OK, first off, im new here and i need help and see if we cant get to the bottom of this..

Thermostat-workin fine
water pump-new and spinning in right direction
radiator-refurbished
Burped system-hole in top of t-stat and pulled temp sender
Coolant return bottle and cap functioning properly
replaced head last week with one off of 2001 XJ-good head
ALL new hoses
no blockage in head or block
fan clutch and electric fan-good
pulled my ac system so condenser is out of question

So, i AM running straight water cuz im not rich and cant afford to keep running antifreeze til i figure this out. Truck will idle all day long now, no problem. As soon as i drive about a mile, system pressurizes and starts overheating. Hoses are hard as a rock, like they are gonna blow. I am going nuts over this...

 

Lets start with the basics of your Jeep. What year, what engine, etc.

 

sorry, 1994 Jeep Cherokee Sport H.O(used to be, has head from 2001 XJ now) I6

 

Did you have the refurb radiator installed, or was it put in by a previous owner?

 

First off antifreeze does more than keep your engine from freezing up in the dead of winter, it also keeps it cool in the spring/summer hence the name "coolant". water boils up very quickly and the antifreeze helps to raise that boiling point. You will have to have to put coolant in the engine , purge the air and then look for your causes if they are still there. Did you flush the block coolant passages when you replaced the head? Did you over torque the headbolts? The two in the back are hard to do in the vehicle, are they under torqued? I have seen cases where the headbolt holes were not chased with a tap prior to head installation which actually causes two problems...1)under torque, and 2) cracks in the tread jurnels. One other thing, if you remove the thermostat and run it with coolant and it still overheats then you are looking at pulling that head off. if you run it and see is fine then get a lower temp t-stat and purge the air out .

 

I'm not getting the step where you "Burped system-hole in top of Thermostat and removed temp. sender". That is not the proper way to burp all the air out of your cooling system, Bro. From what you are saying it is doing, It sounds to me like you still have a big old huge air bubble blocking things inside there.
I recommend putting you temp. sender/T-stat/T-stat housing all back together like it is supposed to be.
If it is an open system, remove the radiator cap and fill the rdaiator. Start the Jeep and let it run until the T-stat opens. You will know this has happened as you will see coolant flowing past the radiator openeing. Fill the radiator to the top again and turn the heater on. Let the system run like this for 3-5 more minutes, topping the radiator off whenever the collant level drops. After 5 minutes of running ensure the radiator is full to the top, install the radiator cap and fill the overflow bottle to the HOT line. Take it for a spin to see how she runs.
One of the Renix Gurus will have to tell you how to best burp the old closed style cooling system if that is what you have.

 

Willys55 would be correct on removing the tstat and it still running hot. Mine overheated on the way home the day I bought it. It had been sitting for a couple of years and I assumed the tstat was corroded and stuck. Pulled it out and it still boiled over. The corrosion and scale in the block broke loose and clogged up the water jackets in the head. Had to pull the head and replace the head gasket.

 

sorry, should have explained better. i pulled the t-stat, and stuck a hose in my bottom rad hose, that didnt help. Hole drilled in top of t-stat flange to let air out. Repeated with top hose and t-stat in. Then i pulled my temp sender and started truck to remove remaining air in system(water flowing from temp sender hole). I have a closed system(coolant bottle, no rad cap). I had the heater core disconnected but reconnected as it made no effect. Also, i ran a bottle of stop leak(hoping for pinholes)and then flushed my system with prestone radiator cleaner. I also put refurbished rad in 2 days ago. As far as the block, i ran water through ports before puuting motor back togethter and i followed the recommended 3 stage torque down sequence for head. Did not chase bolt holes for head(CRAP!!!)