This isnt the best place to post this, but someone might have a better idea then me.
I got anti freeze coming out the tail pipe on a 96 Cherokee. Theres not much, just dribbles out and the level of coolent doesnt seem to be dropping at a signifigant rate. First thought was blown head gasket but I haven’t lost compression?
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If you have been good it's just normal condensation and combustion products. One of which is water. In cold weather this can condense in a cold exhaust system. Particularly if the vehicle is used for short runs that don't allow the exhaust system to get hot enough to boil off the water. This water combines with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to produce the related acids. This is why many cars now come with stainless steel exhaust systems.
Less fortunate would be a leak between a cooling jacket and the exhaust passage. Have a mechanic check the radiator, when cool of course, with an exhaust gas analyzer. Takes about 5 minutes and many mechanics will do it for free or for a nominal cost. Detection of exhaust gasses in the radiator is common with blown head gaskets. The problem here is that in some rare cases water can fill a cylinder and, worse case, hydrolock. Broken connecting rods, pistons and crank are all possible. Replacing the engine is often the best solution after this particular disaster.
In rare cases, small and in just the right spot, this sort of leak can be controlled by adding a sealing agent to the radiator. At about $5 a shot it is worth a try. But a new head gasket is the surer cure.
The jeep has been well maintained and always recieved the necessary maintance when called for, well to be honest, within a few thousand miles of when called for. Does your first suggestion of it being normal apply even if what is coming out smells and tastes sweet like anti freeze?View ImageGo Jayhawks
It's either a blown head gasket, warped head, or a cracked head.
If the leak isn't too bad you could try the sealant route, or just keep an eye on the level of the antifreeze and stop looking at the tailpipe. The problem is water makes a poor lubricant and you better shorten your oilchange schedule if antifreeze is getting in your crankcase.
Didn't you say you were going to trade in soon? Sooner or later the head will have to come off and it is common to have a cracked head, so for giggles why don't you see what that job costs for your car.
Didn't you say you were going to trade in soon? Sooner or later the head will have to come off and it is common to have a cracked head, so for giggles why don't you see what that job costs for your car.
If it is a cracked head and not just the gasket its going to be alot "sooner" then later for the trade in.
I dont want to think about what it would cost to get the head replaced, probably not worth doing it.View ImageGo Jayhawks
The problem is working on those things, lift the hood.
Start with Luka's advice, I would.
Then I would be inclined to ignore it until it blew. Change the oil and check coolant, and stop tasting tailpipe waste. If you notice any hard starting when it is cold you are going to get hydrolocked, and you had better fix the problem, like right now. Engines hydro because the cylinders take water as they cool, so watch that.
If you get into anything further, I say go for it. You have to put the car down and you are foolish to Mickey Mouse it. The labor is in taking off the pretty stuff, and if you need a new head it isn't a big deal at this point. A used head is only going to add a hundred to this, plus the cost of having it fluxed, but you should have that done to yours anyhow.
and stop tasting tailpipe waste
I was waiting for someone to bust me on that
Cars going in to get checked monday, the mechanic seems to think its just exhuast condensation and no big deal, but is going to look at it anyway.View ImageGo Jayhawks
Do you know a lick on antifreeze could easily kill a dog? I don't know about humans. Stay away.
Tom
I know I know, but for lack of a better testing method, smell and taste are all I knew. It was a small drop just on the tip of my tongue, defiantly not healthy but not going to kill.View ImageGo Jayhawks
hey CAG ...
since this thread came back to life ...
what engine were we talking about?
surely not the 4.0 straight 6?
bad and/er warped heads?
what was the final result?
from my experience ... and what I've heard ... the 4.0/6 was/is warp proof.
did ya break one?
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
I never did figure out what was wrong, yeah it was the straight 6 4L, I took it in, mechanic said there was probably a small crack somewhere, but nothing to really worry about right away.
I pretended it like it wasnt there for a few months, then it became someone elses problem
Go to your local auto parts store.
(If one doesn't have what I describe, keep going. Go to all of them until you find exactly what I describe.)
Go to the coolant section. You know, where the anti-freeze is. Along with the rad caps, rad flush, AF testers, etc...
Look for a bottle of stuff that looks like water with a bunch of copper dust in the bottom. When you shake it up, you'll see that the liquid is thicker than water, and the copper gets evenly dispersed and stays suspended for a while.
Wait... Don't go to the counter yet. Look on the bottle for the words, "water glass", or "modified water glass".
If you see the copper, but no "water glass", then put the bottle back on the shelf. It is a wannabe.
If you see the copper, and you read the words water glass as ingredients... run to the counter with it. It's worth it's weight in gold.
Follow directions when putting it in the radiator. I usualy do so with the water level plenty low enough that I can refill the bottle, and shake well again, and pour that in the second time.
...
Three other points... 1.) I do this when the engine is already warmed up. (As it should be, if you drove to the parts store. LOL)
2.) Plan on driving on the highway immediately. Not stop and go. Do it at a time when you can cruise at an easy 55 or 60 for about 20 minutes.
3.) It doesn't hurt to use as much as twice what they suggest.
And when compared to the cost of repairing a cracked block, cracked head, or blown head gasket... is very cheap. This stuff actualy does do what it claims.
Anecdote... I was on a long trip in a blazer once. Blew a head gasket on the highway. The huge cloud of steam behind me was so bad that people slowed way down. It was worse than a fog. And the cloud was huge. I pulled over at the very first exit, and went into the little town there.
Put in a bottle of this stuff, and filled the radiator. Bought a couple gallons of anti-freeze, and filled my two empty bottles with water. Hit the highway again....
I actualy watched the steam cloud grow smaller. Less than 5 minutes down the road, there was no steam at all. None. I stopped and checked the coolant. Had to replace less than a gallon. Never had to do so again.
Quittin' Time
P.S.
Don't even bother wasting your money on any of those others out there. That aluminum powder, the little black pellets, etc... They are a waste of money.
I don't care who makes those others, or what kind of rep they have. If you buy them, you are just throwing good money after bad.
ONLY the stuff that is water glass, with the copper in it, is any reliable good.
Quittin' Time
Luka,
Thanks, sounds like a good idea, got to print that out so I dont forget when I get there :)
Thanks again
View ImageGo Jayhawks
Well LUKA... I know something else that WORKS... It's called K & W Block Seal... It is not cheap. Currently about 7 bucks a can around here. If you follow the instructions on the can this stuff will permantly fix a lot of cracked blocks/heads that you wouldn't think could be fixed! I have used it a few times and been amazed that it worked just like you said... Took a drive... watched it stop the leak.
Could be it is made of the same stuff you're talking about... Don't know. But it is good stuff. --- BRICK
"They say that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. I like to color outside the lines...and then eat the crayons." ~ Me
And then there's always the off chance that retorquing the head bolts might turn the trick. I've seen that happen a couple of times.
No, it's not likely, but sure doesn't cost much to try.
Yeah the shade tree mechanic is a dinosaur
you can't cuss, you can't smoke
or spit on the floor
And don't hit on a woman, cause she might sue
You can't buy beer in this state past 2
But that cheap bourbon whiskey and pearl snap shirts
Are two things that stay the same
-JB and the Stragglers
You could easily have a leak into the engine and not notice the loss of compression.
One other thing -- take a look under the hood and make sure you're not leaking any oil. Some 6-cyl Cherokees had a tendency to leak oil onto the manifiold and catch fire. I think this is a valve cover issue, but if you suddently developed a coolant leak, it may be due to overheating which can cause warpage of the head.
Gotta love Jeeps though.
-Pete
Just noticed yours is a 96. Don't think the fire problem applies to these.
I agree that it is probably just normal condensation. My truck does it on cold mornings. However, if it is really bothering you, then have it checked by a mechanic with the proper equipment as was stated before.
It used to be that you could pull the radiator cap off when the engine is cold and before its been started, then start the engine and wait for the thermostat to open and look for bubbles in the coolant. Thats not so easy with todays closed and sealed systems. Another indicator would be milky oil in the crank case which usually means a cracked block.
If its between the water jacket and the cylinder then you can leave it sit overnight after running it up to temp. The next morning, before starting it, pull the plugs and then turn the engine over. If there is water dribbling out of a spark plug hole then that is the troubled cylinder.
I seriously doubt if you have any problem at all but it won't hurt to have it checked out.
Coolant coming out of the tailpipe is not good. If It was a Ford i'd freely disparage it but I don't know about a Chrysler engine. That is if there is a specific problem.
Story time. 94 Taurus 3.8 L I bought with 20 k ran great til about 94 k. When I looked in the coolant reservior I found kind of an oily residue. I took it off and cleaned it up with Gasoline and refilled it. The coolant was watched but it continually sipped at the reservoir. By 105 K the thing was consuming gallons of anitfreeze (in mixture of course.) Turns out the head gasket on most of the Taurus autos has this defect and was fully warranteed to 100k by special decree. I got nothing but a 2600 dollar bill for my effort. I sold it to the garage and walked out with 1200 bucks. Almost bought a Focus as a replacement. Now I hear they have had the same problem as well and that is a 4 banger.
The mica flakes that are used to seal a radiator aren't a good bet if there is more than 20 k left on the vehicle. The miniature ports in the cooling system can get clogged and your temp goes way up on the engine (~ 30 to 40 degrees) per my experience with a (1974 or so) 96v4 SAB. In my early days I bought one of those and had a hard time figuring how to stop adequately on snow. I messed up the radiator on more than one occasion and got to the point where I used that flake stuff to seal a couple of pinholes in the radiator. The car was fine in the winter but summertime performance was pretty spooky with the temp needle always in the red.
Now I forgot if deceleration or acceleration causes the coolant to fog out the tailpipe or oil. There is a trick to see if it is coolant or oil that is getting in the firing chambers, possibly someone will remember. Til you get that clue, check the coolant and the oil levels for changes over miles driven. You ought to open the radiator cap to see if the radiator is full. (only open when cold) If you have a leak in the coolant reservoir supply then the radiator may not be refilling the system.
With a 96 you are nearing or past a threshold if they have mileage life limits on special actions. I'd check out google for links to Cherokee warranty issues or some similar string. I know there is a source out there for "problem issue reporting" It just has been a while since I went there.