I am in need of a new radiator for my 2001 xj. I've been looking around but not sure what'd be the best fit. I've seen single-3 row radiators.. It's got a 3.5" lift and occasionally wheeled, hardly ever pull a trailer.

Also, I am going to change out the differential fluid. According to my build sheet I have: DJKS Dana 30/181MM Front Axle--DMDP 3.55 Rear Axle Ratio--DRAS Corporate 8.25 Rear Axle.

I was going to use royal purple 75w90. Is it bad to use since it has friction modifier additive and I do not have LS?

 

Shouldn't bother it to have that fluid in it, I am actually running Royal Purple in my diffs with spartan lockers. 75w-90 in front and 75w-140 in the rear. Prior to the lockers I ran it as well and it was fine.

Also 3 row from CSF is usually the best, which is actually now available for purchase from Advance Auto parts for a decent price. I myself am running a Champion 3 row radiator and kind of regretted the work it took to get it to fit properly.

 

There are two philosophies when it comes to radiators:

1. The single row plastic tank radiators are cheap at O'Reilladvanceautozone, and they're relatively easy to replace. So you can just buy them and replace them when the plastic tanks start leaking. Some people have them last a while. Some (like me) go through several in a short period of time and get fed up with replacing them and go to number 2.

2. The all-metal radiators are expensive but seem to last longer. The CSF seems to be the go-to for the all metal radiators.

You will see people vehemently champion one or the other, but I think on average you end up in the same place financially. For me it came down to the fact that it pissed me off to keep replacing plastic radiators.

As for whether you should get a three-row, you will again see varying opinions, some of them strong. I really don't know if the three-row cools any better, but I was willing to spend the money. Some people swear they don't cool any better than single row.

They are thicker than the stock radiator and can have some fitment issues. My CSF bolted right in, but the extra thickness made it impossible to swap out my fan clutch without taking the top brace loose and tilting it out of the way.

 

Do your radiator homework. How much thicker is the multi-row core than the OE style single row core. The space(s) between the multiple rows do nothing for heat dissipation so whatever the space(s) between the rows total, subtract that number from the total core thickness of a multi-row when comparing to a single row core thickness. The FSM says plastic tanks r stronger than brass tanks, but nothing is indestructible. Old school copper/brass rads r substantially heavier than modern OE plastic/aluminum rads. Most parts stores have OE style rads for +/-$100 that r an exact drop-in fit. Any rad that is not correctly installed/supported is doomed to quickly crack/split/leak.

Usually, LS additive isn't needed even if u have LSD. In an open diff, the LS additive is just a waste of money.

 

Not to mention rp has horrid quality now a days