I have searched all over the place for a recent thread on this topic, but couldn't find anything.

What is the best radiator for an XJ? Two/Three Row?

What is the best water pump? Flowcooler?

I use my XJ to tow a M116A2 military generator trailer (converted to expedition trailer ~1000 lbs loaded / have been having overheating issues) on the highway anywhere from 3-8 hours of driving. Once I get to my destination (usually Moab/Southern Utah in temps ranging from 65-100+ deg) I unhook the trailer and go on moderate to difficult trails (3D/Poison Spider/Fins and Things/Hell's Revenge).

1995 XJ, 6 cyl 4.0, 32" BF Goodrich MT, 4.5" lift

 

I'm sure you will get plenty of answers but I don't see how you could have missed these never-ending subjects in your searches. Some threads will be in mod tech.

 

No such thing as "best".....if there was, nobody would buy the others, the others would go out of business, thus leaving only one, the best, but in reality, there's a whole bunch of others still out there so that must mean there's no such thing as "the best".

When looking at radiators, don't be fooled by 2 row or 3 row or whatever......pay attention to core thickness, fins/inch and number of tubes/rows vertically.

 

This... you can have a 3 row radiator but if it's thinner it has less tubes than a 2 row then it's going to cool less.

 

Thanks for the information guys. I guess 'best' is a bad term to use . . . maybe 'optimized radiator for a 95 XJ 6cyl 4.0 used to tow a ~1000lb trailer in high temps up overpasses and rock crawling with 135k miles' is a better description.

I am going to buy a new radiator and a water pump and wanted to know if there is a specific brand/part number that you have found works well with your XJs.

There is an overwhelming amount of radiator/water pump manufacturers, so I was looking for advice on which ones to buy.

 

Csf make a good three core for xj.

 

to be honest... i replaced my entire cooling system with "factory" style components... and have towed and worked my jeep pretty harshly... never had a problem..

I do not do any wheeling in it, so therefore it does not see long idle or slow speed maneuvers...

but i occasionally over load the hell out of it... and she sits around 210 firm..

just .02 that someone might flame me for

the other weekend we laid down the back seat and loaded the entire interior to the brim with stuff...and had a 16 foot trailer piled higher than the jeep.. to include two full size refrigerators.. no issues..

 

A 1 row core rad will be more efficient at dissipating heat than a 3 row core rad of equal thickness.

 

Dirtwater, I frequently tow the M101A2 trailer, loaded heavily. That's the same chassis as yours, but with a box on it.

My Jeeps are stock. No problem with heat.

Of course, I'm not towing it for 6 or 8 hours. Maybe 3. Still, no heating problems.

One thing I do recommend is a trans cooler. If you run it BEFORE the radiator, it will dump a lot of heat that would otherwise go into your engine cooling system.

 

Towing with tall tires and stock gears in high ambient temps can be a killer to the engine/drive train.

 

That makes sense. Do you think it makes any difference to pull over every two hours and park for 20 min or so?

 

Thanks BlueRidgeMark! That was the first time I took the trailer out.

I bought a trans cooler, new radiator hoses, thermostat, and rad cap. I am trying to decide which radiator, water pump, and clutch fan to buy and any other parts I might need for a full coolant system replacement.

 

I haven't heard any solid evidence that the three core is better. I'm looking to get a new radiator as well and have hear good things about alumrad.com. I think he will make you a radiator for 200 roughly. I would stay stock fan clutch. Start with the radiator, that should be plenty.

 

Are your axles re-geared for the 32's ? That alone will cause the overheating, especially the transmission which is dumping large amounts of heat into the radiator.
A 3 row can be trouble, the coolant passages are so small they get clogged easily and loose capacity.
You will definitely need the largest transmission cooler that can fit. I use a B&M plate-fin, 11" x 7".

 

Whatever it takes to keep temps reasonable, is what needs to be done. I'd start with all new cooling system components including a stock style rad from a local parts store. The rads I looked at locally had lifetime warranties so if there should be a warranty issue I can get it taken care of quickly.....won't have to jack with mail order.