Thanks very much for taking the time to note your experience, Mark. I'll certainly use it when I do the swap. I'll see if I can address a leaky seal first in the short term as I won't be able to swap it for a month or so.

This is an '07 I bought used a few months ago, only had 22k on it so through general lack of use and the desert climate, I considered I might find some gasket/seal issues.

Thanks again for all the replies!

 

Everything I've read says to use HOAT coolant. The stuff that's in there is pink/orange, which is from what I understand also the color of the MOPAR coolant. Would it be safe to assume I can purchase MOPAR HOAT and top off my current coolant?

 

The Mopar bottle isn't labeled HOAT (I have one in front of me right now). It is labeled MS-9769G. That is the HOAT stuff you want.

 

Color is no longer the good indicator it used to be. So it's tough to say what you have in there.
Factory fill HOAT was reddish orange. But the aftermarket (g-05 HOAT) is yellow.

If it is factory fill, then it's overdue for a 5 yr change out.

Might be worth the piece if mind to do a complete change if you're doing the pump work anyway.

Pepboys had the Zerex G-05 HOAT for about $18 per full strength gallon recently.

If you go to a dealer, be aware that Chrysler switched from HOAT to a new OAT last year.

 

Mark, what color is the MOPAR HOAT? Thanks Here's a link with some pretty pictures...
http://starparts.chrysler.com/newsle...r_Oct_2012.pdf

 

The bottle I have is pink. What I drained when I swapped the water pump a couple months ago was pink, but it had just been flushed and refilled a few weeks earlier by my local Jeep dealer. I, too, have read that color is no longer a reliable indicator of what you have.

 

Iit looks like t is your water pump that is leaking. (Common on the 3.8) reconnect replacing it with the factory mopar one and the aluminum gasket it comes with. Also that coolant system uses the mopar 5 year pink coolant that is not diluted so you would need to mix your own 50/50

 

Well, I just got around to this tonight. It didn't go too well... I snapped the top bolt when I way over torqued it (ft lbs instead of in lbs, freaking rook). I thought with the others properly torqued and the gasket sealer that I might be okay until I can figure out what to do about the bolt...

Well now I'm not sure if coolant is circulating at all. Upon engine start the fan ramps up and then steps up again to be extremely loud, far more so than I've ever heard it - and I live in the AZ desert so that's something. I didn't fully drain the coolant, I just pulled the pump, let that drain like 1qt, then installed the new pump. I figured I'd run it, let the reservoir replenish the system then fill the reservoir - is that wrong?

I'm going to hit the forum searches to see what I can find out. This sucks, I was trying to save some money. At least I learned something...

 

Got to thinking about it, how the coolant leaked to a level in the cavity of the water pump... that I must need to add coolant after the system is sealed (like Mark's post in this thread indicated) so I did that and let it run for a bit with no heavy fan noise. So I think that did it, but now I need to figure out what to do about the bolt.

 

You can feel the circulation start when the thermostat opens by holding the to radiator hose. Should be cool and squishy when a cold engine is started. Then after a couple minutes the thermostat opens and that hose firms up and heats up.

As far as replenishing lost coolant, if it's less than a quart you can use distilled water (since you're in a warm climate). Or just use some 50/50 HOAT. Either mopar or Zerex G-05 will do.


Here's a link to coolant replacement write up.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stoc...ite-up-285444/


Can you post a photo of the busted bolt?