Snuffleupawhat

I bought a 96 cherokee about a year and a half ago for 4000, it's was my first real vehicle all before that had been clunkers. After driving it for about a week I heard a loud noise and lost power steering when I looked under the hood the fan had been thrown, I guess the screws weren't on well enough. For the next couple months it experienced brief overheating issues and then it happened cracked head, the whole nine. So I Just got it out of the shop and it seems to be running a little high while idling in traffic. I mean close to red high, I can get a more accurate temp tomorrow with my scan gauge. So i have a few questions I hope you could answer.

1. Is there a way you can accurately predict the year of my engine with a picture (it is not the original motor)?

2. What parts should I try to replace in succession to get to the bottom of this.

I've done a whole lot of growing up this past year and now I live on my own with my girlfriend, she doesn't have a vehicle and I work on an Air Force base. I can't afford to replace the head gasket or be without a vehicle, hopefully someone on here can share some wisdom.

I'm in the brandon area if anyone knows someone who specializes in jeeps to take a look at this thing.

freegdr

Only runs hot in traffic ? Clutch fan main suspect, does electric cooling fan come on at all?

ss427ci

Search for overheating, cause its happened to almost every one of us at one time.

Check fan clutch engagement
Check electric auxiliary fan engagement
Replace thermostat 195*
Replace radiator cap 16psi
Replace coolant temperature sensor
Replace upper and lower radiator hoses
Flush heater core
Radiator flush and coolant change, make sure to burp the system
If you can move the fan side to side or up and down, the water pump is likely worn out
Look for "chocolate milk" under the oil fill cap or dipstick
Look for oil residue in the antifreeze
Take valve cover off and look for any signs of antifreeze, not even a little is OK

All of these have been covered on this forum, search for the procedures and you'll likely find something I've forgotten in your search as well.

ss427ci

Oh yeah and if I had to guess blind, It sounds like your water pump. IMHO

95ck

My cherokee used to overheat at idol. Replaced the water pump and it stoped

Snuffleupawhat

Alright, my radiator was already cleaned so I know that's not it, I think I could manage replacing both the clutch fan and water pump, that brings me to my first question could you tell the year of my motor from a pic? Also, is there any merit to changing my t stat to 180? And I believe my electric fan was running today with ac on, I'll let it idle tomorrow with ac off to see if it clicks at 212 or whenever the t stat kicks on. Also, how can I tell if my serpentine is on tight enough, sorry if these are some novice questions I would just really like to gather as much knowledge as possible

kennzz05

most people say that if you can turn the belt by hand (twist) beyond a 90 degree angle its too loose, but if youre a/c isnt making it squeal you are probably ok. as far as the stat if youre doing the pump than do the stat but doubtfull a 180 will make any marked diff. on my 98 i had issues with my elec fan the spade connections that the relay plugs into were loose and were pushing away from the relay when the relay was installed causing intermittant operation, i had to take the pdc loose from its mount flip it over and push each wire on the relay with a small screwdriver from behind the relay.


read this on engine id
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/4...cation-995174/

Nakedginger

Yeah, I'm having the same issue. At idol my XJ's heat rises. I mostly noticed it when crawling around in 4x4. Now the pump is failing and I have ordered another one. I hope changing the pump is the solution both you and I are looking for!

Snuffleupawhat

Kennzz I'm going go spend the next day perusing your post until my mechanically deficient brain can make sense of it. amen nakedginger, if nobody is able to answer my question about aging my motor what water pump and fan clutch should I buy?

kennzz05

was i not clear? or do my run on sentences perplex you? i suck at typing and even more so at cap,grammar, and putuation. Sorry for that. if i can clairify let me know. I did answer youre question about dating youre motor, look in my other post and click on the link.

google all youre questions you will usually find the answer

example: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

AND THIS https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

Snuffleupawhat

I was taking a jab at my lack of knowledge when you got in depth on the issues you had with your electric fan. Google gave me a ton of conflicting answers when looking for a serpentine diagram, so I'm afraid to trust again. I missed the second part of your post, when viewing on an ipad it looked like your signature. Thanks for all the help guys.

Nakedginger

One way to "age" your motor is to look at the thermostat housing (front of motor before the valve cover). It should be aluminum. If you have a sensor sticking out the right side at a upward diagonal direction, you have the later model. If the thermostat housing does not have any threading or sensor in this area then it most likely is the older Renix style. You could also google image "Jeep Cherokee alternator" and see which alternator looks like the on in your XJ. From there just look to see what year the matching alternator came from and you got what jeep you have. Just a few ideas.

If I were you I would suggest buying one at a time. Either buy the fan clutch or pump first, install it, and then see if you need to install the other or if the problem goes away. I personally went with a Hesco High Flow water pump when replacing my water pump. Its pricier, but it increases your water flow when at low rpm's. Some people say it isnt worth the money or time, but my theory is, Ive had to mod so many factory things on my XJ that this sounded like a good investment. Plus I've heard Jeep has adapted this type of water pump on their new vehicles. If you were to replace the mechanical fan clutch I would just go to Napa or whatever auto store you prefer and get a direct replacement for it. If they have a "heavy duty" one then maybe get it instead. OR their may be some article with a better fan clutch to get. I haven't pursued that at all.

Snuffleupawhat

Thanks, I believe it's the 98 or newer I just want to gather as much info as possible before I move forward, seeing as the fan was thrown i'll replace that first and see where it gets me. Is the hesko harder to install?

Snuffleupawhat

Geez 170 dollars, what is a reasonably priced standard pump? Any specific brand?

kennzz05

check rockauto.com, or partsgeek.com if youre not in a hurry
he did mention most people say those pumps are a waste of money i dont have one but i dont go wheeling either, all my probs were elec fan related
oh and if youre flying fan took out youre fan shroud they are like 25 bucks on those sites. oh and on my other post where i mentioned the pdc it the fuse box under the hood. pdc= power distribution center