Hello, i am planning a 4 hour and 30 minute trip with the jeep in 2 weeks. i will be towing a decent sized trailer, with 2 motorcycles and 2 bicycles on it.

my problem is the cooling system. i have been fighting with it sense i got the jeep 3 years ago. ive replace the water pump, rad hoses, thermostat, flushed the system, and new fan clutch... and i even removed the air conditioner condenser for more air flow. i still find that on warmer days, the engine doesnt like to be cool. last year on the same trip to virginia, from pa, during 95 degree weather, with 2 kayaks on the roof, 2 bikes on the back, and staying in the slow lane, i was in the red on the temp gauge constantly, and driving 200 miles with the heater on full is no fun...so im finally biting the bullet and buying a new radiator.

lucky enough i work at advance auto parts, so i get a discount. and other then 500$ Griffin radiators, i have a choice of 2 different read-rads.

the one is 220$, 1.5 inches thick, 2 core, made of copper/brass

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...___#fragment-2

the other one is 120$, 1 inch thick, 1 row, and made of plastic and aluminum.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...___#fragment-2

ive researched which is better, and it seems that aluminum works better because its not soldered, or brazed, together like the copper is, lead apparently makes a very terrible heat conductor... so what they do to lighten the radiator (useless to jeep owners) is make the aluminum radiators thinner....now im torn between which one i should get...i dont like the plastic construction of the aluminum, but the price is almost half of the copper one...and if it works better...i have no idea. what is the stock radiator in the cherokee made from? and how wide is it? if im getting a new one, i want to get a better one.

they also can get a right hand drive one, i wonder if this would fit and work in a left hand cherokee? this is aluminum, 1.5 inches thick, and 2 core...best of all worlds? i wonder if it would fit....

 

Look at diagrams for the right hand drive one, that would be best, otherwise get the copper/brass one. The ones with plastic side tanks like to leak.

 

it honestly looks the same...

although its still aluminum and plastic....maybe ill just go with the copper and brass?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...1800236884____

 

any thing but the plastic rad is a plus plastic tends to crack with age they will last but not as long

 

get a two core the construction is up to you ,does your electric cooling fan also work still since you removed the ac

 

Despite your discount, there may be better options for less $. Check out http://radiatorbarn.com/search.php?product=radiator

They list a 3 row all metal drop-in for under $200, 2 row all metal drop-in for under $170, and the OEM style plastic and aluminum for under $100 including shipping and lifetime warranty.

I HAVE a plastic/aluminum replacement in my XJ but plan to upgrade to the 3 row, all metal.

My '96 doesn't overheat despite the OEM type radiator, original fan clutch and air conditioning, so it sounds like you have an issue that needs to be resolved.

 

I have a 3 core CSF from rad barn and I'm very pleased with it.
I have towed my friends xj on a trailer designed to carry construction equipment like small front loaders weighed roughly 9000 + pounds with the xj on it, never got over 215 deg. I use a 12" flex-lite and the auxilary ac fan for drawing air through. Pulled that load for 4 hours at 40 mph with the ac on. The real problem was stopping the combination and I also broke both rear bumpstops because bumps slammed them into the Axel so hard. We made it home alive though my spinkter was closed up tight for the next week or so.

 

Fyi the right hand drive radiator is different than a left hand drive. The tranny cooler fittings are on the passanger side of the radiator. The left hand drive radiator the fittings are on the drivers side.

 

I've got a factory rhd drive jeep. I'm currently getting parts for a cooling ststem upgrade. Btw does anyone know if the upper rad hose is different on a rhd. I know the lower is different.

 

I would think a new stock type rad would be sufficient along with an auxiliary tranny cooler mounted inline with and after the factory tranny cooler. Seems like the "postal unit" rad would work with a little MODifying.....the tranny fluid lines are already on the the passenger side of the motor/tranny. The problem I have with the "postal unit" is that it's a copper core.....everything these days from 1 ton diesel duallys on down come with aluminum core/plastic tank rads. Even the FSM says the plastic tanks are stronger than brass.

 

Napa lists different lower hoses but only one upper hose.

 

Here's two pics of the CSF 2 core all metal radiator i got from autopartswarehouse.com. U can see the tranny cooler hookups are on the opposite side being as this is for a rhd cherokee.

 

yea. its triggered by the temp sensor/computer/some relay thats somewhere...lol

i like that site! im gonna order the 3 row probably

haha nice, how hot was it that day? and sounds like one hell of a ride haha.

well, like a great man once said, "if its worth doing, then its worth over-doing"
why not spend another 90$ to get a 3 core? then i dont have to ever really worry about overheating, and i might just try and get my A/C back in and working!



overall, im gonna get the 3 core. the 2 core is only 30$ cheaper, so not really worth it.

also, i have an auxiliary trans cooler, and seeing as how this radiator has a trans cooler built in, im thinking of using that trans cooler as an oil cooler. what would be necessary to hook it up? i kinda wanna hook it up to an electric pump that will kick on when it gets up to temp. is this possible?

thanks again for the help!

 

I would go with the aluminum radiator. They transfer heat much better than copper and brass.

Thicker is not better. Thicker reduces airflow thru the radiator, making it less efficient. That is the main downfall of copper and brass.

 

Actually copper is an excellent conductor of heat. Probably the best among the more common metals. Brass not so much. Aluminum is so so. Want proof? Look at high performance cookware. Aluminum is the cheapest and most common in commercial kitchens. Copper it the most expensive and coveted for it's even heat transfer. Also look at computer heat sinks... More expensive units are copper.

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