the rubber hose from the radiator connects to. That tube is how the radiator sucks the overflow coolant from the bottom of the reservoir back into the radiator when things cool off.
 
That is supposed to be connected to the fitting under where the rubber hose from the radiator connects to. That tube is how the radiator sucks the overflow coolant from the bottom of the reservoir back into the radiator when things cool off.
For real?
This plastic piece was like 7"-8" long and about the exact diameter as the opening to fill the coolant from the top. and it was just floating in my coolant loosely. So I had to grip it with needle nose pliers and rip it out of there. It just seemed out of place, and had no purpose. Also when I drained the overflow tank and it was empty there was no where for it to be reconnected or anything so I tossed it out. Doesn't gravity just take the coolant from the bottom of the tank through the rubber hose into the radiator?
 
Maybe a spiral re-inforcement of one of the radiator hoses? I'm grasping here. I know that some marine tubing uses an ABS spiral, but its more of a cord, not twisted like that.
 
For real?
This plastic piece was like 7"-8" long and about the exact diameter as the opening to fill the coolant from the top. and it was just floating in my coolant loosely. So I had to grip it with needle nose pliers and rip it out of there. It just seemed out of place, and had no purpose. Also when I drained the overflow tank and it was empty there was no where for it to be reconnected or anything so I tossed it out. Doesn't gravity just take the coolant from the bottom of the tank through the rubber hose into the radiator?
Looks like newer coolant reservoir/overflow tanks have gotten rid of that internal rubber hose I was describing and molded it in plastic onto the outside of the reservoir. Call the dogs off. :)
 
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For real?
This plastic piece was like 7"-8" long and about the exact diameter as the opening to fill the coolant from the top. and it was just floating in my coolant loosely. So I had to grip it with needle nose pliers and rip it out of there. It just seemed out of place, and had no purpose. Also when I drained the overflow tank and it was empty there was no where for it to be reconnected or anything so I tossed it out. Doesn't gravity just take the coolant from the bottom of the tank through the rubber hose into the radiator?

That plastic tube was in mine also. Not sure of it's purpose but it is there by design. It does pop out if you want to clean the overflow when doing a coolant change. I put it back in as it's obviously intended to be there.
 
Did your radiator has a tubular grid? Heater core maybe?
Have seen this spiral strips on a car cooling system comes from inside of a BMW radiator that has tubular grid. They are desing to delay the coolant recirculation flow speed to mantain temperature.
 
That plastic tube was in mine also. Not sure of it's purpose but it is there by design. It does pop out if you want to clean the overflow when doing a coolant change. I put it back in as it's obviously intended to be there.
I have to ask just out of curiosity, you just squeezed it back inside then what? It doesn't affix to any spot just falls in the the reservoir and then floats around.
 
Those are polypropylene helix cooling bands. Critical components designed to keep temperatures at a safe operating range. Not really, I'm clueless as to what those could be.


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Haha... You might not be too far from the truth! In industrial cooling applications, fluid to air type coolers have what's called turbulators inside the cooling tubes designed to increase the contact surface and to slow the fluid velocity through the tube to increase contact time with the tube surface thus increasing cooling. I do not know if the application of turbulators is present in auto cooling systems. Perhaps the PO replaced the radiator at some point with a non-oem type.

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I have to ask just out of curiosity, you just squeezed it back inside then what? It doesn't affix to any spot just falls in the the reservoir and then floats around.

Mine was a tight fit at the top. You could use a little RTV to hold it in place just below the cap.