The wife and I will be going on vacation in a month and I would like your advice on what to check/change for the trip. Its not a very long trip, it is only 172 miles but I want to make sure the heep makes it there and back. Ive only owned it for 3 months so its still fairly new to me.


Its a 1992 4.0 auto w/170k


Thanks

 

anytime I go for a trip out of the county I live in, I like to check all the fluids, check the battery terminals, inspect all the rubber hoses and serp belt for weaknesses/cracks and maybe peek at the air filter. Never hurts to check the tire pressure just to be sure either. I always mean to install a cup holder or two, but that somehow never seems to happen. Oh, I also like to dump a bottle of fuel system cleaner in the tank (Techron or Seafoam seem to work best). It seems to run better and get better mpg that way. 199K on my machine.

If you haven't give it a tune-up, plugs/wires/rotor/cap since you got it, I'm sure it would love you for doing that too!

 

Any cooling system maintenance?.......it's fixin' to get hot.

 

Before the trip ill be replacing the water pump and adding a 180* thermostat. I was also thinking of adding either a pusher or removing the stock fans and replacing them with 2 electric pullers, what size fans would fit?

 

If u r going to do the stat and pump, that would be the perfect time to replace the rad and fan clutch.....it's cheap and easy. Doubt if u'll find any efans that will move the same or more CFMs of air as the stock units. The XJ rad is the weak link in the cooling system (too small), not the fans. It's impossible to tell the internal condition of the rad unless it removed and the tanks are separated from the core by a rad shop. If u go that far, might as well just put a new one in.

 

If your going to do this I would highly recommend replacing both the upper and lower rad hoses. Looking at like $20 for the both of them. No better time do it than now.

If the XJ will run for an hr with no issues it should make the entire trip with no issues. I recently did a 1720 mile one way trip with mine and it has over 200k miles on it. No issues just took it nice n slow.

 

I just put in a 180 thermostat, and runs a lot colder. And seafoam for the FTW. My engine with 258k runs like new after using it.

 

The radiator is around a year old (saw the receipt) and i can get dual e-fans that push 2500 cfm

Good call on the hoses ill make sure i change those.

 

Stock set-up probably pullin' double that, when a new, or properly functioning, fan clutch senses the need for max air.

 

Alright so I swapped out the old water pump with a new one NOT a reman, replaced the thermostat with a Mr. Gasket 180* and now my temp sensor wont work. So I replaced the coolant temp sensor and still nothing wtf? Any clues?

 

If your gauge is inop-- the sending unit is at the rear of the head. The sending unit on the thermostat housing sends info to the ECM.

 

What is it called because i type in coolant temp sender and it brings up the sensor that goes in the thermostat. Or is it the same part just different location?

 

BWD - Coolant Temperature Sensor/Sender
Part # WT761
Line: BWD
With temperature gauge, not idiot light. It's at the rear of the head on the drivers side.

 

I replaced the correct sensor after doing my last water pump, belt, hoses, etc etc.. And thats when my sensor stopped working, and it still doesnt work even after replacing it. If I lived more then 2 miles from work it would be more of a problem but i still have not had the time to find out what happened, Any info would be great, subscribed.

As for the trip, I wouldnt have been worried. Like that previous post said, if its good for an hour it will be fine. My xj has 220k, and should not be able to drive on the road sense the time I bought it but its kept me going, including almost monthly trips from Forest grove to seattle and back for 3 years..

 

You can test the gauge by unhooking it from the sender and using a jumper wire to ground the lead. If the gauge is working it will peg the needle all the way to the right, if the needle doesn't move it's time to replace the gauge.