Coolant Leaking

[JoeLancaster]

I have a 2014 Ecodiesel Grand Cherokee. Loosing about 3/8" of coolant in the reservoir in 300 miles. No hose, water pump or radiator leaks. Been to the dealer twice. They did leak down tests, exhaust gas test found nothing. I'm thinking EGR cooler, last visit, I asked them to look further at the EGR cooler. They looked in the hoses and did not see any liquid. Looked in the intake the best they could through the hose connections, no coolant. Said there is some soot, but no coolant. Said if the EGR cooler was leaking it would wash the soot away???? Any thoughts? I do have a case open with Jeep cares which has been worthless. They should rename "Jeep Cares" to "Jeep says FxxK You"! because that is pretty much what they told me. Jeep has 51,000 miles on it.

 

[M.A.]

with a egr crack the coolant will not flow to the inteck, bEva use of the beet will evaporate and force in the inteck as a steam , I believe, but the dealer will not be on your side of corse and served you a crap story to protect the manufacturer

 

[MARK T]

VAPORIZES AND CAN CAUSE A FIRE IN THE INTAKE . I HAD IT HAPPEN TO ME. HAVE YOU GOT THE VB-1 RECALL?

 

[-STIGLITZ-]

I have a 2014 Ecodiesel Grand Cherokee. Loosing about 3/8" of coolant in the reservoir in 300 miles. No hose, water pump or radiator leaks. Been to the dealer twice. They did leak down tests, exhaust gas test found nothing. I'm thinking EGR cooler, last visit, I asked them to look further at the EGR cooler. They looked in the hoses and did not see any liquid. Looked in the intake the best they could through the hose connections, no coolant. Said there is some soot, but no coolant. Said if the EGR cooler was leaking it would wash the soot away???? Any thoughts? I do have a case open with Jeep cares which has been worthless. They should rename "Jeep Cares" to "Jeep says FxxK You"! because that is pretty much what they told me. Jeep has 51,000 miles on it.

...”wash the soot away“...my dude...if an FCA tech told you that...they’re in the wrong business.

It sounds like what you’re dealing with is, indeed, a failed EGR cooler. Several on this forum, including myself, have experienced this. There is an active recall for the issue on RAM trucks. I’m not sure if that extends to Jeep...

Having said that, it could be several things. Give it a minute and I’m sure Boost, TC, Shadow, John, or Carl will give you better info.

 

[JoeLancaster]

The current recall is only for Ram 1500's with the Ecodiesel. The Jeep GC Ecodiesels are not part of it. Same EGR cooler, same engine - does not make a lot of sense that they are not part of the recall.

Any ideas on root cause of the coolant loss and/or ways to push back on the dealer/FCA are greatly appreciated. I don't want a fire, especially if my young children are in the vehicle.

 

[-STIGLITZ-]

I know this isn’t helpful but, I received no immediate help from FCA and wound up deleting the truck...you can either do the same or wait it out...If you decide to give FCA a chance to remedy the issue, I’d buy a few jugs of coolant from Amazon ($23-$25 for the Mopar stuff) and keep an eye on those levels....and if that isn’t in the stars...cut your losses and trade in...sorry for your troubles.

 

[John Jensen]

Any ideas on root cause of the coolant loss and/or ways to push back on the dealer/FCA are greatly appreciated. I don't want a fire, especially if my young children are in the vehicle.

 

[Will_CathVT]

You need a dealer service department that will work with you, definitely sounds like a EGR cooler leak. Go get them...

 

[GearHead]

The current recall is only for Ram 1500's with the Ecodiesel. The Jeep GC Ecodiesels are not part of it. Same EGR cooler, same engine - does not make a lot of sense that they are not part of the recall.

Any ideas on root cause of the coolant loss and/or ways to push back on the dealer/FCA are greatly appreciated. I don't want a fire, especially if my young children are in the vehicle.

From the best of my research there is an official unofficial understanding that the Jeep eco is covered under the VB-1 recall. The right dealer the right service manager and verifiable condition is key and vehicle has to be down. Parts are in short supply, surprise right, so no official extension of VB-1 recall to Jeep at this time.
It sounds like you have the typical EGR cooler leak. Root cause poor design, engineering by committee. Leaks either externally or internally, the internal leak is the bad one, of course it can simply push into engine oil or inject coolant into the intake or un-cooled exhaust directly into intake melting manifold, plastic and coated with combustible carbon, with the forgone conclusion results. You might try a different dealer, a knowledgeable dealer and tech are invaluable. My RAM and my wife's Jeep GC Overland are eco and we have found a dealer who pulls for us.
Good luck.

 

[danfill]

Thought I would jump in on this....
My Ram eco diesel is having the same issue mentioned in this conversation (again).
I replaced the egr cooler in Sep 2019. It’s now late Jan 2020 and the same symptoms & failure of the cooling system are happening all over.
The letter I got regarding the egr cooler recall; read as if there is no fix for it right now.
Anyone know of any after market fixes for this hunk of junk I’m stuck with????

 

[-STIGLITZ-]

Thought I would jump in on this....
My Ram eco diesel is having the same issue mentioned in this conversation (again).
I replaced the egr cooler in Sep 2019. It’s now late Jan 2020 and the same symptoms & failure of the cooling system are happening all over.
The letter I got regarding the egr cooler recall; read as if there is no fix for it right now.
Anyone know of any after market fixes for this hunk of junk I’m stuck with????

If you’ve hit the point of no return, delete it. Check out HD Diesel Supply for your “Stage 2” kit and tune. I’m running a SofaKingTuned ECU/ Transmission combo, with HD Diesel’s Stage 2 kit, and I love my truck. I spent about $120 in coolant while FCA twiddled their thumbs. Since delete, I haven’t lost a drop...

 

[danfill]

If you’ve hit the point of no return, delete it. Check out HD Diesel Supply for your “Stage 2” kit and tune. I’m running a SofaKingTuned ECU/ Transmission combo, with HD Diesel’s Stage 2 kit, and I love my truck. I spent about $120 in coolant while FCA twiddled their thumbs. Since delete, I haven’t lost a drop...

Thanks will look into this. I found at bulletdiesel.com an aftermarket egr cooler. It’s listed at around 850.
May just take the mechanics of my truck back, ditch the extended warranties and the dealer BS.
Put together a good running diesel truck to pull my travel trailer and commute to work.

 

[-STIGLITZ-]

Thanks will look into this. I found at bulletdiesel.com an aftermarket egr cooler. It’s listed at around 850.
May just take the mechanics of my truck back, ditch the extended warranties and the dealer BS.
Put together a good running diesel truck to pull my travel trailer and commute to work.

I’d steer clear of that aftermarket cooler. Nothing against BulletProofDiesel...I just don’t see it being anymore efficient. The delete is a bit of a pain, but worth the effort. Not to mention, you can always throw the emissions s*it back on, prior to sale or trade in. Reach out with any delete questions brother.

 

[danfill]

I’d steer clear of that aftermarket cooler. Nothing against BulletProofDiesel...I just don’t see it being anymore efficient. The delete is a bit of a pain, but worth the effort. Not to mention, you can always throw the emissions s*it back on, prior to sale or trade in. Reach out with any delete questions brother.

Thank you for that...
.i agree, not a big fan of aftermarket stuff for diesels. But right now there seams to be no fix. I drive a lot. Need a reliable long range vehicle. Can’t keep replacing egr’s every 4 months.
I will check back in after I do some more research for options in my area.

 

[ScottyDawg]

Thought I would jump in on this....
My Ram eco diesel is having the same issue mentioned in this conversation (again).
I replaced the egr cooler in Sep 2019. It’s now late Jan 2020 and the same symptoms & failure of the cooling system are happening all over.
The letter I got regarding the egr cooler recall; read as if there is no fix for it right now.
Anyone know of any after market fixes for this hunk of junk I’m stuck with????

My EGR failed Jan 3 2020. It’s a 2018 with 50,000 km or 29,000 km. Dealer kept my truck and gave me a rental no charge. Said they would call me when parts are in. I asked for an approximate date, they have no clue when new parts will be available and they won’t install any existing EGR,s

 

[scoffman]

I took mine to the stealership with a disappearing coolant problem and they said it was the EGR cooler. The part was on back order and could take 2 weeks or more to arrive. When it came in they would call me to schedule a service date. Sent me home with the truck. I asked if it was safe to drive with the problem they said yes. I guess I'll wait and see what happens first, the part coming in, or the truck burning down.

 

[Will_CathVT]

Did the dealer give you something in writing saying you can still drive the truck? According to several posts I've read, FCA can be stubborn when it comes to warranty work if they can find fault with the owner. In my opinion, I would bring it back and the dealer should supply a loaner while waiting for the part and repair per the extended warranty. Definitely safer for you...

 

[John Jensen]

My Service Manager won't let a leaking cooler drive away. He has a backlot with several trucks waiting for parts and the owners are all driving FCA provided rental vehicles.

 

[scoffman]

No paper stating it was still okay to drive, just words out of his mouth. Darwin was his name. . .
I'll be taking it back up on Thursday with the recall notice and stand my ground on it not being safe to drive as it could cause combustion in the intake resulting in an engine fire. They better give me a loaner that can take a 93 mile 5 days a week commute and only have to fill up every other week kind of truck.

 

[jdavisEcoDiesel]

Hi there - new to the forum and have a '16 Ram ED with 130K.
My EGR cooler is leaking about 1gal coolant every 250mi.

The downstream effect of running this ED with an EGR coolant leak is more than just fire danger, the soot that is in the exhaust, now becomes wet and turns into gunk.
As of last week, the turbo stopped working, and it barely made it to the dealer at 30mph. It would appear from reading previous threads that the wet soot will clog the turbo and intake components. A big job to repair.
I'll report back in a week on full diagnosis, but at this point, the 2020 EGR cooler is backordered (FCA rep is prioritizing one for me - likely in the next month), the local dealers don't have any of the existing 2015-2019 EGR coolers, and the truck is grounded.
So we wait....
Anyone else with similar situation?