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Service engine light on!! Is it from H20 in radiator & engine coolant compartment??

2K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  chaznad 
#1 ·
Service engine light on!! Is it from H20 in radiator & engine coolant compartment??

so i noticed my radiator leaking fluid ,, i bought a gallon of distilled water and emtied it in the radiator till i have time next week to get a new radiator, while looking under the hood i noticed there was no engine coolant in the compartment so i filled it with more distilled water
i turned the vehicle on when finished and the sericve engine light came on ,,, what did i do that was soooooooo wrong ,, i thought it was completly ok to do what i did temporarily till i got it fixed
PLEASE TELL ME MY JEEP IS OK,,IVE BEEN FREAKING OUT THE PAST 2 HOURS

also where can i buy a cheap radiator,, dicount auto parts wants $298
 
#2 ·
As long as there is a proper amount of coolant or water in your cooling system, then you should be ok. I dont think that that would turn on the light though. I would try to get it over to autozone so they can hook it up to the obd II reader and tell you what code is displaying.
 
#3 ·
Your coolant overflow container is not monitored for a level.....and putting distilled water into your radiator will not cause any problems. Did you actually add the entire gallon of coolant to the radiator? If so, it was down quite a ways. :eek:

Get your code read at AutoZone to see what the computer thinks is wrong, as was previously mentioned.
 
#4 ·
btw..... The scan from autozone will cost you nothing. Gotta love that :thumbsup:
 
#5 ·
cool , i got it checked at auto zone ,, service engine light was because no radiator fluid,, i filled it up with real coolant,although it still has a minor leak,, now how do i get rid of that damn check engine light
 
#6 ·
keep checking level in radiator. make sure, there is not to much in overflow tank, cause pressure needs to go somewhere.
If just a small leak, try some stop leak powder. Most radiators can be cheaply fixed at radiator shops.
If it's totally gone, try looking into just having it recored. About 100 bucks at my local shop
 
#7 ·
chaznad said:
cool , i got it checked at auto zone ,, service engine light was because no radiator fluid,, i filled it up with real coolant,although it still has a minor leak,, now how do i get rid of that damn check engine light
The easiest way to reset the code is to have the guys at autozone reset it for you. Keep enough coolant in there, and you should be ok until it gets fixed. The other way to clear the light is to disconnect the battery cable for about 30 minutes. The Jeep may run rough for a few days until the computer "re-adjusts" itself.

If you go with the powder, or some other fix like that, be careful. Sometimes those products can tear the crap out of some of the linings in the cooling system. Those stop leak fluids and powders are not not always the best. Short term solution.... maybe, but I would get it repaired at a shop at the very least, or just get a new radiator. Keep an eye out on ebay, or post in the wanted section of the forum.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Hmmmm. You cannot recore a plastic tanked radiator too easily, Our cheapo stock rads have plastic tanks that are crimped onto the core, As for a replacement E-bay has a guy that sells replacements for around $60, I put one in my 97' TJ and it fits great and cools just as good as stock if not better, I will look for the sellers name.......
 
#10 ·
cool i just bought that one for 60 bucks,, good deal
 
#13 ·
with the price being only 68 dollars i made sure i read the description 3x before buying ,, sounded to good to be true
but ya, i have a 97 manuel 4.0
 
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