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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee water/coolant leak??

Discussion in 'Grand Cherokee' started by rookiepsu, Aug 19, 2021.

  1. Aug 19, 2021 at 9:17 PM
    #1
    rookiepsu

    rookiepsu [OP] New Member

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    Does anyone have any idea what this is? I changed the transmission fluid and pan on my 2014 JGC and when I took it for a road test, all appeared and sounded fine when it suddenly dropped into limp mode. After another 1/2 mile it dropped into neutral. I shut it off and started back up and it ran normally for the remainder of the 1/2 mile home. I got it home and looked underneath and it was spitting fluid. I thought it was ATF initially until I put it on the lift and discovered it's actually coolant/water spouting out of some black plastic fitting or extrusion of some sort in the heat shield above the transmission. Does anyone know what this is and is this related to the limp mode??

    https://youtu.be/3aW-UiE4fuc
     
  2. Aug 20, 2021 at 1:41 AM
    #2
    Groundfault

    Groundfault Well-Known Member

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    5.7 V8 with Whipple Supercharger, TH350 w/B&M Shifter, NP205 TC, Dana 60 front 4.56, GM 14 bolt 10.5 rear 4.56, 4 wheel discs, Bilstein shocks, 6" lift on 37's, Autometer gauges, all led lighting and a few other things.
    Water leak shouldn't put it in limp mode unless it's grounding out one of the many wires that report to the can bus. Unless you get lucky and find out that you have a heater hose leaking at the firewall, it looks like you might have blown one of the freeze plugs at the rear of the engine. If it is one of the rear freeze plugs, the transmission, torque converter and flex plate all have to come out to get to it. Probably going to need an inspection camera to see where it's coming from. Keep us posted.
     
    rookiepsu[OP] likes this.
  3. Aug 20, 2021 at 7:30 AM
    #3
    Awrench

    Awrench Well-Known Member

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    Sorry I can not get a mental picture of leak area in the video.
    Also have to guess a 3.6L engine and would you know trans type? I am a crumudgeon.

    BUT as mentioned I doubt the limp mode was a leak.
    Step 1 SCAN for codes use a SCANNER.
    As for the coolant leak, my stand by tool is a coolant system pressure tester*, used with eng OFF you can safely move around and inspect engine, maybe even if tough a dye added to coolant to trace leak.

    You chenge d fluid and pan gasket but did NOT chenge filters?
    What fluid did you use?
    How did you check fluid level ? do you have a 'dipstick'?


    * MAYBE available as a rental or loaner.
     
    rookiepsu[OP] and aggrex like this.
  4. Aug 20, 2021 at 8:42 AM
    #4
    rookiepsu

    rookiepsu [OP] New Member

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    Someone suggested that it might be A/C condensation and a red herring to the transmission issue all together. It just looks like an awful lot for A/C condensation to me, but I'm going to go try again with the A/C off to check.

    The filter is part of the plastic pan on mine, it's the ZF8HP transmission and I used ZF Lifeguard 8 ATF in it.

    There's no disptick or fill tube on the 8HP so you have to fill it through a fill hole on the side of the transmission cold then go through a series of steps to fill the torque converter, cooler lines etc and shift between gears and fill it again at a certain temperature range to fill it. Super fun. It made me almost as happy as having to unbolt and lift the transmission up to get to the front and rear pan bolts but not quite as happy as having to pull it back off again and repeat the process because the drain plug leaked on the first pan.
     
  5. Aug 20, 2021 at 6:21 PM
    #5
    rookiepsu

    rookiepsu [OP] New Member

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    So the spitting liquid was indeed A/C condensation. Just seemed like an awful lot to me.

    I took it for a few more drives today and tried to beat it into submission but could not get it to go back into limp mode. However, my ESC light is on now usually. I say usually because 2 trips it was, and I could feel the wheels binding up when turning in my driveway, and 2 trips it was not. It seems like if I run the vehicle from cold it is on and will stay on until the vehicle is started while already warm. It doesn't ever turn off while running until I park it then get back in while it's still warm and restart it. I'm not sure what's going on there, but I guess it's going to the shop.
     
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