Oily Coolant in Recovery Tank
 

Earlier this year I picked up a 93 Cherokee with 254K on the clock.
It seems to still be a strong runner, and the body doesn't have a
speck of rust on it.

The other night, the radiator appears to be starting to leak as I
noticed a little steam coming out from the front grille area and I
could smell coolant. The next morning I noticed a little puddle of
coolant on the driveway.

So, I filled the recovery tank with distilled water to make up for any
lost coolant until I can get this thing in to get it fixed, toss a
gallon of water in the back to carry along, and constantly keep my eye
on the temperature gauge.

Yesterday, however, I looked into the coolant recovery tank and the
contents appeared really, really dark. I opened it up and stuck my
finger into the liquid and it felt very oily. I then took off the
radiator cap, and the color of the coolant appeared normal.

I also checked the oil dipstick and everything is normal there
(thinking maybe a blown head gasket)?

What do you think is going on here?

Thanks!

Mark
'93 XJ

Re: Oily Coolant in Recovery Tank
 

That is a common occurrence if the coolant you are using is DexCool, it
converts eventually into an acidic reddish-brown sludge.




"Mark E. Bye" <fxdyna@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:t7kqg29p48mf7ge83gsd12kogaj12p6988@4ax.com...
> Earlier this year I picked up a 93 Cherokee with 254K on the clock.
> It seems to still be a strong runner, and the body doesn't have a
> speck of rust on it.
>
> The other night, the radiator appears to be starting to leak as I
> noticed a little steam coming out from the front grille area and I
> could smell coolant. The next morning I noticed a little puddle of
> coolant on the driveway.
>
> So, I filled the recovery tank with distilled water to make up for any
> lost coolant until I can get this thing in to get it fixed, toss a
> gallon of water in the back to carry along, and constantly keep my eye
> on the temperature gauge.
>
> Yesterday, however, I looked into the coolant recovery tank and the
> contents appeared really, really dark. I opened it up and stuck my
> finger into the liquid and it felt very oily. I then took off the
> radiator cap, and the color of the coolant appeared normal.
>
> I also checked the oil dipstick and everything is normal there
> (thinking maybe a blown head gasket)?
>
> What do you think is going on here?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mark
> '93 XJ

Re: Oily Coolant in Recovery Tank
 

That is a common occurrence if the coolant you are using is DexCool, it
converts eventually into an acidic reddish-brown sludge.




"Mark E. Bye" <fxdyna@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:t7kqg29p48mf7ge83gsd12kogaj12p6988@4ax.com...
> Earlier this year I picked up a 93 Cherokee with 254K on the clock.
> It seems to still be a strong runner, and the body doesn't have a
> speck of rust on it.
>
> The other night, the radiator appears to be starting to leak as I
> noticed a little steam coming out from the front grille area and I
> could smell coolant. The next morning I noticed a little puddle of
> coolant on the driveway.
>
> So, I filled the recovery tank with distilled water to make up for any
> lost coolant until I can get this thing in to get it fixed, toss a
> gallon of water in the back to carry along, and constantly keep my eye
> on the temperature gauge.
>
> Yesterday, however, I looked into the coolant recovery tank and the
> contents appeared really, really dark. I opened it up and stuck my
> finger into the liquid and it felt very oily. I then took off the
> radiator cap, and the color of the coolant appeared normal.
>
> I also checked the oil dipstick and everything is normal there
> (thinking maybe a blown head gasket)?
>
> What do you think is going on here?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mark
> '93 XJ

Re: Oily Coolant in Recovery Tank
 

That is a common occurrence if the coolant you are using is DexCool, it
converts eventually into an acidic reddish-brown sludge.




"Mark E. Bye" <fxdyna@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:t7kqg29p48mf7ge83gsd12kogaj12p6988@4ax.com...
> Earlier this year I picked up a 93 Cherokee with 254K on the clock.
> It seems to still be a strong runner, and the body doesn't have a
> speck of rust on it.
>
> The other night, the radiator appears to be starting to leak as I
> noticed a little steam coming out from the front grille area and I
> could smell coolant. The next morning I noticed a little puddle of
> coolant on the driveway.
>
> So, I filled the recovery tank with distilled water to make up for any
> lost coolant until I can get this thing in to get it fixed, toss a
> gallon of water in the back to carry along, and constantly keep my eye
> on the temperature gauge.
>
> Yesterday, however, I looked into the coolant recovery tank and the
> contents appeared really, really dark. I opened it up and stuck my
> finger into the liquid and it felt very oily. I then took off the
> radiator cap, and the color of the coolant appeared normal.
>
> I also checked the oil dipstick and everything is normal there
> (thinking maybe a blown head gasket)?
>
> What do you think is going on here?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mark
> '93 XJ