A couple of months ago my radiator cap was leaking i changed it and haven't notices any more fluid coming from anywhere but I've put about 1,000 miles since I've last checked my fluids checked today and my coolant level has dropped some more it was just below the halfway mark between max and min now its about to the min.... What could be causing me to loose fluid there is never any drops on the the ground and my driveway is concrete i would see it easy... I've crawled underneath and see no sign of fluid anywhere.... Even when my cap was leaking a bit there would be no fluid on ground but evidence of it dripping on frame and parts... Any help?

 

When you say it is at the Min level, do you mean when the engine is cold or warm/hot? You'll get different reading on that bottle at different engine temps.

Some engines have slow leaks around the water pump. It can evaporate without dripping because of all the airflow around there. any signs of leakage there?

Do you change you own oil? coolant can end up in there, and that's not good.....

 

yes check ur water pump. they go bad and leak, and then run off on ur engine results in steam not puddles.

 

On a related note, does anyone have experience with non-water based coolants such as this:

Evans Waterless Engine Coolants - FAQs - frequently asked questions

I saw this being used on a vintage car and the supposed benefits are no rust (water pump will last longer), no boiling and you never have to replace it. Expensive, but worth it, or is it snake oil? Seeing as my 3.8 is cast iron I like the no rust aspect of it....

 

X2 check around the water pump gasket. Even a very slow leak will cause loss, and you may not actually see it. Can you smell antifreeze when running the engine? Also, if you haven't yet, check your oil for coolant mixing in.

 

It's and 08 that i bought used jn dec and have about 1000 to go for the first oil change wold i be able to see it on the dip stick? Cause I've checked that and it looks ok... And cans one tell me or send me a picture of what the water pump looks like I'm no mechanic...

 

And I did check it hot so i will check it cold ad see where my levels are

 

It's not snake oil but I don't think it would mean much for a Jeep.

The proper mixture of factory coolant and pure water (NOT TAP water...never put tap water in your cooling system) will keep corrosion in your iron parts to a minimum. Regular change intervals ensure the system stays healthy and stuff gets flushed out. There's no real replacement.

Popular in vintage car racing (since they can't use typical coolant for safety reasons) is a mix of water and "water wetter" which reduces the surface tension of water for slightly better circulation and cooling. But these are vintage cars, and the cooling systems are often too small and inadequate as designed for heavy use, let alone racing.

The other reason someone would be tempted to use a "cooler than coolant"product in their vehicle is because a lot of guys are running around with old radiators. Over the years, corrosion has formed and a lot of the circulation fins get plugged up, and they're none the wiser and think they just need better coolant, or more fans.

I'd wager to say if you keep your 3.8's cooling system up to snuff with the factory stuff, you'll have results that last the life of the engine.

 

Even a leak that shows no wetness will usually leave a crust of salts where the liquid evaporates off leaving tell tale signs of an off-white crusty build-up. This could be hard to see at the bottom of the water pump.

That said, don't these systems already run some kind of extra-trick-and-funky coolant? (HOAT: hybrid organic acid technology)

Maybe it doesn't give the crusty residue of conventional ethylene glycol coolant?

 

This is true.