Would you recommend that I change the H2O pump and thermostat right away? Should I get a new radiator at the same time?

 

I've been reading about cooling problems and pump failures.

Cooling is critical on any vehicle, maybe more on the XJ's I just bought because they are 15 years old.

I saw one guy who pulled his pump and the blades were eaten off of the impeller. There was nothing there to move the water.

I'll probably pull the pumps from both and check them for wear in the impeller. I saw where one guy pulled a pump and the impeller was GONE !!!!! I was wondering if he put acid in his radiator. It looked like they just corroded away.

I bought both of my XJ's within the last 6-8 weeks, they are 15 and 16 years old and god only knows what any previous owner put in the radiator.

At least I feel good about the 95, the previous owner worked for a car dealership and had it serviced there.

The 96? Well not that one has me thinking. First thing I am doing is getting rid of the idiot lights and putting in a gauge set. Might swap out the cluster and get gauges that way, or might install individual gauges from another manufacturer.

If I change a pump, everything else gets swapped out except maybe the radiator. Pump, hoses, thermostat.

 

I'm not saying replace everything right away but u do have a 12 year old vehicle. IMHO, it would be a good idea to systematically start replacing items as time permits. The entire XJ cooling system (parts), including the radiator, can be replaced for +/-$250.

It's not a matter of if parts are going to break/fail, it's a matter of when.....and newer parts are less likely to break than old parts. It's just easier to replace certain 12 year old items (even though not broken) in your driveway/garage at your convenience than it is to replace them at midnight on the side of the road. When something breaks, u repair it....when u do preventative maintenance, hopefully nothing breaks.

 

I would have thought that it would be a lot more expensive than that to replace the entire cooling system. That includes heater core, right? Is that with parts comparable to factory original? I know there are cheap knock off parts available, but I'm not interested in those. Where can I find these prices? If it would only cost me approx. $250 for all new OEM quality, I would be inclined to change everything just for peace of mind. Thanks.

 

No, does not include heater core, technically it's not part of the cooling system.

Local auto parts stores for parts.

 

so it worked? temp get steady?

 

In my 2000 WJ, the temp needle is constantly moving from 210* to 195* and back as the fan cuts in and out. I only have an electric fan that's controlled by the PCM thru a modulated relay system. At constant highway speeds it stays at 195*, but once you start driving slowly or do stop-start driving, the fan cycles from low to high speed. If I'm parked and idling, it may get up to 215*, but the fan will make it drop down again.

My Cherokee does the same thing, but it's got a clutchfan and a separate electric fan.

 

Mine was like that, turned out there was quite a bit of silicon around the stat housing (and other places) due to the PO bodging a headgasket job.

 

One thing I will say. If you can find a waterpump with a steel impeller you're better off that a plastic one. My old 97 ZJ had a rattle in the pump and after loosening the belt, you could move the fan blades 1/2" the bearings were so worn. It wasn't leaking either. When I pulled it, there was a groove worn in the cylinder barrel about 1/16" deep! So what I'm saying is if a pump with a plastic impeller got that worn, there wouldn't be ANY impeller left on the shaft. At that time, a NAPA standard model had plastic, but their Premium had steel.