Kure Beach Jeep

I recently "rescued" a wounded Cherokee for a friend. Long story short, she didn't want to put any more money into it and told me if I wanted to go get it and fix it I could have it. I knew it needed a new water pump so I replaced that. Discovered the alternator was bad so I replaced that too. Now it's running. I'm not a mechanic and had never done either of those things before, but the Jeep came with a Haynes manual, and of course we can now learn so much online...I just took this Jeep on as a personal challenge sort of thing and it's been rewarding.

I think there is a small (tiny?) hole in the radiator, near the bottom towards the passenger side. I noticed some coolant leaking and traced it back to that general area. It's not coming out the drain plug. There is some green baked on residue that is visible on the inside (facing the motor) radiator fins, and the leak seems to be coming from there, although I haven't yet had a chance to see it leaking.

How hard is it to replace the radiator? I'm not experienced, but I'm not completely incompetent. I've replaced the water pump and alternator, both of which were obviously simpler than a radiator, but is this something I'm going to regret getting into once I have everything taken apart and can't just decide to punt and take it to a mechanic? And what specs do I need to know in order to get the right replacement radiator? It's a 4.0 4wd automatic.

Any help is appreciated.

BryceAZ

i just replaced mine yesterday haha
and im not very mechanically inclined.

its not to hard, put a search into google and it should give you some step by step instructions.

if you need any help or need to ask any questions just shoot me a message and i can walk you through it

http://www.ehow.com/how_5052522_repl...-cherokee.html
this is the link i used

storm101

Looks like that link is in the general ball park, and it is pretty easy to replace. As for a replacement the stuff you through up should be good (96', 4.0L) if youre just looking for a run of the mill replacement.

My tip to this though would be to inspect the trans cooler line that connects to the radiator, and see what type of clip it has, come back on here and search for "transmission cooler line" as far as Im aware there are two types of clips in them, and one is harder to get off than the other and a 5-10$ quick disconnect tool is pretty useful on that type. The search will show you what Im talking about.

Also it takes like 2-3 gallons of coolant to fill everything back up.

Oh yeah and welcome to CF!

BryceAZ

yeah you deff want the quick disconnect, needle nose pliers can fudge it up.......i am still missing a plastic piece because of it

Kure Beach Jeep

Thanks for the replies. I found this site googling for some help with fixing the other things, and trying to get it to not run hot (turns out I just didn't have enough coolant).

I'll get back on here when I get closer to digging into the project. Not sure if I'll have the time this weekend.

Other problems include rusted rocker panels and A/C not working. Haven't started to diagnose the A/C, and might leave that to a mechanic. Looks like I can get replacement rocker panels, drill out the old ones and attach the new ones with rivets? Is that how that's done?

svaldin

yeah I think I need both the transmision cooler line I will try to get pictures posted of what I need but long story short my brother broke one and just cut the other one off at were it meets the rubber

svaldin

I know it will be hard to see but the two red arows point to what the two hoses hoked into this is the best I can do right now because my camera is messing up.
Ty for help

CAEMI

BEFORE you replace the radiator, check the cap. It must have the correct pressure cap or it will leak. Most people just buy any old cap or grab one out of the garage and stick it on. Also, caps go bad. Four bucks will put a cap on it (13 pounds, I think...but check your owner's manual or the parts store or online).

Next, tighten all the clamps and fittings. Radiators are expensive and can be a PITA to replace, especially if you break something else in the process. Check all the simple stuff first. Hoses, t-stat, clamps, drain petcock (make sure it is tight but dont put vise grips on it). Don't go Arnold on the fittings - nothing on a radiator needs 80 pounds of torque - make things tight but don't overpower.

And you generally weld in the rockers, I'm told. Common repair issue.