Yea I kno about the bolt, I mean having a different hose rlly wouldnt effect anything..... would it?

 

.........not near as much as that nasty rusty coolant AND old cooling system components will. U gotta cool lookin' XJ and I'm sure u r proud of it BUT, if u don't get the overheating solved quick, u r gonna have a cool lookin' PARKED XJ. Quit guessin', start replacin'.

All that other stuff u replaced, was it because the engine was running bad or replaced as preventative maintenance? U r past preventative maintenance on the cooling system.....it's rusty brown and overheating. Git 'er done.

 

I replaced all that stuff as just routine maintenance and just replacing old components. I take very good care of my rig, the cooling system is just something im starting to get into. My mileage is 184k and I want it to last alot longer so I can continue to wheel it and drive it, I actually just pickd up some stuff to flush the system and a new tstat so im gonna do that now. i do all the work myself, and i learn as i go. alot of the things iv nvr done before, but thats were the forum comes into help. along with all those things iv mentioned, i do my own brake work, iv replaced all the bearings in the rear axle as well as the axle seals, and i replaced 2 shift solenoids, iv installed all my own parts, along with other little things. i try to stay away from a mechanic as much as possible. only thing i wish i had was a welder so i could fab my own stuff too

 

No. Don't attach the hose to the drain plug. Attach the hose to the newly installed Tee fitting in-order to drain-off the top of the system only. You may also evacuate fluid using the drain at the bottom of the radiator but it would be guesswork. My method is practically automatic. It will drain-off only the top of the system then stop draining when the coolant/water is at the desired level, which is all you need to drain-off so you can replace your T-stat...

 

U've had u r XJ for 3 years, do u r own wrenching, but no cooling system maintenance....hum. When u did the spark plugs and wires (routine maintenance), did u just replace just 2 or 3 of them, or all of them? Why not do ALL of the cooling system? I'm done.

 

Iv nvr had a problem with the cooling until now. I eventually will do the whole cooling system, but I dont have that kinda cash so its gonna be one thing at a time. Like I said im learning as I go.

 

Hope u don't learn the hard way....good luck.

 

So this is all really cool info. I had a question though. I went through the whole replacing t-stat and water pump, flushed the whole system and when I started it back up I guess my lower hose was to close to the belts and started to eat through it. So I replaced the hose. Now it is leaking from where it connects to the water pump. I think my clamp bite down when I was tightening it. Does anyone know how to stop the clamp from biting down or do I just have to watch this. Also has anyone ever put anything down where the hose comes close to the belt for more protection or is the retaining thingy down there supposed to be good enough. Thanks in advance for help

 

I need to replace the upper radiator hose since its getting a bulge and the temp sensor in the water pump housing. I was trying to drain the system and keep the coolant. Got some 3/8" ID clear vinyl tubing. Since I dont have spider monkey hands, I cant get the hose on the draincock spout. I've read several places that's its far easier draining from the lower hose into a bucket. I've decided to deal with the loss of the coolant this time and install a flush fill kit. The kits come with a 1/2", a 5/8" and a 3/4" tee. I know it goes in the upper hose that parallels the engine block. What size is appropriate for the upper hose? Has anyone ever put a flush tee in a lower hose so as to assist draining in the future? Is this a good or bad idea? What size would it take? My parts store has individual flush tees if you know what size to get.
(not a mechanic, a casual fixer-upper trying to learn)

 

Cooling system maintenance is very important. It's pay me now, or pay me a lot more later with things like overheating, blown head gaskets, cracked cylinder heads, etc. Oh and a clogged heater core, which is a ***** to replace.

Keep up with it. Fresh coolant (green) every 30k, new 195 degree stat every 60k, replace other components as needed.

Dollar for dollar, there is no better money spent on your XJ than that spent on your cooling system.

 

Hey that is just overflow, I would not even worry about it.
After you drain and add water to flush system with water remember to turn on heater and flush that section out also.
After you fill up trurn on heater again to get all air out.