leaking coolant all over the ground....

I have a 92 cherokee w/152000 miles on her...leaked coolant last summer, had the thermostat replaced and the coolant flushed and filled. Drove from buffalo to philly and back last weekend after i had my oil changed, tranny fluid flushed n filled, and a traditional 4x4 lube done at a delta sonic. Two days ago im leaking coolant all over the ground after I came back from class. I added a pre mixed coolant/antifreeze i bought from autozone, (so i didnt add water) and filled it again. Now its leaking that big time, my thermostat is going from cold to extremely hot...back and fourth with no heat either..just cold air coming out and there is smoke coming from the engine when by the time i turn the car off. What do you think is up/what could i do to not be taken by a mechanic out here..(if i wasnt at college now id be working on it myself). I would greatly appreciate any help on this. Thank you

You're going to have to pin down where that fluid leak is. A hose, or the radiator are the first 2 places to look. It maybe that you've had a small hole in the radiator and the flush made the hole larger. Since you say it is leaking pretty good, you should be able to get under there with a flashlight and at least narrow down where it's coming from. Make sure you don't run that engine low on water so permanant damage is done to the engine. Aslo, don't pour ice cold water / antifreeze into a hot engine that's really low on fluid - it could crack the block - let it cool down.
However, you really need to get that fixed right, and if you can't find time to work on it yourself, better ask around and get it over to a reputable mechanic. Overheating an engine is bad news. Let me know what you see.

ended up needing a new radiator, my old one was missing pieces on the actual radiator....glad i got a new one though..set me back $250

Probably not a bad price - last time I changed a radiator it was $160 for just the part, and that was on a economy car.

Probably not a bad price - last time I changed a radiator it was $160 for just the part, and that was on a economy car.


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Sorry to hear about your dilema but glad to see you got it resolved!