Declan

Hi. So I have a medium sized leak from my coolant reservoir. Fairly large puddles began forming under my car whenever I stopped it for a long period of time. I popped the hood and found the leek. My coolant container is leaking from where the hose attaches to it. It's not a leek in the hose though, but the container. My question is what should I do? Can I just use some duct tape? Or will that ignite if it's touching the container? Should I buy a new container or is there another alternative? Thanks everyone.

/Declan.

CADXJ

I'm sure someone will come along to answer soon. Is it an actual crack in the container?
I just purchased a 1990 renix not to long ago, the coolant bottle on mine since I bought it looks to be a little low (just under a third) and just today I also noticed a small leak where the lower hose connects to the overflow. It doesn't look like I've lost any fluid. How full should the overflow be and is 50/50 coolant the right stuff?

oldfart

It's a very common issue with the xj. The expansion tank is a pressurised part of the cooling system and they often break. I've tried to repair them before without much long term success. The best solution is to buy a new one, they are usually in stock at any jeep dealer, which should tell you something.

trigger

i had the same problem with my old cherokee pioneer. replaced it a couple of times out of the wreckers for cheap, they're a little pricey thru the dealer...

is there any reason you couldn't get a local fab shop to weld one up out of aluminum? i can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work and it wouldn't be too heavy being aluminum...

any thoughts on that guys?

oldfart

If would cost a fortune to have a custom tank made and it would need a sight tube on it so you could check the level.

trigger

you could get your hands on a heat gun with a fine tip on it and plastic weld it. if i recall correctly, they were like $100 at the dealer, and hard to find at the wreckers. good luck, let us know how you make out...

trigger

...could you not use a dipstick to check the level? and a good shop should be able to make one up in a couple of hours. not a bad trade imo if you have to replace the plastic tank more than once.

oldfart

You have to remember that the tank has the pressure cap on it. If you open it with a hot engine you will end up with boiling coolant flying everywhere.

CADXJ

This will be the route that I'll take when it comes time to replace mine. Here is a pic of an aluminum tank installed on an xj and the link to where I found it. (The Two Door Experience! - Jeep Cherokee Forum )
Here is the link to the site where you can purchase the tank for 129.00$ (U.S.). (jeep radiator surge tank - Mac's Radiator Online Store).
I have read a bunch of threads where people say they had to replace the overflow more than once (trigger confirmed this with his own experiences). Not sure what a new tank from the dealer would cost but I would imagine that it would only take having to replace 2 plastic overflows to equal the cost of that aluminum tank. (Sure you could probably replace it 3,4,5 times from a JY but wouldn't you rather just do it once).

salad

Another popular option with Renix owners is to just convert to the Chrysler open cooling system. A little more reliable and cheaper to maintain. Also a great opportunity to get rid of that brittle heater control valve known for cracking and dumping all of your coolant.