BigTonyOfDC

Forgive me Forum, for I have sinned.... My 2001 Cherokee has sat in my backyard for a loooooong time, over 2 years since I had it running daily. I am no pro or mechanic, but I do know that sitting idle like that is bad news. The reason I stopped driving it was that there were coolant fumes coming through, and with kids I just decided to drive my car until I got the Jeep repaired. Took it to a local shop and it failed the pressure test and the mechanic said it wasn't worth fixing as it COULD have engine issues, but reality is (I think) they didn't want to put time into diagnosing it.

My question to the Forum is what is the best approach to getting my Jeep back on the road? I thought of taking it to the Jeep dealer and letting them give me the run down, and then trying to fix things myself. Of course the battery is dead now, but once I give it a jump the engine starts every time (just gotta kill the wasps nesting in the door jamb). Sinny sin sin, I know. Thanks for any advice!

Oh, I am in PG County, Maryland in case any of you know of a good mechanic that may be able to give me the low down, thanks again.

EZEARL

The only reason you stopped using it was because of coolant fumes? No overheating issues? If not the odor could be the heater core which for now could be bypassed. What's the color of the oil and coolant?

BigTonyOfDC

EZEARL, it was overheating as well, it was fine idling, but as soon as I would drive it off the driveway the needle would shoot up. I'm pretty sure its in need of a new radiator, there was rust colored fluid leaking, I plan to check everything out tonight (coolant and oil), had to spray the wasp nests yesterday. Thanks

PocketsEmpty

You likely need to replace the whole cooling system. Radiator, hoses, full system flush, and heater core likely if you're getting steam on your windshield and any signs of coolant leaking in the passenger footwell.

Another issue is that it's a 2001 model with the 0331 cylinder head--which is very prone to cracking, most especially after overheating. So you're looking at a head gasket and new cylinder head as well. it'll likely cost you a lot to get it going. The heater core is no easy job--it involves pulling the entire dash.

BigTonyOfDC

Thanks for the info.

So I got home today and checked the coolant reservoir, it was low and what was in there was sludge, probably from sitting there, so I know a good flushing would help. Which reminds me, I did take it to get flushed but they told me the radiator was rusted so it wouldnt make sense. So i filled the reservoir with a 50/50 mix, as well as the radiator up to the neck, hooked up my battery booster, and she started right up. Then I realized just how much I missed my Jeep

I let it run for like 15 minutes, and the temp gauge was fine, about halfway. I drove it around the yard, gauge was still good to go. Hosed the car off (to get the wasp spray off), then put it in reverse to put her on the road, and thats when the "Check Gauge" light came on, and it was in the orange. I cut it off and popped the hood, and the radiator was smoking.

I am determined to get it back on the road. Would it make sense to start with a new radiator, hoses and see how it does? Is there a way to check the heater core?

Thanks again everyone.

Aljay

First off not all 01s have head issues my 01 has 212k miles my wife bought it brand new .
start with the basics bypass the heater core , replace the radiator , flush system real good and go from there . How is your fan clutch ? If I suspected a cracked head/bad head gasket on any vehicle I would buy the dye kit from napa and run the test .

BigTonyOfDC

Thanks Aljay,

I definitely think I can handle replacing the radiator and hoses, I'll look into bypassing the heater core as well, not sure what that entails. Again, I am no pro but can follow directions well and know my way around tools. Not sure how the fan clutch is, but the fan kicked in a few times while idling yesterday. I'll also look into the dye kit. Is that similar to a pressure test in what it can tell you? I had that done and that is when I was told there were leaks everywhere, but I was skeptical, seemed like the Goodyear place I took it too didn't really want to put time into it...

PocketsEmpty

Yeah...I don't trust mechanics. I think you're off to a good start. Replace the radiator and hoses, remove the coolant reservoir and clean it out real good, and flush the system and the block. NAPA sells a nice flush formula that worked pretty well for me. You might as well replace the water pump while you're at it...they're like 35 bucks at NAPA as well. Once you do all that, see how it does. If you still have problems, that's when you start going deeper.

BigTonyOfDC

Thanks again folks for the help, I'll be sure to FedEx a cold one to you all soon!

So I'm getting my list together, and will start with replacing the radiator, radiator hoses, water pump, and t-stat. Should I flush the system prior to installing the new radiator? In fact, should I take the old one out and then flush the rest of the system (if possible) to take the old rad out of the equation? I'm sure it is sludge city in there, it was dry rust in the top of the rad when I removed the cap.

PocketsEmpty

Take out the radiator, water pump, and T-stat housing and stick a garden hose in there (high-flow nozzle helps) and flush out each new opening in the block. I wouldn't risk flushing junk in the old radiator into the engine block, personally. Put all the new stuff in, and run distilled water (less than a buck for a gallon jug in my area) in it until it is up to temperature. Pull the lower hose and drain as much as you can, then refill the radiator with 50/50 coolant, and then the reservoir to the "cold" line. See how all that does for ya.

BigTonyOfDC

Found a good coupon for AdvanceAutoParts and wanna take advantage BUT am unsure of the quality of the parts. Anyone know if "ToughOne" or "Ready-Rad" are quality radiators. List is $103 but with coupon that goes down to $63, which makes this a THIS WEEKEND project!

BigTonyOfDC

Bought that radiator and will be dropping it in tomorrow/tonight. Last night I pulled it in the garage and let it idel for about 20 minutes and the temp was fine, I took the temp of the two hoses and there was about a 40 degree difference between the upper (175) and lower (135) hoses, shouldn't these be the same, or closer to the same?

EZEARL

Cooling system wouldn't be doing it's job if they were.

PocketsEmpty

Yep, that difference is a good thing! The Autozone special radiators should do ya fine. Lifetime warranty so you can just replace them any time since they are cheapos anyway.

BigTonyOfDC

Thanks fellas, the temp difference makes sense, lol. Working on it now, got the radiator out, tstat out, working on the water pump now, then I'll flush the block.

I appreciate u guys!