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I'm stumped. Overheating.

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Old 01-27-2011, 07:38 PM
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Default I'm stumped. Overheating.

I'm having a overheating problems with my 2000 XJ. I've been racking my mind with ways to fix it.

- Replaced a temp sensor: it was running great at around 195 then last night it spit all my fluid back into the reservoir

- Replaced the thermostat twice thinking i got a bad one on the first replacement

- The hoses seem to look fine no holes, collapsing or leaking fluid

- Fans are all running correctly and on time

- When i got it the waterpump was recently replaced so its been within the last year or the last 20000 miles.

- Radiator cap: thought maybe it had a pressure leak and wasnt circulating fluid but that didnt seem to fix it.

- i bypassed my heatercore thinking it's possibly blocked causing the fluid to not flow. still ran on the hot side but not extreme.

* I get very very little heat on the inside of the vehicle (even after reconnecting the heatercore) and my switch may possibly be shot i only get high(speed 4)

* Also had one hell of a time burping the system but i thought that it was taken care of, could possibly be air in the system :[

I have no clue what else to check but i'm getting really fed up with it. i'm starting to come short of them:[
any ideas?

2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L 4X4. stock all around.
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Last edited by whatisfreedumb; 01-27-2011 at 08:44 PM. Reason: left out prior details.
Old 01-27-2011, 07:40 PM
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Radiator itself?
Old 01-27-2011, 07:44 PM
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Well i get paid at midnight and that was going to be my next replacement any recommendations?

Also is there possibly a way i can test the one thats on there now?
Old 01-27-2011, 08:00 PM
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How old is the radiator? (1800radiator) they are pretty cheap and have good aftermarket ones!!!
Old 01-27-2011, 08:06 PM
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i dont want to sounds ignorant, its never been replaced so im guessing as old as the vehicle itself. so around 11 years or so.
Old 01-27-2011, 08:29 PM
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you get very little heat because you bypassed your heater core lol. Just messing with you. Hopefully not yet another 0331 cracked head.
Old 01-27-2011, 08:36 PM
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Did ya burp the air from the system
(took me almost 2 hours but i have no radiator cap )

I found it to be a pain but any air in it will make it mess up
Old 01-27-2011, 08:42 PM
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well i reconnected my heatercore after trying to blow some air through it checking for a blockage.
with a cracked head wouldn't there be some kind of leakage. oil, coolant or even fluids ect? she runs clean and still powerful as all hell.

i should also mention right before winter i did a coolant flush because the stuff that was in it was pretty murky you know kind of a fowl greenish to also a dirty brown (not to be confused with dexcool or anything like that) with some "floaty" nonsense in the reservoir it just needed to be done. i had a hell of a time getting it to burp. but i thought i took care of that.
Old 01-27-2011, 08:43 PM
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Weak/bad fan clutch and rad, only items left not replaced, no? Burping a '00 should be a non-issue......let it idle with the rad cap off, replace cap when coolant starts to overflow from the rad. Next day, engine COLD, remove rad cap and add coolant if necessary. Rad cap MUST be functioning correctly and overflow bottle must always have coolant in it.

Last edited by djb383; 01-27-2011 at 08:50 PM.
Old 01-27-2011, 08:44 PM
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I would recommend RockAuto.com. They're the cheapest place to get anything.

HOWEVERRRRRRRRRRRR....

My 3 core radiator I recivied from them last week for my 95XJ was shaped like a pretzel.
Old 01-27-2011, 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by whatisfreedumb
well i reconnected my heatercore after trying to blow some air through it checking for a blockage.
with a cracked head wouldn't there be some kind of leakage. oil, coolant or even fluids ect? she runs clean and still powerful as all hell.

i should also mention right before winter i did a coolant flush because the stuff that was in it was pretty murky you know kind of a fowl greenish to also a dirty brown (not to be confused with dexcool or anything like that) with some "floaty" nonsense in the reservoir it just needed to be done. i had a hell of a time getting it to burp. but i thought i took care of that.
i would remove both rad hoses and flush the rad real good with garden hose see what comes out
Old 01-27-2011, 08:51 PM
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Do you go through any antifreeze? You might not see it leaking or mixing with your fluids if it cracks where all the other 0331 heads crack. If you have a spare minute I would pressure test the radiator and see if it holds pressure just to rule it out.
Old 01-27-2011, 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by djb383
Weak/bad fan clutch and rad, only items left not replaced, no? Burping a '00 should be a non-issue......let it idle with the rad cap off, replace cap when coolant starts to overflow from the rad. Next day, engine COLD, remove rad cap and add coolant if necessary. Rad cap MUST be functioning correctly and overflow bottle must always have coolant in it.
I'll totally follow this, other than the heatercore thats pretty much all thats left other than a gasket job and right now i just dont have the time to deal with that depending on how bad that is going to be.

What if the coolant never overflows?
Old 01-27-2011, 08:58 PM
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Originally Posted by thorguy57
Do you go through any antifreeze? You might not see it leaking or mixing with your fluids if it cracks where all the other 0331 heads crack. If you have a spare minute I would pressure test the radiator and see if it holds pressure just to rule it out.
i have gone through some but you have to remember that it completely backs up into the reservoir and then because of that happening it has no where else to go except out. and then if i turn the car off for a good 3-5 minutes it ill start to take the fluid back you can actually hear it slowly going back you start it and it takes everything thats in the reservoir.
Old 01-27-2011, 09:05 PM
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If you are pushing a lot of fluid out of the reservoir you could very possible have a cracked head. The exhaust gases push all the fluid out into the bottle and it creates a air void in the block and radiator. As the pressure in the radiator drops you bring the fluid from the bottle back in. Read up on the 0331 heads and all the problems people have with them cracking and do yourself a favor and pressure test the cooling system


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