Backwoods2

I have a 92 Xj 4 ltr ho. 31 inch tires with 4.11 gears. replaced fan clutch, all hoses, water pump, thermostat with 195, rad cap with 16 lb. rad with OEM equivalent. Still heats up even after complete flush. Cant drive in temps above 80ish without temp climbing to 230 and higher. Have hood hinges lifted for air flow. Whats the biggest radiator and best quality that I can get? My last resort I think!

I know its NOT temp sender as I can hear water gurgling and actually boils dry when it gets HOT!

Was talking to tech support at Quadratec with a XJ specialist. He told me the only real way to fix is to get hot air out from under hood. Recommended a Hyline louver set. Any thoughts?

LadyKenai

get an infrared thermometer gun that will tell you the actual temperature at the thermostat housing the guage might be off.. i cant tell for sure but mine is 94 xj and the guage indicates 20F higher than it actually is.

marc

jordan96xj

Yeah definitely take a few readings with an IR gun before doing any more parts. It may just need a new ECT sensor (engine coolant temperature). Their resistance increases as the temperature decreases. You can actually shut the engine down, pull the connector off the sensor and use an ohmmeter on your multimeter to watch the resistance rising between the contacts as the motor/coolant cools down. If you are lucky, you can even find a chart somewhere to tell you which ohms values equate to what temperatures (they can be hard to find for particular years though). ECT sensors are very cheap as well (between $10-30). So rule that out before doing anything else major.

Firestorm500

Does it consume coolant? Even a little?

Backwoods2

Nope, does not use coolant. Had die check for head gasket leak done both on radiator as well as at rear of exhaust pipe. Die didnt indicate head gasket trouble at all. I have replaced about all there is to replace in total cooling system with no notable changes. It is definitely getting way too hot, not just a temp sender. Coolant actually boils over! Has anyone really had any positive experience with hood louvers like ones mentioned? raised hood hinges an inch to no avail. Have even popped hood latch when on hwy and let hood ride on safety catch when speeds have been below 35ish. Kinda helps< just not much. I live in Washington and have property over in Ellensburg area we are building on this fall and cant even tow small utility trailer over I-90 with only 1000 lbs total.

freegdr

How old is radiator ? Have pressure cap tested ?

cruiser54

Yep. I bet the radiator is clogged/dirty.

A standard replacement is fine.

Firestorm500

I had a '92 that ran hot before and after a total rebuild of the engine. Turned out to be a head that was cracked internally. Did not show up on Maxnafluxing. (That one was actually the Jeep's second head.) Replaced that head with another rebuilt one. Ran cool forever after, even in 110* temps/high humidity with A/C on full.

The engine did not consume oil or coolant.

Backwoods2

I put brand new OEM radiator in two years ago. Just had it out and flow tested by rad shop. New cap with pressure release lever on it ( napas top of the line) and had rad shop pressure test cap. All components on cooling system have been tested or replaced in last year and a half. My main question that NO ONE is addressing, lo. has any had any experience with hood louvers like ones mentioned in above post?

cruiser54

I'm pretty sure the consensus is gonna be that if you need hood louvers for street driving, there is another issue with the cooling system.

4WD4EVER

Agreed. And shame on the "XJ specialist" for just looking to make a quick sale when something in the cooling system is suspect. I could sit in traffic or drive 80 mph out the interstate in the blistering heat of the desert southwest with the a/c on and not exceed 210° running the factory radiator.

cruiser54

Me, too.

Hey, wait!! I actually do that. 75 MPH speed limit on many Arizona highways.
Oh, and it's hot here also.
I wish I were an XJ specialist.......I could offer more sound advice I guess.

BlueRidgeMark

Hood louvers aren't going to solve a cooling system problem. As two posters have already stated, and as other regulars (who live in hot climates) here can tell you, the stock cooling system is all you need if everything is working correctly.

If it's overheating, it's not working correctly. Your lifted hinges are already doing as much as louvers would do, and that hasn't helped, right?

Your "specialist" is an idiot or a liar who is trying to sell you soemthing.

On the other hand, Cruiser here probably has spent more years wrenching on these at a dealership than that "specialist" has in wasting oxygen.

But he's not trying to sell you anything.

Firestorm500

A lifted hood may diminish the ability of the fans to draw through the radiator. Thereby hurting your heat removal capacity.

Your overheating problem is internal to the engine.

Factory stock stuff in good condition does just fine, as long as there is not internal problems in the engine.