[Dakotahooser]

Hi all, I have been dealing with a repetitive coolant leak on my 2015 Cherokee on and off for a while now. The first time I took it to the dealership, they replaced the upper hose and oil cooler and said I was good to go. I had to take it back another two times because the dealership kept messing it up (the replacement hose had gotten damaged and then they said the clamp was too loose the next time) and I think it was fixed for a while, but now it’s leaking again from the same spot. I will not be taking it back to the same dealership because I do not trust them or their work, but just looking for ideas of what could be wrong here and what actually needs to be fixed.

 

[Gary Kline]

Hi all, I have been dealing with a repetitive coolant leak on my 2015 Cherokee on and off for a while now. The first time I took it to the dealership, they replaced the upper hose and oil cooler and said I was good to go. I had to take it back another two times because the dealership kept messing it up (the replacement hose had gotten damaged and then they said the clamp was too loose the next time) and I think it was fixed for a while, but now it’s leaking again from the same spot. I will not be taking it back to the same dealership because I do not trust them or their work, but just looking for ideas of what could be wrong here and what actually needs to be fixed. View attachment 222281

Hi @Dakotahooser , question, do you have the 4 cyl or 6? (I have the V6 and am having a hard time visualizing where this is).

Also, can you post another photo from further away? If this photo below is from the top-down (e.g. your hood is open and you're looking at your engine from the top-down while standing in front of the car), it looks like intermittent spray, possibly from the radiator. Note how the dried coolant is only on the 'forward side' (as denoted by the red directional arrows) and absent on the back sides (purple boxes). If the radiator has a tiny leak, airflow while driving would spray coolant only on the forward side like that. Either way, it's telling in that it shows the direction of the spray. Doesn't seem to be the hose though.

 

[sanghill]

DealerRater rates this Jeep dealer as 4.2: DealerRater - Car Dealer Reviews, Car Dealer Directory, Vehicles For Sale, Vehicle Recalls
One way to check for leaks is to clean the engine and then put radiator coolant dye in the coolant and look for the source of the leak with an infrared light and special glasses.
If it is an extremely small leak sometimes seal tabs will work. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Chrysler-Genuine-Accessories-4318005-Pellet/dp/B00BV4CX6I

 

[Dakotahooser]

Hi @Dakotahooser , question, do you have the 4 cyl or 6? (I have the V6 and am having a hard time visualizing where this is).

Also, can you post another photo from further away? If this photo below is from the top-down (e.g. your hood is open and you're looking at your engine from the top-down while standing in front of the car), it looks like intermittent spray, possibly from the radiator. Note how the dried coolant is only on the 'forward side' (as denoted by the red directional arrows) and absent on the back sides (purple boxes). If the radiator has a tiny leak, airflow while driving would spray coolant only on the forward side like that. Either way, it's telling in that it shows the direction of the spray. Doesn't seem to be the hose though.


View attachment 222283

Thanks for your input! I have the V6 and yes, this is from a top down view. I don’t have another picture right now unfortunately. You could be right that it may be coming from the radiator, my husband is going to go look more in depth here in a bit and see if he can figure it out. It does look as if the coolant has gotten into the fan at some point and sprayed all over the place, and the spots I see coolant now are the same as when we had the problem in the past where it was diagnosed as the hose each time. So I’m just not sure.

 

[sanghill]

See if this Post helps: 2014 lattitude w/low coolant
Also, refer to "Recommended Reading" below.

When I destroyed the skid plates and radiator frame the body shop was able to remove the front end without having to remove the radiator.
In your case this would make it a lot easier to then remove the radiator.
After replacing the radiator the cooling system needs to be bled in some special way to get the air out.
See if this helps: Coolant leak from upper radiator hose

 

[Gary Kline]

Thanks for your input! I have the V6 and yes, this is from a top down view. I don’t have another picture right now unfortunately. You could be right that it may be coming from the radiator, my husband is going to go look more in depth here in a bit and see if he can figure it out. It does look as if the coolant has gotten into the fan at some point and sprayed all over the place, and the spots I see coolant now are the same as when we had the problem in the past where it was diagnosed as the hose each time. So I’m just not sure.

No problem. I just took a look at mine and here's a shot from the engine bay looking forward (to the front of the car). There's not much else with coolant that flows through it that could produce that spray pattern except the radiator (and as you mentioned, the fan (or natural airflow when moving) helping to spray it on the front side of those pipes.)

Once the radiator has started to leak, it won't get better. I needs to be replaced. Good news is that if your husband is handy/the mechanic type, it can be self-done. If not, as you and @sanghill mentioned, this doesn't seem to be the right dealer to use. Since it's a "non-Jeep specific job" (generic radiator repair), if you can find a local shop that will do it, you can get the radiator off Amazon (I think I paid ~$120 when I got my replacement a year or so ago) and then you'd just pay the shop to put it in or just pay them to do the whole job.

Note, you will probably need more coolant. It's VERY important to only use the genuine Jeep "OAT" coolant that's made for this car. Mixing a different formulation can make the existing coolant turn to a gel-like consistency. You can get more coolant at any Jeep dealer.

Best of luck!

 

[Skidmark]

Any competent repair shop can pressure test your cooling system to pinpoint the problem. If you want to try it yourself, a test kit with the pump & adapters is not expensive.

Like this: https://www.amazon.ca/DASBET-Radiat...adiator+Pressure+Tester&qid=1675028907&sr=8-6

(take heed of the warning not to pump it up over 15 PSI or you will have a larger problem)

 

[Flybynightcru]

First thing I'd do when replacing any coolant hose is replace those crappy clamps with real hose clamps...😎

 

[Rand]

First thing I'd do when replacing any coolant hose is replace those crappy clamps with real hose clamps...😎
View attachment 222285

IMO those are the crappy clamps.. constant tension clamps work much better esp with temperature extremes.

Or the new shrink on style gates powergrip.

 

[Flybynightcru]

IMO those are the crappy clamps.. constant tension clamps work much better esp with temperature extremes.

Or the new shrink on style gates powergrip.

Honestly, I prefer steel braided lines, hoses, and the associated hardware, but that would be overkill on a Cherokee...😉😎