Bottom line: I have a coolant leak coming from a fan shroud fastener hole on the radiator of my 2014 JK Wrangler (108k miles). I’m fairly confident the radiator needs to be replaced, but before I order parts I want to confirm (1) whether a fastener hole leaking coolant definitively means the radiator is cracked/failed, and (2) whether this leak is likely the root cause of a persistent mild overheating issue I’ve had for nearly a year.
Background: My 15-year-old son and I picked this up as a project Jeep last summer. Shortly after purchase we noticed a small but consistent temperature spike — gauge climbs between the 1/2 and 3/4 mark — at highway speeds around 65 mph. We did a full coolant flush, replaced the thermostat with OEM Mopar parts, and refilled with Mopar coolant. The spike improved slightly but never went away.
The Jeep sat most of the winter, and recently we found a small coolant leak on the passenger side near the radiator — quarter-sized wet spot on the garage floor. After pulling the air intake box, the leak appeared to be coming from a fan shroud fastener hole. I removed the fastener and confirmed coolant was actively dripping from that hole.
My questions:
1. Is coolant leaking from a fan shroud fastener hole a clear sign the radiator needs replacement, or could there be another explanation?
2. Could that fastener have been too long and punctured the radiator tank — and if so, is there a correct spec I should verify before installing a new one?
3. Is it reasonable to connect this leak (and possibly a slow loss of coolant over time) to the highway temperature spikes we’ve seen for the past year?