The coolant capacity of the Jeep Liberty is quite different from any other jeep. Generally, you must maintain the coolant level between the minimum and maximum limit. But, sometimes, due to a lack of observation or unforeseen reasons, the coolant level may reach below the minimum level.
So, how to add coolant on Jeep Liberty? First, locate the coolant reservoir to open the drain valve for draining the previous coolant. Closing the valve, add a hose pipe through the reservoir cap to add new coolant. To avoid the underfilling or Overfilling of the tank, keep checking the coolant level repeatedly.
In this article, we will talk about the suitable type and necessity of adding antifreeze in jeep liberty. You will also learn about the symptoms of low coolant levels and the refilling process and cautions. So, without further ado, let’s go through the article.
Table of Contents
How To Choose An Appropriate Coolant For Your Jeep Liberty?
Inappropriate coolant may reduce the performance of your jeep. Thus, you must choose the proper antifreeze for your jeep liberty.
A few common types of antifreeze are
| Types | Attributes | Color |
| IAT – Inorganic Additive Technology | Contains propylene glycol or ethylene glycolWorks better in older engine | Green or blue |
| OAT– Organic Additive Technology | It consists of corrosion inhibitors and organic acids.Can service for an extended period. | Orange |
| HOAT- Hybrid Organic Additive Technology | Contains Organic acids and silicates.Give anti-corrosive effect | Yellow |
| PF-HOAT- Phosphate Free HOAT | Nap free and pre-dilutedSuitable for heavy-duty purposes | Turquoise |
| P-HOAT- Phosphated HOAT | Contains phosphates and organic acids.Longer durability | Blue or Pink |
| Si-HOAT– Silicated HOAT | Uses organic silicate technology.Can give service for five years. | Purple |
Before 2013, jeep liberty manufacturers used to recommend HOAT coolant. But after 2013, OAT Coolants became the required coolants for jeep liberty. Remember, you need to stick to one type of antifreeze once you choose one. You can neither change the type frequently nor can mix multiple types.
Also, Antifreeze might come in two forms concentrated or pre-diluted. You can use the pre-diluted one readily, but you must dilute the concentrated one by mixing it with water.
Moreover, propylene Glycol based coolants arent suitable for jeep liberty. Thus never use IAT-type coolants in your jeep liberty.
When Do You Need To Add Coolant?
You must have a clear idea about when you need to replace or add coolant to your vehicle. You will notice the following signs when your car requires coolant.
- The engine overheats excessively when there is a deficiency of antifreeze. Because the engine doesn’t get adequate antifreeze to reject its heat
- The temperature gauge will start malfunctioning and will show faulty temperature readings. Also, the reading will be almost close to the red line
- The car’s AC system will stop functioning if the coolant tank is empty. An insufficient amount of coolant also can cause hot air output from the AC fan
- You should know that coolant has sweet smells. Thus, if, due to some unforeseen reason, it leaks from the reservoir, you will be able to smell the sweet fragrances of the coolant
- When the antifreeze level goes down, the coolant level indicator will notify you. Thus, when you watch the notification of poor coolant level, you should take steps to add coolant
How To Add Coolant On Jeep Liberty?
You must add coolant to your jeep as soon as you diagnose the low coolant level. Generally, you can do it with the professional help of any mechanic. But it will cost you some extra bucks. So, it’s wise to replace and refill the antifreeze yourself at home. For this, the following steps should be followed:
Let The Engine To Cool Down And Open The Hood
If you just drove the car and the engine is still hot, let the engine cool down first. Otherwise, you can’t start the process. Once the engine is cooled down, open the hood appropriately. Make sure it won’t fall suddenly on you.
Placing The Drain Pan
You have to place a drain pan just beneath the radiator drain valve. Make the placement properly, so drained coolant won’t fall outside that pan.
Opening Drain Valve
Open the radiator drain valve properly so that you can remove the previous coolant from the reservoir..
Draining Of Coolant
Take a hose pipe and attach each end with the valve and the drain pan. Let the used coolant drain out from the coolant tank. Collect the drained coolant in the drain pan and dispose of it properly.
Closing Drain Valve
After draining out the old and used coolant, close the drain valve again.
Adding Coolant
While adding the coolant, you need to be cautious about the concentration of coolant. Excess concentration of coolant might damage the engine. So, if you picked a concentrated coolant, mix it with 50% water for dilution.
If the temperature is below -38 degree celsius, you can use a coolant of 70% concentration.
Removing The Hose Pipe
After adding the coolant process, remove the hose pipe from both the drain pan and drain valve.
Cautions While Adding Coolant to Your Jeep Liberty
In the above section, we discuss how to add antifreeze easily to your jeep liberty. Though it’s pretty easy, you must be cautious during the process. Otherwise, you will end up hurting yourself or damaging the vehicle. Those mandatory cautions are:
Avoid Opening The Hood When The Engine Is Hot
Sometimes, you may notice that steam is coming from the radiator or under the hood. You will likely open the hood to inspect the matter in this case. But, we will suggest you not do so.
If you open the car’s hood in this situation, you may burn yourself with the hot coolant steam. That’s why wait until the radiator is thoroughly cooled down.
Don’t Mix Coolant With Inappropriate Coolant
You can only mix your coolant with a particular HOAT(Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) coolant. Otherwise, the mixture will deteriorate the corrosion tolerance and will also damage the engine.
Sometimes, you can add the coolant with any non-HOAT coolant in any emergency situation. But you have to replace that mixture as soon as possible after the emergency period.
Avoid Using Anti-Rust Products
Using any anti-rust products may not suit your car’s coolant radiator and will cause an adverse impact. Eventually, it will reduce the engine performance, and engine failure may occur gradually. That’s why avoid using any type of antirust product with the coolant.
Never Add Coolant Until The Engine Is cold
When the car engine overheats, the heat generates pressure within the entire cooling system. Thus, if you remove the pressure cap, you will first encounter high-pressure steam of hot coolant.
Secondly, adding the antifreeze without cooling the engine properly will cause scalding in the engine and the engine.
Be Careful While Handling The Coolant
Coolant might be harmful to your eyes and skin. Hence, you better take proper protection to keep safe your skin and eyes from the coolant. Also, make sure that any kids are not ingesting the coolant. It can cause serious health issues for them.
If any kid accidentally consumes the drained-out coolant, you better take him to the nearby hospital without delay.
What Happens When You Keep Driving Your Jeep Liberty With A Low-Level Of Coolant?
You should not keep driving your Jeep Liberty with a low coolant level. It may cause a severe issue in your jeep which will cost an enormous amount of money to fix. Several problems that you may encounter while driving with a poor antifreeze level:
- You may cause serious damage to your car engine. Because the engine generates heat continuously due to its continuous operation. As a result, it needs to cool down, and antifreeze helps in this process. A low level of antifreeze disturbs the process and damages the engine parts
- Running the Jeep Liberty with a low antifreeze level is responsible for burning down the head gasket. As a result, the engine will make weird rattling noises, and smoke will also emit from it
- Sometimes, a lack of coolant in the cooling system will overheat the engine to the extent that your engine will shut down suddenly. Stalling the car all of a sudden amidst the busy road will be quite risky and may cause an unexpected accident
FAQs
In this FAQ section, we will answer several common questions people ask about refilling coolant to Jeep Liberty.
Is Adding Coolant On Jeep Liberty Costly?
The cost of adding coolant to your jeep will vary with the coolant type, size of the coolant tank and location where you live. Generally, on average, the total cost ranges between $100 to $250, which is quite affordable.
What Is The Coolant Capacity Of Jeep Liberty?
It will depend on the engine size and year model. The coolant capacity of engines 2.4, 2.8, and 3.7 litres are 9.6 litres, 12.5 litres, and 13 litres, respectively. However, the 2005 jeep liberty has a coolant capacity of 9.6 litres.
Conclusion
Coolant is an essential element in the engine cooling system. Thus, the process of selecting the proper antifreeze for your jeep is also quite crucial. Remember, you should never use only water as a coolant as it will cause significant damage to the jeep’s engine.
Low coolant levels may cause numerous troubles, so you should not let this happen. If you are here from the start, you already know how to add coolant on Jeep Liberty. If you follow those steps accordingly, you can refill the antifreeze tank without spending on mechanics.
