I genuinely did not. Regret it. I have burped the hell out of radiator on a hill. Thinking I might go back and get a better thermostat than Napa brand and do that as well.
Overheating at Idle
- Thread starter hivescum
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I genuinely did not. Regret it. I have burped the hell out of radiator on a hill. Thinking I might go back and get a better thermostat than Napa brand and do that as well.
Be certain your fan is attached to your clutch in the proper direction. Fins should be at a diagonal towards the driver's side (US) as pictured below.
Just for fun I'd be sure to drill weep hole in my tstat.
Get yourself a combustion leak test kit to really rule out the head gasket. I recently did this bc I over heated a few times with the AC on. It's just nice to rule that out. IMHO
Check your gaps around your radiator.
Also an 04 with 68k is quite low, but if it were my TJ I would toss in a new radiator just for peace of mind. Totally up to you, but it still sound like something is plugged up. Very suspicious.
I know it's frustrating! Been there man. My TJ overheated a few times untill I threw in a new radiator. The old one looked ok from the outside, but I can't deny the result now. I definitely recommend a Koyorad from Rock Auto.
Just for fun I'd be sure to drill weep hole in my tstat.
Get yourself a combustion leak test kit to really rule out the head gasket. I recently did this bc I over heated a few times with the AC on. It's just nice to rule that out. IMHO
Check your gaps around your radiator.
Also an 04 with 68k is quite low, but if it were my TJ I would toss in a new radiator just for peace of mind. Totally up to you, but it still sound like something is plugged up. Very suspicious.
I know it's frustrating! Been there man. My TJ overheated a few times untill I threw in a new radiator. The old one looked ok from the outside, but I can't deny the result now. I definitely recommend a Koyorad from Rock Auto.
KennethS
TJ Addict
You can rent the combustion gas test kit from the local auto parts store, all you buy is the test fluid. I did this a few years ago and the fluid was $8. I was amazed how sensitive that fluid was - I breathed on it and it turned yellow. Luckily, the cooling system tested negative..
If you don't know the age of the radiator , then I would highly recommend you get a new one . Ours started with running a little warm while trail riding . It would cool down at highway speeds then heat up when stopped . You can read about the catastrophic failure in the link .
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/radiator-exploded.85438/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/radiator-exploded.85438/
Fins are definitely in the right direction.
Took advice of many. Bought a radiator. Had to go with a parts store option, with July 4th tomorrow, and this vehicle my daily driver, it was about getting back on the road. Might circle back on this in the fall when weather is more reasonable and upgrade to a better radiator . Thanks for all the great help everyone
Buy a mopar thermostat,we had a post like this last year and the guys radiator was plugged up.
I also had a lot of luck with a Flowkooler sourced Robert Shaw thermostat.
Two part store ones didn't operate correctly.
Comes with a bleed hole too.
-Mac
Two part store ones didn't operate correctly.
Comes with a bleed hole too.
-Mac
Sitting at idle 90° after just having driven 35 mi with the AC running and it's holding temp under 210 I think everyone was right and that it was radiator clogged. I don't have a pic but the bottom two or three inches of the old radiator were covered in Old leaves and Gunk and whatever and I couldn't see that without taking the radiator off probably had other issues as well but I haven't opened it up to look inside but the new radiator is definitely working like a charm. And that was literally the last piece of the coolant system so now I have a complete overhaul on my cooling system on my Jeep that I didn't really want to do in the first place but I did anyway. I really appreciate everybody's help and advice!
Super awesome news! Glad the system is optimal now.
Yeah definitely. I had to go with a parts store radiator, so I will prob be swapping that out in a year or so for something better. But for a daily driver in Maryland I think it will last a while til I am ready.
Thanks again everyone!
That radiator is probably still good after cleaning the fins,but glad you got it fixed,especially since it’s gonna be your driver!
Yeah I'm probably not going to worry about that too much I don't have a radiator shop anywhere within a decent drive of me I might just call it it's 21 years old it's the original factory one and I don't know how badly it's clogged inside so I'm happy that I got my vehicle running and it seems to be doing fine.
KennethS
TJ Addict
Mine has a “parts store radiator” and has been fine in the Phoenix 115+ summer heat for 7 (?) years now. Mine is a Murray brand with a lifetime warranty. Which one did you get?
edit: at 21 years old, replacing it is a wise move as the plastic end tanks degrade over time. My original split the top tank from the cap to the hose while the wife was driving on the interstate highway.
edit: at 21 years old, replacing it is a wise move as the plastic end tanks degrade over time. My original split the top tank from the cap to the hose while the wife was driving on the interstate highway.
The only one that AutoZone had in stock. Duralast Radiator B2101. When and smooth and for a daily driver I think it's going to be fine even if it only lasts me a year or two I'm okay with that and then I can invest some more into it down the road but considering I've literally replaced everything in my cooling system my checking account needs a break from the Jeep for a minute.
Happy to hear it's cooling as it should . I don't believe I will ever have a plastic tank radiator longer than 10 years again . They are cheap enough to change it out as a regular scheduled maintenance item when 10 years old . Kinda like my tires , they usually age out before I wear them out .
Lol. I wish it were like that for me but I drive a lot for work so I'll probably be replacing this radiator in a couple years realistically
Interestingly this is a new maintenance item on my list. I will for sure be swapping out the radiator every 10 years. From my recent experience with mine, I'll be doing regular flushes every year or two. I'm learning the cooling system is no joke important.
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