96 XJ in Asheville NC; radiator question
 

I've read all the pertinent posts I can find but need some short answers if anybody has an opinion:

'96 XJ with 174K in nice shape, coolant, hoses, thermostat replace last year.

Has been showing no signs of overheating or other related issues. Drove it on about 10 miles worth of errands last week and when I got home, steam was coming out of hood, classic hose/radiator issue.

Temp was not pegged. No sign of water in oil or oil in water. Coolant was leaking out the right side of the radiator. The upper hose shows no sign of leakage. I'm making an initial assumption that the radiator has cracked on the right side. Questions.....

1) Is this a reasonable starting place? Is there another potential source of significant leak on the right side of rad?

2) I will admin I have not yet looked at my shop manual. How much of an issue is replacing radiator? I'm good with cars, but work some long hours now and can afford to farm out.

3) We recently moved from Atlanta to Waynesville, NC (Asheville area). Can anyone suggest a shop in this area, either for this repair or for more specialized Jeep work?

Thanks for any comments.

Replacing the radiator isn't so much hard as it is messy. I'm just across Sams gap on 26 and know a couple excellent mechanics but I doubt you could make the 50 mile drive or would want to risk it. In your situation I would probably do it myself just to be sure the system was properly flushed. At 176k it's not a bad idea if you're replacing the radiator anyways.

Two simple jobs you can do yourself first buy a new radiator about $100 at AutoZone with Lifetime warranty then get a new water pump. Before you disassemble anything clean/flush till the water runs clear in the radiator/block/heater core "very important". A new thermostat needs to be installed every year so do it to along with a new belt.


Then when you pull the radiator out replace the water pump then. These are very easy jobs to do requiring nothing more than a few simple hand tools and a little time. If you took it to a shop the labor alone would be close to 2 bills depending on the shop.


And yes now is the time for a water pump just consider the age alone plus a lot easies to do if the radiator is out. Here is the starting place to get your feet wet working on your XJ for a first time project.

Thanks for both of your responses. They are what I needed. I'm 67 and have been working on cars for many years, just not XJs. I don't have to have the car as a daily driver so I can wait for a nice day and keep the mess outside the garage.

Will follow through on water pump and thermostat as well as radiator. I'm glad it was a short trip and not long enough to create a real problem.

No problem! The water pump is definitely a good idea, we did it on mine just for peace of mind when I bought it (150k, also needed a radiator anyways)

Sorry double post