Got a 1997 xj with stock cooling components and I keep exceeding 220 temp. I put a new t stat 195 in and coolant flush twice still gettin hot. It even started to buble coolant out the over flow bin. Is the coolant system clogged?

 

Might be time for some total cooling system TLC/maintenance as its virtually impossible for us to tell if your cooling system is clogged. It does sound like there is a problem that's not t-stat related. There r numerous cooling system components besides the t-stat. A properly functioning t-stat does one thing only......determine minimum coolant temp. The rest of the cooling system, its condition and driving conditions determine maximum coolant temp.

 

Should change water pump and or upgrade the radiator?

 

When was what replaced for the last time?
When do you overheat? In slow traffic or on highway? Idling or under load

If you have no idea about the history of your cooling system maintenance, it might be a great time to go do an overhaul of the entire system. In the US you guys buy all the parts for $250 (including a radiator with lifetime guarantee) and can take all the guesswork out of it. Each individual part can theoretically be a cause for overheating, so replacing part by part is just a waste of time. Since you have to drain the coolant for some parts, you might as well do that once, replace everything and be done with it for the years to come.

Cooling system maintenance, once again, is one of the best investments you will ever do in your xj.

 

What components are included in a coolant system overhaul? The radiator, tstat and water pump?

Would you guys replace the radiator with a factory radiator or upgrade? I was looking at one that was full aluminum 2 inch thick designed for high temps and towing. Sorry for all the newb questions. I'm sure they have been asked a billion times. Thanks.

 

Personally I would replace the rad with a stock one. You can pick one up from Auto Zone or Advanced for around $100 with a life time warranty. The othe parts you will need for a complete cooling system overhaul would be the rad cap, rad hoses, t-stat, heater hoses, and fan clutch.

 

How is radiator express? They have an all aluminum radiator that is 2 inches thick it's a two row radiator. They say it's a good upgrade for towing and operating in high temp locations. What do u guys think?

 

There are two trains of thought when it comes to the radiators in these. Some guys say they are undersized from the factory and they are junk and upgrade to the CSF or Champions or something of the sort.

The other train of thought is that the stock radiator has lasted you this long correct? Its hard to beat OEM when it comes to quality and a radiator that can last 10 yrs ad 150K (varies). Its very rare to hear about any aftermarket radiator lasting that long.

 

unless you have a built engine, the stock radiator is more than adequate.

 

Yeah,or the old alu vs copper discussion, or 2-row vs 3-row.
I had a super-duper copper core rad starting to leak within 3 yrs and less than 20k. So much for the super-duper. My replacement will be an alu.

 

For a complete overhaul:

Water pump
Thermostat
Radiator
Radiator cap (these wear out!)
Upper and lower radiator hoses
Heater hoses
Fan clutch
Electric fan

The heater core is also part of the cooling system, but it's buried behind the dash and takes about 8 hours of labor to get to. You don't replace that thing unless you've confirmed it's actually leaking. You can pull the heater hoses and flush it out, though.

Speaking seriously, you probably don't really need to replace all of that stuff. There's not much point in replacing a water pump that isn't failing, and if it fails coolant will leak at the weep hole and run down the lower radiator hose. Just climb under the Jeep and look at it from the bottom. You can replace it if you just want to be proactive so that you can have confidence in it, but if it's not leaking it's probably not the source of your problem. I had one fail rather spectacularly, spraying mud everywhere and leaving a brown trail down the road behind me, but it still got me home.

As for the rest, you don't necessarily need to replace the hoses unless they are rotten. You can visually inspect the condition of those. Again, you can replace them if you just want to be proactive. You can also tell if the electric fan is running when it's supposed to, so you may not need to replace that either.

Thermostat, radiator cap and fan clutch are a little more difficult to test, so those are easier to just replace.

The main thing is to get the system flushed out as well as you can. If you have that red/brown mud in your system (which is NOT rust, but precipitate from the coolant), there will be some of it built up in the water jackets in the engine, decreasing the contact area and flow of the coolant. You can't really get all of that crap out. You need to do a complete flush, then drive it a few thousand miles and flush it again.

As for your radiator, if it's not leaking, it also probably doesn't need to be replaced unless it's clogged up more than a flush can handle. These radiators don't rust away like in old cars. They do spring leaks, though.

Regarding the upgraded radiators, the stock radiator is a two-row. That's usually sufficient. A three-row radiator has more surface area to cool the fluid running through it. I have an expensive three-row radiator, and while I like knowing it's there, I honestly can't tell you that it performs significantly better. I can tell you that it doesn't do jack in traffic if your fan clutch is shot.

Also, one thing that a lot of people have gotten good results from is to install hood vents. Heat wells up under the hood with no place to go. The vents allow it to escape. Some people have reported significant improvement in their engine temps by doing that. I've got a set waiting to go into mine, so I can't give my own opinion just yet.

 

I think I'm gonna try a champion 3 row all aluminum radiator, I just hope its a direct drop in meaning I can use my stock fan set up. I just want it to be a direct drop in.

 

have you checked to see if you have a leaking head gasket? That will pressurize the cooling system, cause bubbling and higher temps. You can get a small test kit at most autoparts stores to verify

 

Don't do it! I'm on my second champion with my tripple threat fans. Aluminum radiators cannot stand high pressure. I had leaks start within the fins on the upper and lower ends. The killer to my problem. I had to pay an astronomical fee just to ship the radiator back to champion in california via ups. And I live in new york. Get any 3 tier radiator that does not have any plastic on it. Considering our great country has been flooded with poorly made foreign crap that last 3 years if your lucky. Good luck

 

Direct drop in = OEM replacement. No guesswork required!

lol woah there dude when did we go from "his cooling system is as original as the frame" to a head gasket?