So my radiator blew up again on Sunday.

It blew out in Rockford during a road trip, back in 2008/2009.
Then in 2011 it blew out again at a yard sale in town.
Then sunday, it blew out again.

Each time it blew, the coolant was brand new looking, so there is no rust to speak of.

It's covered under warranty, thank God.



So this got me to thinking about possible causes. Water pump failure, well it circulates the water, so thats not it.

Thermostat stuck.. i may be replacing this, just to make sure.

Cooling fans not coming on. Well we had issues in the past with the fans not turning on at times, and had to have the pig tail replaced, at the same place that just warrantied the radiator again. So i asked them to double check the connections, to make sure.



Just curious if anyone else has had issues with their radiators?

 

I've never heard of a radiator blowing up before I entered the Jeep world.

 

lol, very re-assuring. Thanks Tony!!

 

Well it is still over heating.. so a new t-stat is needed.

 

replace your fan clutch first, then make sure your e-fan is kicking on - move on to the water pump and t-stat. back flush your heater core and replace your radiator. OEM is fine.

 

Are you getting heat from your heater? If not then your water pump fins might have broken off. Mine was replaced before I got the car with a water pump with plastic fins. If you replace it make sure the new one has metal fins.

 

Haven't checked the heat, but that is a good idea.

 

Well the T-Stat "looked" ok this morning. So I called Autozone, and a water pump is $58. I think that's pretty cheap insurance, since the t-stat housing is already off, the water pump is easier to access.

 

Electric fans do not have a clutch, and the radiator was replaced!

 

I have searched all over the internet this morning, and they speak about the relay under the passenger head light.. you know. I replaced that a couple times, and when the shop had it running, with the AC off, they said it was fine.

When I drove it home, with the AC on, it started to over heat.

so if the AC is on, and its over heating, then I wonder if that relay has gone bad again.

 

Replaced the T Stat.
So I plugged in my OBDII wireless diagnostic tool and went for a quick jaunt around the area. Over heating again.
So I pulled over into a parking lot, and there is no fan noise.

Interesting.

In the past I have had problems with the fan relay/fan not coming on, and after replacing the fan relays 2 times, and checking the fan in the past, it was determined that the fan pig tail was bad. The place that replaced the radiator the last 2 times, was also the same place that fixed the radiator fan pig tail.

The temp gauge is working, because it is reflecting the same temps as my wireless OBDII scanner is showing, and I can see the T-stat open and close by watching the temps, so I know that's all working fine.

I also have heat in the heater core, so the water pump is fine.

now the true test, hot wire the fan and see if it comes on.

Fingers crossed.

 

well I hotwired the fan, and it came on, so the fan motor is good.

So I am guessing that either the relay on the firewall, or the relay under the front headlight is bad, or the pigtail is not making a solid connection.

 

the fan relay was bad... so the shop wanted to charge me 130 for the part. they said it was a dealer part.. and I found it at Autozone for half the price.. and it looks he exact same// man that shop ripped me off.. wtf..

so then on the way home.. now the AC doesn't work. I check all the fuses and they check out.. I check the ac level.. and the system is empty..

funny.. it worked fine before I took it to them.. wow.. I am definitely never going back there again..

 

Smells kind of fishy . More work for them ? Get you ac fixed asap. That is if you use it . :-)

 

They fixed it. They had to order the line, which nobody carries, it is a dealer only item. And yes, when its in the 90s here, and all that humidity, the AC gets used a LOT.

HA