Have a 96 Cherokee and the radiator has to be replaced. Would like to replace it with one that is larger, more efficient and eliminate the second fan which is electric. Anyone tried this or know of a radiator that will work?

 

The XJ needs both rad fans. The factory rad is very wide but also VERY short, so using only 1 fan will draw air thru only 1/2 of the rad at slow driving speeds. 2 & 3 row rads are available but they are the same surface area and only slightly thicker core than the OEM rad.

 

CSF 3 row all metal $146.53 on sale. $157 shipped......had mine in 3 days.
http://www.discountautoradiator.com/...universal:0%29

 

Only way I would run a 3 core again is if I deleted the mechanical fan and went to full electric.
Punch the fan through the radiator 60miles off the beaten path and you'd agree.

Additionally, I bough a cheap NAPA replacement rad.(plastic and aluminum) when that happened, and the rig has not ran any hotter than it did with the 3 core... and there is plenty of room between the fan and the cheapy.
I do wish I'd had the time to wait on a full metal/brass one... but was in a pinch.

 

.............and that goes right along with what they say/recommend over at Stewart Components......"Modern radiators, using wide tubes and less cross section area, require less velocity (coolant flow speed) to achieve optimum thermal transfer". Best I can tell, a 3 row rad core is only 1/2" wider/thicker than a OEM 1 row rad, not 3 times wider/thicker, as rad advertising tends to infer. So, to get 3 rows in a slightly wider area that 1 OEM row covers, those 3 rows gotta be pretty narrow. I wish there was some honest rad performance test results available on the Internet vs advertising/marketing dept. hype .Modern radiators, using wide tubes and less cross section area, require less velocity to achieve optimum thermal transfer.

 

Thanks to everyone for their imput. After some research, I will probably to to O'Rielly's for a new radiator. They offer a stock size, 2 Row, replacement with Limited Lifetime Warranty for $109.00. NAPA and Auto Zone are more expensive, and Auto Zone's is on a one row unit.