My XJ has always gotten hot in the summer while wheeling, close to the red, and haven't yet totally figured it out. I've replaced the water pump and thermostat recently while also getting a coolant flush and changed tranny fluid. Recently coming back from a Pismo trip with a dirt bike on back it got pretty hot while in 2wd. I had the defroster going to keep the fan on but it didn't seem to bring it down really. I burped the system after that and have yet to truly test it but I also didn't put too much back in, maybe a qt. Thinking its either a radiator problem which would confuse me cause it normally runs cool with or w/o a load. My other thought is I might need a bigger trans oil cooler, but I'm not a mechanic. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated....... Thanks in advance

 

IF the fan clutch is good do you have a shroud ?

 

There's only one component in the cooling system in which the sole function is to dissipate heat.......the radiator. Is the rad always the culprit......no. Keep that in mind when diagnosing overheating. Granted, the rad is the most challenging cooling system component to replace......that's probably the reason it's usually the last cooling component to be replaced. A tranny cooler has nothing to do with engine cooling.

 

EZEARL the electric has a shroud but the other shroud is missing and was pointed out at last trip. Does it really matter that much? I was also thinking about taking the mech fan off and adding another electric fan.....

djb383 I was already thinking that and was considering an aluminum radiator from IRO for $170 but thats with no other research yet.

 

Believe it or not, the shroud does matter! it helps direct airflow and protects your fingers!

You should notice a difference with one in place. swing by a junkyard and pick one up for a few bucks!

 

Yep. Get thet shroud. Also there's really no need for anything but an OEM type radiator. Around $100 at Auto Zone. If your not sure about the fan clutch replace it to. The radiator,shroud,and fan clutch will cost less than that aftermarket radiator. Just get/keep your cooling system up to snuff and you'll be fine.

 

Xj's run hot too. Our Cherokees know how good looking they are and just get flustered.

 

Again, do plenty of research regarding replacement rads. Increasing the number of rows in the core BUT not increasing the core thickness (vs stock) accomplishes virtually nothing, with regard to heat dissipation efficiency.

 

I'm a little confused by your initial post so just for my clarification; does it only get hot when wheeling or at slow speeds? Or does it at higher DD speeds as well?

 

EagleXJ..... It only got hot when wheeling, usually in the hot weather is when it scared me until recently when I was in 2wd with a dirt bike on back coming back from a weekend trip. The initial hill was steep and strenuous on my jeep and it was about 85% out and stayed hot till I got home, about 3.5 hrs. The way in was later in the evening and stayed around 150, home it was 250

 

At the very least your thermostat is screwed up, temp should get to ~ 210 and stay there.

 

Yea sounds like your t-stat is shot for one thing. When replacing this, don't get one from autozone or advance, etc. You need to get the crown automotive t-state # 83501426 ( ). The ones from auto stores tend to stick open or closed. I just replaced a two week old t-stat that I had picked up from autozone that had stuck most of the way open right from the beginning. This is important to replace but may or may not help your over heating problem. It sounds to me like your not getting enough airflow through your radiator. You really need to be going about 25-30 mph for your radiator to cool efficiently. At slower wheeling speeds your fans have to suck enough air through to cool the coolant. Try getting a shroud on your mechanical fan (you may want to check and make sure its clutch is functioning properly also) and wire your e-fan into a switch so you can run it full time when wheeling.

 

I have no proof, only the OP can confirm, but it almost sounds like one of those gimmick MotoRad "Fail Safe" stats may have been installed. Motor overheated due to a faulty cooling system component other than the stat and now the stat has "locked" itself open, causing other issues. It's so easy to do (test) and only takes 10 min to do (old stat or new), why not verify the stat's operation before installing/reinstalling?

The OP MUST replace the shroud to stand any chance of proper cooling when wheeling in hot weather. The shroud is a very important primary cooling system component. Protecting fingers is secondary but not having it is kind of a "duh" as well.

 

So I checked my fan clutch and realized that it too shall be replaced, but my question is is there a company I should stay away from? like hayden, crown, us motor works, imperial.... thermal or non-thermal.....

 

This will do fine:

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Re...8007%205999999

Or you can go with this one. Moves more air but some find the noise from it an issue.

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Re...Dp%3d3%26N%3d0