chiefcherokee

Well I'm out at college away from a heated garage to fix the problem and today it's -7F with a -22F wind chill. The problem is that my thermostat is bad so my engine runs at about 115 and the heat barely works. Will the old cardboard in front of the radiator trick work 'till I can get it fixed?

And if I do this I should only cover half the radiator, right?

Thanks

99PurpleHaze

I don't think that would really bring the temp back up that much if the T-stat is bad. I think you need to find someone, ANYONE, that has a garage you can use for about 20 minutes and slap a new T-stat in there!

wildbill1

Blocking the radiator will let the engine get hotter, but I would consider it a very temporary solution.

freegdr

go park behind a building out of the wind

cherokee90

use the cardboard its to cold to be out side, just watch your temp gauge.

garb.man

TELL YA WHAT,IVE RECEIVED ALOT OF UNEXPECTED HELP, NOT ONLY FROM THE FORUM MEMBERS BUT FROM JUST ''OUT OF THE BLUE INDIVIDUALS'' IM AN OUT OF WORK GARBAGE MAN, HAVE MY HEEP IN THE GARAGE WAITN FOR SUSP, IF YOUR CLOSE TO ELGIN,IL, I WOULD BE GLAD TOPULL THE PILE OUT OF THE GARAGE, AND HELP YOU GET THE T-STAT SITUATED!! ILLINOIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO BE WITH NO HEAT. JUST LET ME KNOW, IM NOT CHARGING EITHER, JUST PAYING IT FORWARD!!

VTJeep

if, and when, you have an opotunity to go to the shop and do a new thermostat, also flush the heater core (if you think it needs). make sure to flush backwards as well. the reason for doing the HC flush is if its partially blocked, then your heat, even if guage reads correct temp, wont be as hot. i think mine is a little blocked, and my heat is kinda weak sauce.

djb383

So I guess putting a text book in front of the rad is dumb also. LOL Don't halfa$$ repairs - fix it right or get it fixed right.

tjwalker

Sell your text books (borrow a friends), then use the funds to get a stat put in.

As long as we are talking stats, do NOT use a cheap-charlie, no name stat. There are no lack of cheap thermostats available and most of them are absolute junk.

Use a quality thermostat. I buy mine directly from Jeep and also love the Stant SuperStat.

Use a 195 degree stat only.

Good luck!

Cherockee

That right there is what makes a good forum- one fellow jeeper helping another out. I think its great there are still friendly people out there, it's just so rare that you can find them.

As for using cardboard, yes do it. Make sure you have good antifreeze and keep an eye on the temp gauge. Depending how "bad" you t-stat is you could probably cover the whole radiator, but this is a short term "fix". A couple wrenches, drain pan, antifreeze, and a warm place to work would be all you need to get this straightened out. Ask around for help. And don't spread this around, but your college may have a garage on campus for maintainence of college vehicles. I would bet you might be able to smooth over their mechanic to let you use the space to get it fixed- worth trying anyway.