ive had my 89 cherokee for a week now, when i traded my zj for it i was told the electric fan didnt work, so i hard wired it , it still was overheating, so the guy was nice enough to get me a water pump and a thermostat, water pump works fine we tested it while changing the thermostat, brand new thermostat, we just did what i thought was burping the system by opening the nut/bolt on the back of the head and waiting until anti freeze came out steady. still it over heats when i take it around the block but not at an idle.

im planning on going to the junk yard and getting an open cooling system out of a newer jeep , what do i need????

until i can get my new system how do i stop this from happening???


89 xj lerado inline 6
3 in BDS susp lift
15x10 crager widow d
31x11.5 courser mt

 

Here is a stupid question for you,is the electric fan turning the right direction?is the mechanical fan turning at the right rpm?
Is the inlet to the ac cond plugged with mud and or bugs?
As far as updating all you need is the newer style radiator and heater control valve,and replace yor plastic bottle with an overflow tank and run an overflow line to the the tank.
It works great on mine.

 

all the fans are turning well , the ac seems just fine, now is there a way you could post some pics for me of your set up? and where will the heater control valve go? is there wires for it? could it be possible that i didnt burp it enough? could there still be air in the system?

 

Yes it is possible it is not full of water,but after you run it and it cools off the level should go down anyways.might try and remove the cap and let the air out,I would think that your temp guage would be eratic if it was not full.
I will take some pics,but it is no different than any 91 and above setup other than where the overflow tank is sitting,there are no wires to the heater control valve,it is vacuum actuated.

 

i filled the tank with anti freeze drove and burped it then the level was normal , i drove it around the block when i got a mile down the road the temp started to go up, i got home the tank was full to the top and hot as all get out. the heater control valve is vaccume where will i hook that too? sorry about all the ??? im new to jeeps im fresh out of subarus.

 

Vacuum for the valve hooks up to the actuator for the valve,it is against the firewall on the passenger side, Do not worry about the questions,that is what this forum is all about.
You have an issue with this thing,you might want to look at your engine real close,make sure the pump,tstat,hoses,fans,are all good one more time,if they are you might have a headgasket going out,samething happened to me.

 

sounds pretty easy to hook up the system , how long does it take?cant wait to see some pics. i might just go to the local bone yard and ****** out the parts and do the swap tomorrow. hopefully not the head gasket ..... did you change your head gasket? if so how hard was it ?

 

No i had another motor from a 91,the swap takes about an hour,long enough to swap radiators,may take a bit longer to mount new overflow tank.
I will try and get some pics in the am. but it is the same as any 91 and up,except 98 and up because they do not have heater control valves. when you find one just remove the radiator,hoses to the heater control valve,unless they are in bad shape,and the heater control valve,be careful they are fragile and break easy if they have been installed for awhile,and just install it in yours the sameway.

 

awsome thanks for all the help

 

just went to the local bone yard picked of an open cooling radiator and coolant tank, hoses , anything im missing? gunna try to put it in before the snow today

 

Did you get the heater control valve?and the tank that came with the jeep will not work in it original location because the coil is sitting there,will need to either move the coil or find another tank,I got a bigger one and mounted it where your bottle is now,just remove the tank,and metal bracket that holds it and put one there.

 

my local jeep guru said i didnt need the heater control valve , but if its on the radiator then yeah i got it. umm i was going to take the old tank bracket out and mount the new tank up in the same area , im pretty crafty at fabbing things that work well and look good. will this radiator just directley replace the hold one with the same hoses and what not? is there any hoses that i need to plug from the closed system, i really could use a visual

 

I will take a pic and show you,the heater control valve is next to the firewall on the passenger side,you could use your old one I just kept mine the way it came,the radiator is and exact fit,all they did id add a cap.
Pics soon.

 

nice well i really hope this solves my over heating problem , everyones common verdict is air in the system,

 

pics
Just replace your radiator and hoses to the heater,it will be easier if you use the heater control valve that came with it,I did find out later the old would have worked but it is easier this way,The bottle that cam with it maybe to tall,I went with this one just to hold more liquid. Hope this helps.