I've been reading a lot of threads about problems with the 3.8 that may arise. When I bought my 08 rubi back in June I noticed the coolant was low at the dealership. I asked them if they could too it off and they did. About a month later I noticed the level had dropped again. It will go from the full hot line to the minimum hot line in 2-3 months. There is no noticeable leak around the water pump, seals, hoses, etc. but every know and then you get a terrible wif of coolant. Just wondering if anyone has had the same problems or offer any insight. Thank you.

 

Is there any off roading involved when you notice the scent of coolant? The steep inclines and declines can cause you to lose some coolant.

 

Sometimes yes, but the majority of the time it's road driving when you smell it.

 

they claim it even dissipates from heat and not to be concerned unless it goes down to low so far its holding it ok but I don't know if I buy the story they fed me about evaporation natural a bit

 

mojo, are having kinda the same problem too?

 

Two to three months sounds rather rapid to lose coolant. You might look/feel/sniff around the tailpipe while running the engine, especially when the engine is cool. If there's any kind of smoke, or the feeling of dampness, or the smell of coolant, this is bad. Also, check your engine oil for contamination (milky color). Either could indicate problems in the head gasket, or water jackets in the heads or block.

 

About 2 years ago while sitting at a red light I would occasionally notice some steam rising from the grille. There was not the typical "sweet" coolant smell but there definitely was steam.
I took it to the dealership and they told me I had a bad water pump.
I bought the Jeep new and I took out the lifetime warranty they offered, so the cost or replacing the water pump was only a $100 deductible.
A month ago, sitting at a red light I noticed again the appearance of steam coming from the grille. I had an oil change scheduled so I asked them to check the cooling system while they had it.
They told me they did a pressure test and were seeing the pressure drop a bit. They tightened up the hose clamps and that solved it.
They attempted to charge me $90 for the coolant work, and $25 for the oil change but that wasn't going to fly.
I asked them if loose hoses are a typical problem and should they be expected to loosen up over time. He said no to both questions (which I knew the answers to already).
So I said that they must not have been properly tightened the last time someone worked on it, which was then THEY replaced my water pump.
I told him that I wasn't going to pay $90 because of a mistake they made 2 years ago, especially when it didn't even involve any new parts.
He conceded and charged me $40 which included the oil change also.

 

and problem solved !

 

Vapor coming from the grill is almost always from water on the radiator; rain, high humidity, just washed the Jeep, etc.

I used to get it once in a while. Not since I installed the mechanical fan, which pulls air through the grill when the engine is running.

Regarding the loss of coolant over time, and the occasional smell of coolant...
A weak radiator cap will allow some of the pressure to escape to the overflow bottle in the form of coolant vapor. This can escape through the bottle's vent tube, resulting in slow coolant loss and coolant smell.

 

add of fluid but seems like summer does this more on mine anyway it didn't drop to empty just went lower than it was