[joesjeep]

Hey guys,

Had my jeep running strong here for about 8 months. 17,000 miles on her already. No problems at all. Just a quick question and looking for some insight. What color is the coolant in the reservoir supposed to be? I remember when I first bought the truck the color of the coolant was light purple. Now the color of the coolant is a dark reddish/orange color and it looks like there is some residue stuck on the sides. Don't think its black sludge or oil in the reservoir but just not sure what color the coolant is supposed to be. I asked a Jeep mechanic to take a look at it a few weeks ago and he said it was fine. Just looking to see if anyone else has experienced this.

Thanks

 

[str8sh0otr]

Mine looks like that too ....burnt orange with the residue. Never asked the dealer to check it out. I have 11k on mine.

 

[joesjeep]

Spoke to a tech about the issue. Apparently its not an issue. He pulled some of the fluid out and it was still pink. Told me that many people complain about the reservoir staining and leaving that residue there. Hopefully hes right.

 

[ericlakin]

I just took my '14 GJC in for this issue. They found an oil leak which they are fixing, and they are flushing the cooling system and replacing the reservoir. 51k miles.

 

[str8sh0otr]

I just took my '14 GJC in for this issue. They found an oil leak which they are fixing, and they are flushing the cooling system and replacing the reservoir. 51k miles.

Wow, sorry to hear that Eric. That is very interesting though do you have any more information about the leak? Were you noticing oil consumption?

 

[ericlakin]

I didn't notice oil consumption. I noticed what appeared to be a clear, slippery fluid underneath my car on the driver's side about even with the front of the driver's door. It wasn't a large amount. It didn't look like motor oil and it wasn't DEF. The dealer said there was a small oil leak that was mixing with water from the AC and being diluted, thus the clear appearance but still being slippery. I wasn't aware water and oil mixed so well, but that's what I am being told. They also flushed the coolant system, since there was evidence of oil in the coolant reservoir. The initially reinstalled the old reservoir but I insisted on a new one. I think the issue regarding oil in the coolant has been discussed before around this forum. When I pick it up later today I hope to learn if we are talking about 1 leak or 2 leaks, and from where.

 

[ericlakin]

From the tech's notes: "Found the oil cooler housing was causing the coolant to be contaminated, replaced cooler and attempted to clean bottle and could not get clean, inside of bottle was too contaminated to clean, replaced bottle and burped cooling systems, no leaks present after repair." I'm attaching before/after pics.

 

[joesjeep]

Ok- great to hear. Let me know if the color of that coolant turns a burt reddish orange color. Supposedly it is normal for it to do that. I had mine radiator flushed for free and notice the same thing happening.

 

[Robertcladner]

Hey guys,

Had my jeep running strong here for about 8 months. 17,000 miles on her already. No problems at all. Just a quick question and looking for some insight. What color is the coolant in the reservoir supposed to be? I remember when I first bought the truck the color of the coolant was light purple. Now the color of the coolant is a dark reddish/orange color and it looks like there is some residue stuck on the sides.

Don't think its black sludge or oil in the reservoir but just not sure what color the coolant is supposed to be. I asked a Jeep mechanic to take a look at it a few weeks ago and he said it was fine.
Just looking to see if anyone else has experienced this.
For more information on bottle for Jeep please visit the website here jeepequipment.com/best-bottle-jack/
Thanks

The color of healthy engine coolant is green (for ethylene glycol) or orange (for Dexcool). A rusty color indicates that the rust inhibitor in the coolant has broken down and it can no longer control rust and scale buildup. But there are other colors available: orange, blue, purple, even yellow and pink. However, they're not different colors for appearance's sake. Each manufacturer designs its engines around a specific coolant or antifreeze standard with different additives.