So today I installed a gauge cluster and all seemed well.

At first startup everything looked good except NO temp reading. Tore into the connector and hooked the pin directly to the sensor and got temp reading. Connector was the issue, the socket was pushed in.

Now onto my question, about temp. ( remember on this XJ I never had the gauge until today so I never saw the temp, nor did I ever get an overheat light.

My temp seems a bit on the high side, in comparison to my 1995 XJ

Here is how they seem to act ......

1995 - when at temp it cycles between 185-190 up to 210 and then back down to 185-190. This to me appears as it should with a properly functioning system.

On to the 1996 ......

Though is seems to cycle indicating the thermostat is opening and closing, it is running hotter. Like the low side is just below the 210 mark and the high it gets is above 210 and still lower then the first mark above 210.

WHat can I do if I want it to run cooler?

My first thought is that the Thermo in the engine now is a 210 thermo, and that if I put in a 195 thermo I will get the results I desire.

The jeep runs out fine, save for a minor clutch annoyance ( master cylinder leak back ) and to be honest had I not installed the gauge cluster I would not be asking this here. ( FWIW - My Oil Pressure looks great! )

THANKS !!!!

 

to make it run cooler you can install a ford taurus 2 speed fan.
i plan on doing this tomarrow actually.

claims have been made of up to 20 degrees cooler.
and you can take the load of the belt fan off the engine ( increase mpg slightly )

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/f...l-pics-233676/
heres the build thread im going off of but there are others out there just google " ford taurus fan swap jeep "

 

210 is normal operating temp for a '96. And you already have a 195 thermostat in your XJ. Good deal on installing gauges. I absolutely hate 'idiot lights'. Too often by the time they illuminate, you already have damaged something.

Here is something to chew on if you are considering modifying the XJ to run much cooler, and this goes for all OBD II vehicles, and OBD I also, to current year. Vehicles with a controlling computer are designed to run at an optimal temperature. Major variations do affect performance and fuel mileage negatively. It was always old school to have a vehicle run cooler and there are good reasons for this. The problem with having this change today is that part of the profile programmed into the computers is that the engines were designed to run as best as possible at a certain temperature range and the tolerances are not large. Fuel burn and other factors are taken into consideration during R&D and this is where the operating temp becomes critical. Non computerized engines benefit from temperature mods because you can also modify things like carburation, timing, etc. You cannot do that on our motors.

Short version is that there are numerous modifications that you can do to most any engine to make it better in ways, and our 4.0 is no exception. Making major changes to the operating temp isn't one of them, though. You're not going to increase performance, fuel mileage, or the life of the engine.

And Water Wetter doesn't drop the temp close to that far. I've used it in my truck.

 

How long did the Taurus electric fan upgrade take?

 

I take it that this is too cool for operating temperature?

I forget what temperature thermostat I have in but the thing never moves...

 

It NEVER moves?


If it NEVER moves it's broken.

 

One thing to remember is, factory gauges are not known for accuracy. One of those point-n-shoot infrared temp guns aimed at the t-stat cover is as handy as a pocket on a shirt for verifying coolant temp and the dash gauge reading. I've never seen a 210F t-stat, 195F tops.

This time of year (with all components of the cooling system performing at peak), actual high side coolant temps would most likely be at or <10* above the t-stat rating (especially if running the heater). The t-stat does one thing only.....control minimum coolant temp. The rest of the cooling system components, their condition along with ambient temp and driving conditions determine maximum coolant temp. This time of year we see <10* swing (after initial warm-up) on the ScanGauge.

 

Aside from making sure you have a 195 T-stat, you don't want to do anything unless you are having heat problems. Unitl you verify that guage reading with a known accurate device, you don't know you have a problem. Dash guages aren't always accurate, and since you have installed an aftermarket, you really do NOT know what your temps are. The guage you installed might not be reading correctly with your sensor.

Please see wjnfirearms excellent post.

I would not start making major modifications until you have gotten a known reference to check your temperatures.

 

I mean when I first start it up it is cold. But after warming up that is as far as it will rise. It never moves after that. It is at standstill.

 

Also remember that your temps should be at around 200 for peak operating efficiency. The system is designed to work in that 190-210 range. Yours sounds like mine... full new cooling system, with a flushed block, and that is the same temp range. I havent had an overheating issue, other than once when I got a rad full of mud (resolved by a simple splash of some water and a drive through a creek).

 

The facts are, at least from the '98 FSM, that nowhere is 210F discussed or referenced to as being "normal" operating temp. Does the needle like to point to +/- the middle of the gauge?....yep. Most factory temp gauges point +/- the middle when all is good. If the needle doesn't point +/- middle of the gauge and the cooling system is all OE, then something (the gauge or the actual coolant temp) is wacked. Did Jeep print 210 in the middle of the gauge?....yep. Who knows why they did that.

The 4 coolant temp numbers referenced in the FSM are 160F (warm-up cycle is counted after crossing 160F), 218F (efan on temp) and 209F (efan off temp). The 4th coolant temp referenced is 195F, the rating of the factory installed t-stat (closed below 195F). Again, nowhere is 210F referred to as "normal" operating temp. Going by the ('98) FSM, "normal" operating temp would be between 160F and 218F.

 

Both cherokees I own sit at 190-210 when running for any amount of time, one a 96 and one a 01 (bone stock). The one we owned before did the same, and every other one I worked on did as well. My IR reader pointing at the thermostat housing says about the same thing (there may be a difference in the 5 seconds it takes to read that and then run to the dash )

All have updated and refreshed cooling systems, OEM spec. I think the OP's jeep is OK, as long as he keeps up on maintenance items.