Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Overheating problem

It did work for me, but it took the 3 things I mentioned to get Sonoran Desert cool after the SC was installed.

I doubt its Oil pressure.

Few questions: You have a new engine I think. What compression ratio are you running? THE OEM engine will run off pizz it about 8+/- : to 1. If you replaced the pistons with high compression, say 10:1 that is going to generate a lot heat.

Auto or stick? Auto will put out a LOT of heat, especially in the summertime. I know some guys out in Phoenix that were adding heavy duty trans radiators...

Can you run 87 Octane or do you need to run 89 or 91?

What temp is your thermostat on the engine??

Good question about the compression. Not sure. Would have to check with my mechanic. I doubt he replaced the pistons because it was a manufactured engine from jasper.

It’s a stick

I can run 87 in it. I’ve tried a whole tank of 91 in it before and it didn’t change anything.

Temp from my obd shows 230-240 at the hottest before I need to pull over.
 
If airflow is truly my problem, I’m not sure if adding louvers would help very much and it also doesn’t make sense that a ton of jeeps have winches but most of those jeeps are completely fine and don’t overheat. Sure I could spend 1k on a mopar radiator, but my aftermarket radiator should be working completely fine right now. Or rather fine enough with only 2,000 miles on it. I guess if everything is operating as it should and I still have overheating problems, it might be time to shell out a bunch of money for a mopar radiator. However I’d love wait for that to be a last resort. I wonder if an auxiliary fan would help increase airflow?

I would pull the winch just to see if it makes a difference on the freeway during a hot day. The aftermarket radiator may not be efficient enough deal with the partially blocked airflow
 
I don't think oil pressure is the cause but it's a solid indicator the engine was not rebuilt correctly.

Wrong pistons is an interesting theory.

Sure would be interesting to tear the engine apart and get answers.

-Mac

Concur. Albeit the Jeep 6 of the TJ era is as bulletproof as they come. Jeep made an improved cam for the engine and I never put one in because I love the 80% of the torque shows up around 1500 rpm...I am a rock crawler and I love that low rpm torque and if you have some low gears like 4:88s not much is going to stop you.

I contemplated it but my Jeep was either on a rock trail or drive to one so I left the engine stock and added a SC to get upper rpm boost for the highway...worked for me for almost 100k miles.
 
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I would pull the winch just to see if it makes a difference on the freeway during a hot day. The aftermarket radiator may not be efficient enough deal with the partially blocked airflow

I was contacted by Warn to test their new winch aka Powerplant. Their concern was would it overheat due to its size and height. So I spent some Fridays in downtown and and around the freeways in Phoenix sitting in stop-and-go traffic, in August with street temps heading toward 140 F. I also tested it in the washes at Table Mesa letting it idle for hours and running my AC the whole time. TEMP NEVER moved off the normal.

Should not have blocked airflow. The vents on my Jeep in the pic are just above the upper radiator and extend back about 8 in or so. If you look at the Jeep hood, its an upside-down bathtub. It stores how air, it just holds it there.

You can see how large the PowerPlant winch is. I still have that winch, its been on 4 Jeeps and 3 F 450 trucks...I have had the winch for about 10 years.
Hood vents 2.jpeg
 
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We’re always bragging on our TJ’s, but perhaps the YJ was the last real Jeep…

Real Gauges > Idiot Guages.

NOPE, the last was the TJ after that the electronics will kill ya.

Gonna drive my 24 JLR-X for a bit longer or untilI I find a TJ moistly unmolested, reasonable miles on speedo and go back to real Jeeping!
 
If you drain your entire system of coolant (block, radiator, core, hoses) and fill it with tap water, run it until it boils over you can test your entire system at once.

Tap water at 18 psi boils at about 222.5 degrees (plus minus a degree based on altitude and water composition). 222 is far less than the 250 your gauge shows and you could read your gauges at boilover. This should be achievable in the driveway.
 
NOPE, the last was the TJ after that the electronics will kill ya.

Gonna drive my 24 JLR-X for a bit longer or untilI I find a TJ moistly unmolested, reasonable miles on speedo and go back to real Jeeping!

Nice ig. Are you running a Kenne Bell?
 
Nice ig. Are you running a Kenne Bell?

Sorry for the delay but been out of town on business, just got back last night.

The SC came from Swenden and its sold under different names. Its a good one I put almost 100k miles on it and sold to a guy back in 2011 and he is still running it to this day. Said it works great!

They are hand built and tested guarantee 3 years or 100k mi. I was running 7 lb psi and could have run more if I ran a smaller pulley. BUT even at 7 psi I could still run 87 octane unless I bought at some off the wall stating like WeBeGas. As long as I was running Mobil, Exxon, Shell etc, Regular worked!
 
FINAL UPDATE.
Received a used Mopar radiator from a member on here and replaced the new denso radiator in my jeep.

Took it on the usual path where I would get a reading of +235 degrees with the denso radiator.

It was 90+ out today so a good warm day to test this used radiator out. The hottest it got was on a long hill climb where it reached 217 degrees, all while driving 70-75. When I crested the hill the temperature returned to 208-212 and remained there despite me driving as fast as I could.

SUCCESS!

I’m sure the denso or other similar radiators will work in a cooler climate but in Southern California I need a radiator that can keep up. Turns out 27 years later the jeep engineers knew what they were doing.

Now I need to pony up and get an expensive mopar radiator online so that I’m set up for the future.

Thank you all for following along and hopefully if anyone ever finds with thread with similar problems this will be a help to them.
 
FINAL UPDATE.
Received a used Mopar radiator from a member on here and replaced the new denso radiator in my jeep.

Took it on the usual path where I would get a reading of +235 degrees with the denso radiator.

It was 90+ out today so a good warm day to test this used radiator out. The hottest it got was on a long hill climb where it reached 217 degrees, all while driving 70-75. When I crested the hill the temperature returned to 208-212 and remained there despite me driving as fast as I could.

SUCCESS!

I’m sure the denso or other similar radiators will work in a cooler climate but in Southern California I need a radiator that can keep up. Turns out 27 years later the jeep engineers knew what they were doing.

Now I need to pony up and get an expensive mopar radiator online so that I’m set up for the future.

Thank you all for following along and hopefully if anyone ever finds with thread with similar problems this will be a help to them.

Tell your mechanic we sorta know what we are doing.
 
And so now is Denso off the list of acceptable radiators or do we need more of a sample size?

And if Denso is off...that leaves you with a slim to none chance for a Mopar.

-Mac
 
And so now is Denso off the list of acceptable radiators or do we need more of a sample size?

And if Denso is off...that leaves you with a slim to none chance for a Mopar.

-Mac

There is a thread talking about the denso having less tubes than stock and less cooling. Csf possibly had the same tube count but leak issues.
 
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And so now is Denso off the list of acceptable radiators or do we need more of a sample size?

And if Denso is off...that leaves you with a slim to none chance for a Mopar.

-Mac

I’m still running Oreilly’s, have a used Mopar backup if needed.
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts