My car leaks brown liquid and steams.?

Question

Brown liquid is leaking from my jeep cheroke ('92) and it steams when i shut it off...while im driving, it shows that it is overheating and it will sometimes stall...do i need a new radiator...my brother that works at auto zone thinks i do but isnt completely sure...just want to know others opinions before i happen to blow money on something i am not going to need if its somehting smaller like a hose...but it gets so hot, and when it steams it hisses...any one that can answer ASAP today, id appreciate it

Answer 1

The brown liquid sounds like a sludge of antifreeze, water and rust. I think you definitely need to get your radiator checked. Regardless of whether you need any new hoses, rust in your radiator isn't a good sign.

Answer 2

Well before you replace the radiator have it checked out to be certain that is what is leaking. The brown liquid leaking is most likely very dirty coolant but a radiator on an automatic transmission vehicle also has a transmission cooler in it that could be a brownish color if dirty but since it's overheating and hissing it sounds like your losing coolant. Bottom line is to have it pressure tested and pin-point the source of the leak and repair it accordingly and if that means a new radiator then do so if that is indicated. I'm not familiar with auto zone other than I have purchased parts there on occasion but I'd bet the people there are not so well trained in actual repair of vehicles as they are glancing at vehicles and selling parts. This repair left undone can cause serious engine damage so you should really get it checked and properly repaired before this happens.

Answer 3

You need to have your radaitor flush out and new fluid put in it and this will help it not toover heat again.

Answer 4

You need a complete coolant system flush and pressure check. Do it asap or you could fry the engine.  

Answer 5

radiator is a good place to start so tell him to buy one for you... so what have you check or had check.... your right guessing does cost more.. could be a hose a thremostat belt water pump and or the radiator,,, but if coolant is brown and rusty forsure you need some flushing of the system...checking it out to find the problem would be cheaper

Answer 6

You either need a new radiator or a new water pump. The brown liquid is the anti freeze mixing with the rust from the radiator or water pump? Either way you should get it all flushed out before installing one or the other.  

Answer 7

Well you need to see where it's coming from, lift the bonnet while it's hissing steam, it could be the radiator, hoses, off chance a welsh plug, hole in the thermostat housing, or it could be coming from the water pump housing, bottom line is you need to look.

Answer 8

Just keep driving it until it completely breaks.

Answer 9

you need a radiator flush to begin with

Answer 10

Dude you need to put a can of black pepper in the radiator and sell that thing to some poor b*****d you don't know.  It sounds like this may have been going on for a while.  get while the getins good

Answer 11

first thing flush your radiator. Your brother can get you the flush at Auto Zone. Secondly the easiest fix is sold at the store also. Radiator leak repair. It melts and fills the holes. Worked fine on my F150.

Answer 12

you need rad and engine flush 4 sure thermostat

i take it to shop first let them check out if head gasket ok

better safe then sorry

as for stop leak or other stuff ok temp fix

may have prob after no heat block heater core

if u count rad flush anti rad cost about 150 to 250.00$ to find out head gasket gone

get it check out may cost u 40.00$

Answer 13

if you've been driving it while its overheating until it stalls on a regular basis you might as well throw a match in the fuel tank.

take the oil cap off and look at the oil-  if it looks like choc milk you've done the head.  that'll cost you more than a radiator.

Answer 14

Yep.  If it's brown, I imagine the radiator is either rusty and/or you have other stuff in there.

They might be able to pressure test it to determine where the location of the leak.  See if it is coming out near the overflow or somewhere else in the system.    Even if the leak is elsewhere, it does sound like you have rust in the system, so a new radiator is probably in the picture.