Howdy folks.
I got a 96 XJ that has done really well up until lately. Its been overheating really easily. Granted I know its the summer months (in Ohio) but as I am sitting in traffic the temperature will run up to around 225-230 and when I am wheelin and going up a hill it will reach 245 easily which means I hold up the group to let me jeep cool down, which isn't that big of a deal but it gets annoying after a while. I just changed the thermostat in it 5 months ago with a fail safe thermostat and I've checked for leaks around my radiator and have found nothing.

Any ideas on what the problem could be? Any input is appreciated!

 

check the fan. Make sure its working correctly. You really should not have to stop to let it cool down.

 

I have a 96 XJ that did the same thing. I had to replace the fan clutch. After that it always ran 190 to 200. Fan clutch ran about $40.00. Replacing it made a world of differance!

 

is the E-Fan kicking on? as other said check your fan clutch on the mechanical fan. Go out to your jeep and open the hood, spin the the fan by hand with the engine cool, start jeep go for a drive let it get up to operating temp., shut off jeep let it set for a minute or two then try to spin the fan again if its working right then it should be a lot tighter to turn than it was when the engine was cool. you E-Fan should kick on about 220°, also how new is the water pump, and thermostat?something ese to look into if the fans chek out to be ok.

 

Thanks guys.. I will play with the fan in the morning before I leave work. i work nightshift which really sucks when it comes to checking all this stuff. About the water pump, I've had the jeep since 2008 and never changed it out. Not sure if the previous owner changed it or not, but last January was when I replaced the thermostat so I figure it's still good. The previous one was beyond stuck open it was actually broken open which made it bad for Winter time because i had no heat.

 

Alrighty... so the e fan does work. I could spin the clutch fan when it was cool and then when warm I spun it with about the same amount of resistance. About two stiff revolutions by push of the hand. I left it idle for a few minutes and the clutch fan was going along with the belt. I just recently put an old exhaust that I cut off of a ford pickup because my old one fell off when i was on the trail one day. So for a little while I was running nothing but the catalytic converter. Do you guys think there may be a chance that the way I have it running its not flowing enough and its just holding heat and pressure back to the engine? Just a thought.. Let me know what you guys think.