Ragnarok1958

Hi all! New member here, figured this would be the best place to get my question answered. ��

Just got home with yet another overheating issue. Of course, it doesn't help that I live in Bakersfield, California!

I have gone through FOUR radiators (I am including the one presently in the vehicle needing to be replaced)�� in this car and it is becoming very frustrating. Evidently the only ones readily available, at least in my experience are plastic/aluminum or aluminum, and they just do NOT last. They work great at first, and then go downhill no matter what I do to prevent it. Are there any all metal, non-aluminum radiators out there that would fit?

I love my Cherokee, it has been a good working car for me for 20 years, but the radiators suck! �� The plastic upper hose connector on the first factory one broke. The second one split a seam on the freeway, same with the third. Now the current one is showing the same precursor symptoms.��

I guess I'm just spoiled by the Desert Cooler radiator that was in my '62 Chevy pckup, NEVER had any trouble with it! ��

Thanks for any help you can provide.

R.

cruiser54

Not a common issue.

Is the radiator mounted securely? The little lower mounting grommets in place?

Turbo X_J

Usually about 15 years.
Has this vehicle ever been in a wreck bad enough to mangle the front end?

Cane

wait you're only talking about the radiator, but have you diagnosed it and are 100% sure without a doubt that's the problem? unless i'm missing something you said, it could be a number of other things. the cooling system is not limited to the radiator.

water pump, e-fan, fan clutch, fan shroud, temp sensor, temp sender, and probably other things i'm forgetting could contribute to your issue.

i live in a colder climate, but still run my factory radiator, on a 96. they're not as crappy as you might think.

BlueRidgeMark

That's what I was thinking. The mounting points may be a bit tweaked, and so when you tighten up all the mounting bolts, you are tweaking the radiator. Add some vibration, and it will die an early death. Usually a seam gives up.

Another possibility is galvanic corrosion, or electrolysis.

Can you describe what is failing? Pinhole leaks? Ruptured seams? What's the failure mode?

thatXJguy

A radiator should never fail that many times in a vehicle, especially if you're installing it properly and flushing the system before running all that possible junk from your block through it. It sounds to me like you're doing something wrong or installing very low quality parts.

I won't discount what others have said about a possible tweaked mounting point, but maybe you need to try one of those all-metal radiators from CSF instead of a cheapo "OEM replacement" from discount auto parts stores. Loved mine.

Ragnarok1958

No, never. The replacement of the radiators was always done by others, not me, there is a mechanic in town that deals specifically wih Jeeps, and I have always been completely satisfied with their work. They have had others in with the same problem. I am thinking it is an electrical/electrolysis issue, that's why I was looking for a non-aluminum radiator if it could be had. If the radiator is suspended on grommeted mounts it might be a grounding problem. I will have to investigate further.

R.

cruiser54

I had an F350 that kept going through heater cores years ago. Got some wild idea and soldered a ground wire to one of the tubes of the core in the engine bay and then grounded it. Last one I ever put in.

Turbo X_J

Maybe the dude has emotional issues and sabotages the radiators on purpose, like women that drown their kids?

Try DIY or go elsewhere.

andrewmp6

Yeah i think dude is doing something wrong.How is the rest of the coolant system and when was it flushed last ?

Ragnarok1958

The last time the system was flushed was when the last radiator was put in. Coolant is clean. The rest of the coolant system is working fine. Regarding some here that seem to think I have "emotional issues", you haven't my experience with this problem and your mocking tone is no help.

Sincere thanks to all others who contributed useful input toward helping me solve this problem. I will investigate further to see what can be done to fix it.

R.

Turbo X_J

^
that's funny, thanks for the morning laugh.

See the part of the quote I highlighted in RED?

You may or may not have emotional issues but that's beside the point. The "mechanic" you're using probably does, because it's silly to keep using the same "mechanic" that replaces "a lot" of radiators and expecting a different result.

Once more, install it yourself or try another shop (perhaps even in a different town if this dude ("mechanic") has any relatives in the business.

mschi772

What radiators have you been buying? Seriously. Maybe you're just buying a bad product. Who is installing these? HOW are they installing them? Maybe you're just using a bad mechanic or he has a chronic brain fart that plagues him with every rad install he's done for you.

If you are buying a reputable product with dependable construction quality.
If your radiator supports are straight.
If the rubber isolators are present at the bottom.
If the system is clean.
If you're using a rad cap with the correct pressure.
If your thermostat is opening and closing when it is supposed to.
If the radiator hose clamps aren't being overtightened (constant tension clamps are well worth it imo vs standard worm drive hose clamps).
If your main electrical ground points are clean and tight.
If you are using 40-50% antifreeze and 50-60% distilled water.

Then there should be no reason for this to be happening. Buy a Spectra Premium rad from Amazon (I've had great results on two XJ's with this product) or a Mopar rad and either install it yourself if you're capable or use a different mechanic. Bonus points if you use a thermostat that you've verified opens/closes at the correct temp (I prefer a 195 Stant SuperStat myself) and a new radiator cap. Double bonus points if you flush the system with distilled water so that no trace of tap water remains.

Yeah, I didn't jump straight to an all metal rad. There is nothing wrong with alum+plastic rads when they are built correctly. The original in my 96 lasted over 15 years and over 150k miles...the original in my 97 lasted over 15 years and over 150k miles. The copper+brass BTR rad I put in my 96 lasted less than 2 years. The alum+plastic Spectra rads I've used since haven't failed yet; I'm still very far away from 15 years, but when they only cost like $70 and have taken some punishment already and still look and work like new...

QuickNDirty

So just putting that out there...

Aluminum depends on a layer of oxidation in order to maintain its properties. Without that layer of oxidation, it will degrade rapidly.

The layer of oxidation is thin and easy to penetrate.

Because of this, using tap water to flush an aluminum radiator is an easy way to reduce its lifespan significantly. Particles in the tap water will penetrate the oxidation layer and regenerating that layer in the environment created by the cooling system will be retarded.

Prolonged exposure to these abrasives combined with the inability to maintain the oxidation layer will lead to premature failure of the aluminum component.

An aluminum radiator should only ever contain distilled water and clean anti-freeze.

andrewmp6

Do you have a radiator shop around you ?Call them see if they can make you one how you want it.I really do think its cheapo crappy parts or being installed wrong.