Jeep Cherokee 4.0 - Coolant Loss No External Leak? 

Why not use a Head Gasket sealer liquid, like Bar's or BlueDevil, they do work. They are designed to remedy the exact situation you have here, the silicate chemistry, when heated to proper temperature, will solidify and plug up minor cracks in the head

DIYers don't understand that a shop can't get away with things they can. It might just work out fine with a head job but as Murphy's law usually plays out, it probably won't.

@@NICK-uy3nl That's what I'd do if it were mine. I hate the stuff but have personally seen it work for dad on a jeep with this exact problem

@@NICK-uy3nl Head gasket sealer plugs up everything else required like a heater core and radiator

Heck 200k is nothing. My 98 XJ has 300k on it’s original 4.0. Still runs good, no smoke, no knocks, good oil pressure....

"Ma'am, I'm very sorry to have to tell you this...."

Also depends if you want to rebuild the engine yourself or not.

Ditto that!

Attack of the "eversince" disease...

@@pantherplatform Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be in business!

The classic customer named Everett Sinju. 😂

@@mailmanjoe that sounds like one of the fictitious people working at car talk like Pekov and Dropov, their Russian chauffers...

you guys still remember the dude that blamed Eric for having put "bad air" in his tires causing the rims to rust through... within a week ? :-))

Or it's a BMW and it's completely normal.

@@Frost640 common for coolant to just vanish in some VW and Audi models as well. If it's on the MQB platform and the thermostat housing isn't leaking, the advice these days is top it off.

and its really almost an emulsion, not "coagulated"

my van is also "consuming" coolant, but I can smell it outside, its not an internal leak, and its not going in the oil pan.

My 94 k2500 has been losing coolant for years internally, (not in the oil, maybe thru the intake. Doesn’t smoke either). I just keep it low for expansion to minimize the leak. At 295k miles I think she kinda likes it.

Depending on what oil they put in to hide a problem.

I've done 6 myself.. takes about 3-4hrs. Not a big deal

@@steveo8535 16 year old wanted an XJ. Got her a 2001 limited. Took me 6 months to find "the one". I watch it like a hawk 🙄 knowing I was entering the 0331 game. I read up on the Clearwater solution and told myself I'll just fix it when the time comes. May need some pointers 😅

The previous owner most likely overheated the engine and it cracked the head.

@@applepoop10 Warped the head., it’s pretty common on the 4.0L Especially after mudding it and overheating it from mud packed in it

@@Sicktrickintuner the head is cracked

@@Sicktrickintuner not really... but the 0331 head found only in 00 and 01 4.0 engines almost always cracks. Overheating it certainly speeds up the process.

@@applepoop10 That crack is a known issue with 99-01 4.0L heads. Nothing to do with overheating, it's a manufacturing fault, the iron doesn't have enough nickel in it and so it ends up fracturing between cylinders 3 and 4 due to the normal thermal cycling of driving.

It’s a 20+ year old car

Nobody sells these old Cherokees unless they have this sort of problem

I thought the AMC 4.0 was as reliable as the 350 small block chevy

@@youngb1ood Probably more reliable. I've owned a number of 350s and they are stellar engines but that 4.0 only has one cylinder head and 2 less pistons.... Less that could go wrong

@@RedfishCarolina 2000 and 2001 models have bad heads and known for cracking. Bad part on those years. Rest of engine is solid as ever. My 98 is over 250k and running strong

It's no problem, I'd have an attorney contact them and light their sh*t up.

people don't get rid of good jeeps, you are right.

@@nmatthew7469 good luck. As is where is.

Yeah and I drove my GM 4.3 for 6 years with a bad head gasket and it still runs to this day. 3 weeks to me isn’t anything.

@@samsquires2877 my old 02 Silverado had the 4.3 and i put 86k miles on it with LIM gaskets leaking bad, the frame cracked on it so i parked it. Surprisingly i never wiped out the bearings even with dexcool flavored oil!!!

I love my 4.0 jeeps. My daily has 262,000 miles and still gets me where I need to go without fail.

@@Mr.NiceGuy80 definitely agree with you there, them 4.0's that didn't have the 33 heads on them were beasts!

@@mattcat231 just scored another killer deal today. One owner 98 Tahoe 4x4. All the options, leather, everything works excellent paint and interior. The reason they parked it, it needed a distributor cap.

Thank you for your service.

@@macfisher4004 what service? killing innocent brown people to loot their resources for government?

Thank you for your service...As a Veteran myself, I know how tight money was in the beginning...You Tube can save plenty of money as DIY...Knowledge is Power...May God protect you and your family.

Thanks for your service-- Viet-Nam Navy vet. I was doing the same back in the 60's + 70's.

@@macfisher4004 thank you for being a DIYer.

Once you go Honda you never go back.

Hence the reason why they bought a 21 year-old-car to start with. Then you feel like a heel because you had to tell them.

I hate having to break bad news to people roadside during a breakdown, snapped timing belt, blown head gasket etc. You see people die on the inside when you explain what has happened and roughly how much to fix.

The Ford pushrod iron vulcan 3.0 has this issue too?

"It's elementary chemistry, my dear Watson! Oil and coolant do not mix, and will separate if left standing for a time." The result is two layers; one of oil, and one of coolant." :)

@@markh.6687 This is true. But as a test to see if there is an antifreeze leak, the tips will tell you how much of a leak you have. The tips of the bottle will glow green ,orange, or whatever color the antifreeze is.

Is it only 2000+??

@@garymallard4699 If I'm not mistaken its like some late 99's and up. I believe the casting issue was corrected late 01'. There is a lot of good information about it on any jeep XJ forum.

@@filecabinet827 Ok thanks..i got a 98 and will check..i think it was after my year?? I heard about it but can't remember

@@garymallard4699 Does not effect 98's for sure.

@@filecabinet827 Thanks..it seems i might be ok but still gonna check it....i'm pulling it into shop anyways in a week...got other issues to fix ..parasitic drain mainly and bad rear solenoid on hatch....

It's a fantastic sentiment, and an equally good guide in life, but like so many things, it's generally not black and white. Take for example, my aforementioned car. It has no effective resale value (except for scrap), but still has utility value. I had JUST put in a bit of work to it: trans fluid and filter, oil fluid and filter, coolant flush and fill, power steering flush and fill, belts, plugs, valve cover gaskets, and replaced driver side axle seal and axle that had a tore outer boot and clicking u-joint. $219 in parts and 9 hours of my labor. It blew the gasket shortly after (about 1000 miles according to my records.) I add about a gallon of coolant mix once a month (about $10 since I get the concentrate and mix it myself) in the summer on average, and as previously mentioned haven't needed to add any for about 1000 miles since the weather got really cold. Now I recognize I'm in a different situation than some, in that I have the skills/knowledge/desire/pig-headedness to limp a car a long like this, and it's not my only car (we have more cars than drivers), so that if it did literally blow up it would be no big deal; just annoying that I didn't get the full measure out of the work i've put into maintaining it over the last 16 years. With that Jeep, if it were me I'd get into the habit of doing *cheap* oil changes frequently (based on the condition of the oil and how much coolant its loosing), install one of those fumoto drain valves to flush out the settled water/coolant every day, and possibly pull the valve cover and try patching the thing with some JB weld, or since I have one, break out the die grinder and welder. But again that's me, I'm certifiable (according to my wife), and I'd be willing to gamble. Thus endeth another novella. 🤣

Yeah. With all the coolant washing the bearings down, I'd drop in a used 4.0 There are tuff little things. Ran my 89 Renix out of oil once. Drove 3 miles with no oil to a gas station, and poured in 5 qts of oil. Drove it another year, till I found holes in the floor pan. 😣

Yep, its unfortunate they used the 0331 head on the last two years of the XJ... They fixed it on the later years 4.0... It would be easy to pop a new head on that 4.0.

Yeahbut... as Eric says, she's 21 years old (the Jeep, maybe the owner, too!)... and they never did have modern rust-prvention tech. I got rid of my 2000 XJ (snif!) in 2011, with rust in all the seams and cracks. Sold it to a guy down the street for his daughter to drive to college. Within another three years, the door bottoms had rusted thru and she was pretty well toast. From an inspectable daily-driver standpoint...

My opinion is always skewed. I undercoat my vehicles and have almost 300k on my 4.0. No reason not to keep it going.

We lost one for the very same reason. 0331 head, cracked, washed main and rod bearings just enough you could hear them starting to clatter just a bit. Jacked the engine up enough to drop the pan, sure enough clearance just starting to show up on a couple of the rod bearings, glitter in the pan. Put it back together and sent it down the road with the new owner aware of what we found. While most all of them can be saved, when it comes to money it's not always worth it.

TMI!

@@LatitudeSky - She liked it!!

@@LatitudeSky 😂

mmkay. butt what happened to the GC?

@@timewa851 ins totaled it out and paid me 6100.00 for it. Wish it would let me post a pic

Come on! She bought a Jeep with over 100,000 miles. She should have taken a mechanic to look at it before opening her wallet. One simple pull of the dip stick.

ITs 21+ years old. Electrical diagnosis video was back in the beginning of December, 2 months ago. The "new" hoses aren't so new since there is heavy rust on the hose clamps. The Jeep has electrical tape over the CEL. "Ripped off" thats quite the accusation given the circumstances.

@@scurfie2343 unless the seller changed the oil to hide the fact that there was a coolant leak ? Hard to say when none of us were there during the sale .

@@thomasfletcher4765 Good point. I guess the price was too good to pass.

@@scurfie2343 I got my xj with 467k miles and it’s the most mint thing i have. Everything engine wise is factory.

My 98 corolla crapped out at 90k burning oil

@@maxaddicks4945 My 97 corolla has 160K miles and runs excellent.

The vast majority of vehicle owners don't DIY.

how would you work on this? reman'd head? i guess you would know the engine history better than in the case of a random shop/client situation, since its your vehicle

I do basics.. oil/trans fluid changes, pop a battery in, have a look-see if something's cropping up, like a leak etc. But even for a DIyer, this requires a rebuild or whole engine swap, which is probably beyond the scope of most folk, either it be time, physical ability, knowledge base. I grew up without a father at all; I think some people are just absent-minded when it comes to looking after their stuff.

Agreed. However, there are things I know about and there are things I don't know about. I recently built a house and I wouldn't know a King Stud from a Cripple Stud. I rely on experts to tell me what is wrong and try to understand it. Having been a mechanic for 14 years I ALWAYS took the time to explain all of my findings, especially to women whom many times got taken advantage of.

@@sandygrungerson1177 I would definitely put a head on it myself but as a diy guy. I can definitely see Eric’s point as a shop owner

They’re both scary?

Fantastic observation. I can almost see Arthur Hill and the creepy music in the background. May have to watch that tonight 😁

Great movie!

Scary as hell saw it when I was too young for it.

@@DIYDaveOK "3...2...:click!:.....Self-Destruct...has been cancelled."

The replacements don't last 2 years, done it 2 times, gave up and hooked it to the ac system instead.

😂😂

Did mine on my 2000 4.7L last year with 230K miles on it and replaced the blend doors and AC evaporator while it was all apart. It was a weekend job not hard but time consuming. I got it all together and no blower motor or power at the HVAC controls.... I was soooo mad. Traced wires down to the fuse panel that pulled loose but that was a week later driving with no heat in NY in December. Fun times!!!

@@timtrinkaus7072 If it took you a week of NY driving to figure out you were cold, I've just got to grin and say DUMMY ASS. NO OFFENSE INTENDED, It just struck me funny.

Yeah. I bet she was told that the 4.0 engines are bulletproof. They were great engines, but at the same time, shit DOES happen.

Yeah that's really sad an no telling they they were selling it too . Could been a buy here pay here or a individual but either way that sucks

The problem is no one researches vehicles before they buy them. This is a well know, well documented, problem on the 2000 and 2001 Cherokees with the 0331 head.

@@rustedgraffiti8257 True, but the average person probably wouldn’t even think or know to research an issue like that

If she just bought it she needs to contact an attorney and let the shyster that sold it to her piss their pants.

I think they "can" work on head gasket, but not the head.

Eric O frequently reminds us he has a big nose, no surprise he hunts out crack in the hood really ;)

Good one, man....

That Jeep on crack!🤪😂

In Tennessee, we keep our crack above the waist band of our blue jeans and just below the bottom of our T shirt.

Yeah, why didn't the full service shop notice the coolant issue earlier?

@@VWWRENCHIE Wasn't why it was there, and isn't at all related to the battery issue. There are no *outward* signs to notice. The question is why didn't the customer mention the ongoing coolant issue before? You cannot lay that on Eric.

Exactly! As long as the running gear and drive train are sound...even then still a builder for someone lol

Yeeaass

That *might* cost more than that jeep is worth lol

@@cyr2795 Lmao, a 10 Million mile Cherokee will sell for $10k where I live. Some high school kid will get his parents to pay that much for it.

@@chimichangapoops6244 I have had mine for almost 8 years and get contact info placed on my windshield from random people about once every few months. Last offer was $6k.

It could strand you on the road. But, then with that kind of fix I wouldn't drive it too far from home.

this is why I won't sell one car I own. It has 180k on it, and a bad head gasket. In the winter it seems to be fine, but in the summer it starts pushing coolant out and I have to "service" it (burp the system, push all the overflowed coolant back into the loop) every 200 miles or so, or every sunday morning. it's gone over 6000 miles since the head gasket broke, and I put 2 bottles of head gasket fixer in the coolant early on. we have other vehicles to drive on longer trips, so it's now my daily "beater" or the wife's backup car. she keeps wanting me to sell it (we have too many cars she says!) but it's not worth anything given its age, mileage, and cosmetic (re: rust) issues, and I won't lie to someone who'd buy it. I'll keep driving it until it blows up, then strip it for parts for the twin we have of it.

@@johnhufnagel I know someone who sold their car to a demolition derby. Car was used up, and had been used as a bass competition car, after a lot of "adjustments" to it. Fitting end, didn't end up as a junk heap sitting somewhere for years. Went out with a bang.

I dont. She bought a 20 year old jeep with 180k miles. To put that in perspective this thing is old enough to vote. Probably didnt even have it checked out first. What did she expect, a 2019 for a 2002 price?

@@navyreviewer while I agree that caveat emptor should apply, don't you think that society in general function better if sellers are more honest to their buyers? While it is currently understandable to have the buyer / seller relationship adversarial, and I don't disagree that it is necessary for it to be that way, there needs to be at least some level of honesty and trust between both parties. Lackng that, society would suffer a greater loss.

@@johnhufnagel I do agree with that. My point isn't let the buyer beware, it's the buyer has to be realistic about their chooses and cant blame others for those chooses. She bought a 20 year old jeep, probably for a 20 year old jeep price. What was the expectation? She should have had a mechanic check it out. Or maybe she did and ignored that because it was such a great price. Either way, in all likely hood, her expectations were completely sideways to reality.

I stole it.

The first common problem with minivans is usually the regret you feel after buying it.

Another success story for the Chrysler Corporation.

Amen to that my son has a 3.8 Grand Prix

I definitely dont think this will be a head replacement. the previous owner was chasing the leak as well and its been driven a lot since then so a lot of coolant has mixed with the oil and likely done severe damage to the engine. if it wasnt 180k miles you could check the damage and evaluate but with that many miles the engine is basically junk

@@zombieblaster5754 I was wondering why Eric O wouldn't do a used head, but that explains it! Thanks!

@@zombieblaster5754 Given how well Jeeps hold their value, I'd still rebuild it. You can find junkers with the engines and/or transmissions being rebuilt at least once with over 200K POSTAL miles STILL selling for 10k+. Hell the lady could pay to get another used engine put in it and then sell it off to USPS employees and still make bank. I've seen the jeep market because I was interested in one when I was with the post office. There's a huge market and with enough money, you can take advantage of it. Hell the only reason why I didn't do what I'm literally advocating is because my post master essentially told me "buy a car for the job or you are fired." And he was so much of an asshole (didn't even give me my contracted training/probationary period.) I told him I wasn't getting a loan for a vehicle unless he guaranteed me the job. He refused, because I was a week into the job and my performance wasn't up to evaluation. So I literally rode the paycheck another week and then resigned. (Even typed up my resignation letter with fill ins for the date/signature. So I could literally ride my time, till I was brought back into the office for the "firing talk." And that's what I did. Handed him the resignation paperwork as soon as I was called back into his office.) As I was literally looking at 10K plus another 2K + in a RHD conversion, for the potential to lose my job because the post master wanted me to be just as fast right out of the gate as the regular I was subbing for. And yes, he told me that. "You need to get as fast as your regular now! Or I'm gonna fire you!" And those vehicles are literally only suited for postal work. It's not like I could turn it into a family vehicle. So the investment was absolutely financially unfeasible. As no job, no way to pay off the loan. Screw up your credit AND get the car repo'd.

@@YTisDumb that is a big "if" for a 20 year old vehicle living in cuomostan (home of the nation's saltiest winter).

@@walterk1221 your neighbor Wolfburgh seems to be catching up (the second state)

I've owned mine for 20 years, they are bullet proof except for 99 and 00 models, they have weak heads

They are excellent engines and will last a long time with proper maintenance. Unfortunately, many people don't maintain them, They just drive until it stops and then complain about having a bad vehicle. This is why I prefer to purchase new vehicles. It's nearly impossible to find a decent used vehicle here in the Carolinas. People just trash their cars, keep them parked outside all the time and never do much maintenance.

@@mblake0420 Really? is this a well documented trend with those engines? I'm curious because I eventually want a 4.0 5-speed Wrangler.

@@Doomzdayxx Yes, it's a known issue with the head castings in the 99-01 model years. The company that made the heads for Chrysler in that period didn't use enough nickel in the iron casting, which causes ductility problems, usually manifesting as a crack between cylinders 3 and 4. They're known as "0331" heads. They don't all crack, but it's best to treat it as a ticking time bomb. You can check if any 99-01 4.0L head is an 0331 by looking down through the oil filler hole. If you can see "TUPY" stamped into the head, it's one of the replacement heads that fixed the issue and will not crack. If you can't see "TUPY" (you can see in Eric's video there's nothing there, it's just smooth metal), it's one of the 0331s and it *might* crack if it hasn't already.

@@dunebasher1971 Interesting and good to know. Thanks alot dude.

I prefer the 4.2

What would be your reason for that?

@@naushad911 better made engine than what's in there ( no engine head issues )

Its the same exact engine lol. Only difference is the intake manifold

@@coltonhurley2525 , except the engine head was built stronger than those made between 99 and 01 . Manufacturers left out nickel when casting the heads ( during 99 thru 2001 )

Ha!

My 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee was not that bad. But the wife 2001 Chrysler Minivan was the worst!

@@garnetredslt damn! Another good one.

It is both.

@@applepoop10 Thanks I never owned a Jeep,

Besides the 350 small block Chevy, and the 3800 Buick v6, what are some other extremely reliable American engines, If the amc 4.0 isn't on the list?

The cracking issue only affects factory 99-01 4.0L heads. Given how long the 4.0L was in production, the 0331 head (the one that cracks) barely dents the average.

@@dunebasher1971 Only late 99. Weve got a 99 XJ with the good head.

@@youngb1ood The Chrysler Slant 6 and 318 V8.

@@youngb1ood my son has a 97 Pontiac Grand Prix GT with a 3.8 that’s been a pia. I like the car but am ready to light a match to it.

Nope, it's fully broke when the head springs a coolant leak.

A jug a week for who knows how long

It's a Chrysler product.

It wasn’t maintained well by the previous owner or owners.

Good for you, for spelling gypped correctly.

I haven't seen "gypped" used in quite a while Sonofabuck! (RIP Grandpa R.!)

At this point she might as well try one of the sealing products; otherwise she'll be spending a lot more money to fix or replace the Heap.

The old Perrier to seal coolant leaks...used this on Jeeps while in the Military (yes, dating myself). It worked, for a while but not a permanent fix. I agree with Mark H for a sealant product. If she likes her Jeep try anything off the shelf...if she really loves her Jeep she would invest in an engine rebuild and go another 100k miles.

In all states a used vehicle is usually sold "as is" especially with high miles and age. In other words when you buy it it's yours! Their are lawyer's that do lemon law and they will tell you the same thing.

@@jdgimpa in Washington there are civil routes to enforce lemon laws but only if a shop had inspected it prior to purchase.

@@jdgimpa that sucks for her. Hope she didnt pay too much for it

@@jdgimpa There are fewer states that allow "as-is" than that require some kind of warranty. And even an "as-is" product must be fit for the purpose for which it was sold. If you sell it as a car, it must be suitable for use as a car when it is sold. It's arguable this is a significant enough defect to fail to meet that criteria. If she'd bought it within the last 30-60 days, it would be worth speaking with the dealer first, and a lawyer second if the dealer didn't want to help. But I suspect this was probably a private sale from another individual, who had already fired the parts canon at it trying to find the leak.

It's a known fact that buying a used car does bring in whatever past that car has. One hopes whatever used car one buys was used gently.

"Yor Jeep was on the roof..."