I bought this 95 and it had a new 3 row alum radiator, new water pump, 180 degree thermostat and dual 12" electric puller fans installed by the PO. Normally, it does fine. However this is set to replace my current DD and I do have maybe 25 min of stop and go in the evenings and even with the upgrades, if I sit in traffic I'm still seeing 220-230 degrees. I lifted the rear of the hood for air flow but it hasn't helped much. I'm pretty convinced these fans just aren't moving enough air. Temps stay steady around 200-210 if I have the heat running.

My BMW has a single 16" pusher and it cools off the straight six in that in no time flat indefinitely. I initially wanted to add dual pusher fans in front but I don't think I have the room. Would adding one more puller for a total of 3 be beneficial? It's only been like 65 degrees and I haven't even had the A/C on yet.

Any thing else I should consider before I try to add a few more fans?

 

I have a '95 myself and what appeared to be the original radiator started pissing coolant all over my driveway so while I had it all apart I did these things. 1) flushed the heater core, 2) deleted the heater control valve and added new hoses here, 3) installed a new water pump and inlet tube, 4) installed a 195 degree thermostat (this is what it is supposed to be not 180), 5) installed a new thermostat housing, 6) both upper and lower radiator hoses, 7) pretty much a direct replacement radiator, 8) upgraded my fan clutch to a ZJ fan clutch, 9) had to replace my fan shroud too and now regularly run 180-190 degrees. My aux fan was working fine but the plastic got brittle and only one screw was holding in place so it is currently out of the engine bay and I am still holding at those temperatures listed before.

 

I am no expert but it sounds to me like the previous owner made shiny upgrades not functional ones?

 

That's what it sounds like. Does it cool better while you are moving at decent speed?
Some aftermarket fans work great, others are useless. Personally I'd put the OEM fan setup back, including the electric aux and the shroud. Here's why:
These are small radiators and need good airflow through every square inch to work properly. Without the shroud you are only pulling air through the portions of the radiator actually covered by the fan. What do those electrics cover, maybe 60% of the radiator face?

Another issue may be the radiator itself. Some of the cheap aluminum radiators were designed by people who do not understand how radiators work. You generally do get what you pay for. ( I know the PO purchased it)

 

Go buy a good quality OEM radiator. $120. Put a ZJ fan clutch in it, and put the factory E-fan back in it, Flush the heater core. Make sure the cooling system is properly burped. It takes a day or 2 of driving and burping.

 

Whats the benefit in doing 2)? I'm aware the thermostat is the wrong one, he said it was in an effort to keep temps cooler.

Aside from the alum radiator and E-fans, everything was replaced with OE parts. New water pump, thermostat, hoses etc. Plenty of people run e-fans with great results, I think this just needs some tweaking. As I said in my original post, I run a single 16" pusher in my other car and it works phenomenally well.

Yes it cools perfectly fine while moving. The only time it's an issue is when I have to sit in traffic and its not even summer yet. There are no brand names I can see on the fans or radiator.

What I bolded I believe is the problem.

Here is what I'm currently working with. Two 12in puller fans mounting directly to the radiator run off probe style thermostat set to kick on at 195 degrees.


Considering they are quite small fans and the surface area of the blades is minimal to the size of the radiator. If these had a shroud I feel they would be a heck of a lot more productive. I found this one on ebay and I've seen a few people use them plus I could add an additional fan.


Any input on this? I think this could be a solution.

 

I think your solution is to go back stock.

An XJ cools just fine if everything is in good condition. You don't need a bunch of complication or "upgrades".

Of course, if you have a marginal head gasket or head, then that's another thing.

 

Np head gasket issues I can speak of. Coolant is clean and shows no trace in the oil.

 

Do you ever have to add coolant? Even a little?

It's obvious the PO was chasing cooling issues before he gave up and sold it.

 

No, I check it pretty regularly and have never added any. The guy said he was just trying to beef up the cooling system. It's got a lot of newer parts like powersteering pump and lines so it would appear he was just doing maintenance but you never know. I feel like many people feel the factory stuff isn't up to par because if it's not maintained will run hot so they turn to aftermarket and upgrades. While I do feel like a properly set up E-fan system can work as well, if not better than stock. This one wasn't set up very good. Trying to weigh my options as unfortunately I don't have the coin to get new radiator, fans and clutch right now.

 

I think some people have used the dual fan setup from an early 90's Taurus.

Apparently they have their own shroud and fit without too many problems.

Might be worth looking into.

 

Interesting. Thanks for all your input here

 

Quit feeling, start thinking. Unless you are doing serious rock climbing, a stock XJ cooling system will get the job done just fine.

If it's overheating, something isn't working properly. Aftermarket "upgrades" won't cure broken stuff.

 

Efans work well, better than stock, IF you set them up correctly.

You need to shroud the radiator.

 

That may be true, but it won't fix other parts of the system that are broken.