I'm new to this particular alert message on the Jeep and I'm totally lost. I've researched YT and googled it but I'm still not confident about where I should add the coolant either to the radiator or the reservoir first. Second, because of the freezing temperatures lately I know that I need to jump start the Jeep, do I jump start it before adding the coolant?
I think it depends on how old your vehicle is, where you add the coolant, @Von Jones . In the old cars, we always added it right into the radiator; but i think that now you are supposed to put it in the reservoir. Definitely make sure that the reservoir has the required amount, then start the Jeep, and be ready to add more coolant into the reservoir if the radiator sucks it all down. If this happens again, it would be time to have a mechanic see why it is leaking coolant, and from where. And keep a close eye on the temperature gauge ! I agree with @Hedi Mitchell , definitely look on youtube.
What year and model Jeep do you have, Von? Did you buy the right type of coolant for your Jeep? (There are differences.) Do you have the owners manual? That would be the best source of info on the type of antifreeze and where/how to add coolant. You should not add antifreeze/coolant unless the engine is cold. Your manual will tell you how to top it off and when to recheck it (engine hot or engine cold.) If you don't have the manual, you might be able to download one from the web. I can help you find one if you like, starting with Jeep's website. The general advice is that unless the reservoir is "extremely low," don't mess with the radiator...just top off the reservoir. The Low Coolant light might be from a sensor in the reservoir, so it's just telling you to top off the level there. From what I read, there are some vehicles where you should not add antifreeze to the radiator, but I could not find any details on specific vehicles. If you have to add the antifreeze to the radiator, dilute it with water to a 50/50 mix unless you bought a premix. Distilled water is best to use, since tap water (public source or private well) may contain impurities. In any case, this should always be done while your Jeep is cold.
Always make sure the coolant is full first, when the engine is cold. If the reservoir is low, then check the radiator first to make sure it's full. After that, then fill the reservoir to the full line. Then you can jump start the jeep. Why is the battery so low? Do you keep it outside? If there's an electrical plug near the jeep, the battery can be fully charged and conditioned at all times. When the battery is low, use a smart charger to charge it for 12 to 36 hours to bring it up to full charge. You need to have (1) a smart charger, and (2) a multimeter to check the voltage to ensure this is working. = I've been using a smart charger for decades, and always have it on one car or the other when not driving. In addition to charging the battery, the smart charger also conditions the battery so the lifetime will be longer. Because of this, my car batteries have usually lasted at least 7 years before I changed them. A lithium car battery jump starter is good to have too and can be kept in the trunk for emergencies.
Von, I see that you have already researched Youtube and google, but I'd suggest a Jeep forum. Jeep guys are helpful and they always know their vehicles inside and out. In my limited experience, coolant is added via the reservoir. Also, John Nopales has good advice. I'd also recommend getting a portable jump-starter device to keep handy if you don't already have one.
Can you recommend a specific model, John? I have a truck I only drive about once a month. This sounds like a good idea.
Another piece of advice...once you get the Jeep started, you can go by most auto parts places and they can test your system to see why the thing is not holding a charge. If it's the battery, buy it there and they will install it for free.
I think differently about the chargers. To me, a Smart Charger is one that charges the battery, then switches to "Float" to maintain battery charge automatically. Is that what you mean @John Nopales ? I have also used what I call "Float" chargers that are attached to a fully charged battery to maintain the battery over long periods of non-use. I used to use a float charger on my tractor battery when I didn't use it much in the winter, but found I didn't need it once I started using the tractor more in the winter. Back to @Von Jones question though, I always carry pre-mix in my truck. It is old and can take "old" type antifreeze. I do add antifreeze sometime to a warm engine, but only in the reservoir, as the antifreeze is drawn into the radiator as the system cools but usually not into the engine if it isn't running. Old vehicle though. Newer may be different and it never hurts to follow @John Brunner's instruction. If your battery does charge while driving, and is only being drained by the "parasitic" drain of newer vehicles, the float charger will fix the issue. I bought mine at Harbor Freight I think, and left it plugged to the battery all the time and when I parked it, I plugged the cord into an outside outlet or extension cord.
I usually get things from Ebay, and also check the ratings on Amazon. Mine is an ACI 12v 3.0 amp smart charger, which might not be available anymore. There are many other brands available now but I don't have a specific recommendation. An important thing to note is that most car places will say if the battery goes down to 11 volts it is history - but that is not true. I left a night light on for a week or two in a Honda Civic a few years ago and the battery was down to 3 volts. After putting the smart charger on for a few hours, the battery was up to 12.7 volts. After another few days, I could leave the charger off for a week and the battery would still maintain it's charge at 12.7 volts. A similar thing happened later to my Prius, the battery went down to 3 volts, but then came back up. A smart charger has different stages, constantly adjusting based on the current charge of the battery. For example if the battery is drained, the smart charger will use up to 50 watts to charge up the battery. As the battery is charged, the wattage used keeps going down eventually to 1 or 2 watts, just to maintain and condition the battery. So a smart charger doesn't have just one function, but is constantly monitoring the battery and adjusting.
I looked on Amazon and put this one in my Wish List. This is a leap of faith because of all the electrical issues I've had with my truck recently and the new Body Control Module, Instrument Cluster and Engine Control Module they just installed. I don't want to ruin them.
[ Thank you John N. I park on the street. My Girl is 23 years old. 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. My son bought me a jump starter last year. When you say 'make sure coolant is full first' do you mean in the radiator? Just want to make sure that I understand correctly.
John means to check the level BEFORE you start it...check when the engine is cold. So you look in the reservoir first, and if there is coolant in it just top it off. If it is empty, top off the radiator with a 50/50 mix of coolant/water as I mentioned earlier, then fill the reservoir. I could not find a downloadable owner's manual for your 2003 Jeep. I found one for a 2001 Grand Cherokee and a 2004 Grand Cherokee. Here is a link to the Jeep manual site. I don't know Jeeps very well, so these may be close enough. Or you may have better luck than I did. Regarding the type of coolant...please make sure you have MOPAR coolant. This is very important. I grabbed this from an online service manual: If you tell us the specific antifreeze you purchased, we can see if it's OK for your Jeep. A link to the product page from where you bought it would be ideal.
Since you park on the street, and it might be hard to use an electrical charger for your Jeep battery, you might want to consider one of the little solar powered ones, @Von Jones . I had an old van years ago that the battery always had a small drain; so I bought one similar to the one in this picture from Harbor Frieght, and put it in the front dash of the van and parked to it got the best sunlight. This did a good job of keeping my battery charged, and only had to plug into the cigarette lighter, so it was simple for me to use, and easy to move out of the way when I was driving somewhere and didn’t want it on the dash. (The picture shows clips, but you only need those when charging a battery that is not in the car, or can’t be charged from a cigarette lighter socket. )
That's interesting, Yvonne. I was wondering how I was gonna get an extension cord to a charger for my truck because I park it away from the garage. This might be a good option. And Amazon has one on sale for half price ($32.) Link