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I'm looking forward to everything but the heater core.
...and I'm sad that I'm making my XJ a little bit more Chinese than it was yesterday. Nothing against the Chinese but Jeeps are supposed to be American.
Looks like a good idea but I wouldn't throw away your clutch fan, many people have issues with overheating after they replace the clutch fan with an electric one because the electric ones don't pull as much air.
I’m unlikely to throw anything out for a month or so. Hopefully the three-row rad and higher flow pump will help. I’ll update when it’s done. Still waiting for my new belt, inlet tube and motor mounts to arrive.
I’m unlikely to throw anything out for a month or so. Hopefully the three-row rad and higher flow pump will help. I’ll update when it’s done. Still waiting for my new belt, inlet tube and motor mounts to arrive.
Nothing catastrophic but it's beginning to run hot at freeway speeds (225º) on warm days, my heater barely works and I'm tired of managing the temps. It makes me very anxious. It occasionally flirts with the red, usually when I'm stationary after exiting the highway or climbing a steep, rutted hill in 4-low out in the boonies, miles from cell coverage. It will idle for days without going above 210º but as soon as I give it some beans it starts to creep up. Never had a hose-blowing steam party and I'd like to keep it that way.
Originally Posted by Batman33165
I like how you have everything displayed, gives a great idea how things are in the engine bay....
Good luck by the way
Thank you. I'm a visual person. It helps me to figure out what I've forgotten [Mental note: serpentine belt, thermostat housing gasket and motor mounts] by dry-fitting everything in my driveway.
4 things I wish I did when I replaced my heater core;
1 - Sound Deadening/Insulation on the firewall (Use some FrostKing duct insulation from Home Depot, like $20 and so worth it)
2 - Extra "felt" tape and pieces of foam to prevent any rattles
3 - Replacing my Condenser Coils that are full of tiny rocks and bugs
4 - New HVAC Blower because mine has a faint bearing "tick" that bugs me when I am sitting at a stoplight
Things I am glad I did;
1 - Had an A/C Shop flush the system
2 - Replace my accumulator/drier and all o-rings I could find
3 - Sanitized the HVAC box, and greased the blend-door pivot to help it slide easier
I had to throw away the styrofoam drip pan because it was so rotten and full of mold! Really gross. Wish I had a replacement on hand but it seems to be OK without it.
Also replacing the foam around the blower and coolant/AC lines would have been nice but I didn't have the foresight to come up with a replacement
more wires more fun right? Haha. Just wait until it goes back together and you have to remember where each one goes and how it was routed. Enjoy the reassembly!
On an 89, there is absolutely no need to disassemble the dash that far to install a heater core.
Now you tell me.
Originally Posted by investinwaffles
4 things I wish I did when I replaced my heater core;
1 - Sound Deadening/Insulation on the firewall (Use some FrostKing duct insulation from Home Depot, like $20 and so worth it)
2 - Extra "felt" tape and pieces of foam to prevent any rattles
3 - Replacing my Condenser Coils that are full of tiny rocks and bugs
4 - New HVAC Blower because mine has a faint bearing "tick" that bugs me when I am sitting at a stoplight
Things I am glad I did;
1 - Had an A/C Shop flush the system
2 - Replace my accumulator/drier and all o-rings I could find
3 - Sanitized the HVAC box, and greased the blend-door pivot to help it slide easier
I had to throw away the styrofoam drip pan because it was so rotten and full of mold! Really gross. Wish I had a replacement on hand but it seems to be OK without it.
Also replacing the foam around the blower and coolant/AC lines would have been nice but I didn't have the foresight to come up with a replacement
I replaced all of the foam weather strip around the ducts and finally fixed the carpet over the transmission tunnel that wasn't right. Also did all the AC stuff since I had to replace the suction line. The shop recommended I replace the receiver/dryer so I did that as well.
Originally Posted by 4.3L XJ
I agree. There is an access panel between the heater core and the AC evap core that allows you enough access to change the heater core out
That may be true but I certainly didn't see any way to get to the heater core without removing the plenum.
Originally Posted by WyoCherokee
what made you decide to stay with a closed cooling system?
keep that fan clutch assembly handy. you will find that 2 e-fans wont pull enough CFM.
I am familiar with the closed system. I did my best to mitigate its shortcomings (high-flow water pump, 3-row radiator). So far, the e-fans are doing the job and I really love the extra power and improved fuel economy of NOT having the fan/clutch.
Originally Posted by 5-Speed
more wires more fun right? Haha. Just wait until it goes back together and you have to remember where each one goes and how it was routed. Enjoy the reassembly!
It's been back together for a couple weeks now. Looking back, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Seemed like after I figured out where one wire went, the rest just sort of fell into place. I replaced all of the tiny bulbs in all of my switches and panels while I was in there. The only thing that doesn't work is the click-on for the interior lights. I suspect it's just one more part of my headlight switch that has failed (I have a new one). The interior lights still come on with the doors, I just can't manually turn them on by twisting the headlight switch.
All-in-all, I'm glad I did it. It was a good experience and an education. Now I know that much more about my Jeep, even if I didn't have to pull the whole dash out.
It's Time...
