ok so i have an 89 xj 2 door 5 speed i6..

put in a semi new radiator and a 180 degree thermostat.

i put in the whole big bottle of preston 50/50 water /coolant started it up and 5 min later it overheated to the max. turned it off and put more water in turned it back on and it overheated after 10 min. it sucked up the whole coolant and water i had put in so i put more and now it doesnt overheat but it stays at 210


y does it stay at 210 if i got the 180 degree one???

 

first added 50/50 anti freeze correct then u added straight water not once but twice to the 50/50 correct if that's so you just made more like a 80/20 antifreeze mix instead of 50/50 plus did you burp the system after you got it full if not you have air traped in the system

 

na bro im 16 barely learning. i had to plurge the system huh. how do i do that??? and tomorw i am going to drain the radiator and do watevr steps i need to do to do it properly so how??

 

ok first thing you need to do is get the same amount of 50/50 that you have in the water mix you put in the first time( if you have 3 jugs in now then get three jugs 50/50). When you reinstall the coolant you want to have the front of the xj higher than the rear that way the air bubbles will rise to the highest piont which on this case will be your fill spot. once you have all the coolant in let it run toill it gets to operating temp and temp then turn on the heat that will help remove any air from the heater core. you may have to add a little coolant here and there as the air exits the system i know when i was done mine ended up with 3 jugs of coolant

 

X2 what mwdouglas was saying. Do a google video search for changing coolant. There is a whole series of videos on XJ's and everything else where people perform this task.

 

make sure you add the coolent with the jeep runing.

 

210 is the normal operating temp for a 4.0 Jeep engine. A 180 t-stat will not make the engine run any cooler, the t-stat just opens at a lower temp.

 

so turn on the jeep with no coolant or water on and start adding it as soon as i turn it on???

 

Yes, this. A 180 thermostat just means that the thermostat opens up at 180 degrees, but that DOES NOT mean that it keeps the coolant at 180 degrees. From what I've seen and read on here, a healthy XJ likes to run 200-210 depending on a few factors. Personally, mine runs about 210 year round, regardless of the outside temps.

Personally, I fill the radiator and reservoir before I start with 50/50 mix.

Here's what I do (but I'm ****):
1. Start with 2 empty bottles of antifreeze, and 2 full bottles of antifreeze. While your're at the parts store, get an antifreeze tester.

2. Pour half of each full bottle into the empty bottles. Now you should have 4 bottles 1/2 full of antifreeze. Fill all 4 bottles the rest of the way up with water, preferably distilled. Now, you have 4 bottles of 50/50 mix.

3. Use your antifreeze tester to make sure it's 50/50. If anything, hopefully it's more antifreeze. If so, continue adding water until it's 50/50.

4. Use your 50/50 to fill the reservoir and the radiator. Lift the front of the Jeep slightly. Turn the heater on full blast. Leave the radiator cap off.

5. Start the Jeep and let it warm up to operating temp with the heater full blast. Add more 50/50 as needed (which you may need to after the thermostat opens. As it warms, it will force the air out through the open radiator cap. DO NOT touch the coolant after it warms up. 210 degrees is not fun.

After maintaining operating temp for 10-15 minutes, all of the air should be out. You should be able to shut it off and replace the radiator cap.

 

210 is normal...it is the correct operating temp regardless of ambient temp (outside temp) or which t-stat you put in. T-stat will not change this...unless it malfunctions.

That said, I understand that putting a 180 in instead of a 195 will allow it to open sooner and tend to keep temps lower. Not sure if, in the long run (like running the car for an hour or more) if it makes any difference. What I do know is the engine is designed to run at 210. Running consistently too cool is just as bad for it as running consistently too hot.

 

1. 210 is normal, just like everyone else is saying. A 180 t-stat will NOT lower your temps, it only opens sooner than a 195.
2. DO NOT start your engine without any coolant in it. I'd drain the system and have 3 jugs of 50/50, just like MWDouglas said. Make sure the front is raised, and pour in 2 of the jugs, occasionally squeezing the upper radiator hose to help air get out. Don't forget to put some in the reservoir tank. Start your XJ and let it warm up to operating temp (~210). Turn the heater on full blast and let it run for about 2 minutes. Check your coolant levels to make sure all is good.

 

That gauge is very inaccurate, for example when my gauge reads a bit over 210* its actually at 190*. You can verify your temp with a scanner type device. It reads the actual output from the CTS.

 

Definitely sounds like air in the system and need to verify that u have adequate freeze protection. 180 t-stat in our XJ but it doesn't have a factory idiot gauge. This time of year, and for the next several mos, it'll run 180-185, according to the digital ScanGauge. Why would an engine run 210 with a 180 t-stat in cool/cold ambient temp.......or is 210 just going by the factory idiot gauge.