I have a 1991 Cherokee, the radiator got destroyed by the mechanical fan when the bolts worked loose and fell out while driving. I had planned to replace the clutch fan with dual or a three electric fan setup anyway so I guess now is the time. As far as radiators go. I see Misimoto listed everywhere but they are very expensive. Does anyone have a more budget friendly replacement radiator to recommend. I'd like to go with a 3 row, all aluminum to assist with cooling. We've had overheating problems and we live in Idaho if that tells you anything about how fast these overheat. The radiator that was hacked up was already a 3 row radiator so the mounting modifications have already been done, I'd like to buy one that has fans and shroud that match the radiator, I can do all the wiring but I don't want a mess like what's in there now, one electric fan and one clutch fan with half a-- shroud.
Thanks for your help in advance.

 

I used the Champion All-Aluminum Radiator , It's a 2 row not a 3 row but I still have the stock fan set up , I'm in Los Angeles it this gets hot here and with this radiator my temp gauge never goes over 210 any more .

 

Thanks tech, I honestly don’t know if a 3 row radiator is overkill or not but I want to make sure I do it right. I’ve lived in Orange County, camped in Joshua Tree in the summer (oops!!) and also lived in Sacramento. So, if your setup is handling the traffic and heat of that jungle, I think it should for me. I’m still going all electric though, the clutch fan adds load to the engine.

 

I've run the 3 row aluminum knock offs for a while. Hottest CT gets is usually mid 90s. Ive had 3 of the plastic endcap radiators fall apart or the hose ends crack or break off. The aluminum ones ive used hold up nicely and work well even when tasked with cooling a transmission and turbo. I still use the mechanical fan/electric fan set up.

 

That's very likely where you're going to run into problems. I'm doing this same exact thing right now on my 87, mainly for the purpose of converting closed system to open system. I have not found very many people who were happy with the all electric 3 fan setups that lower end companies are selling. The absolute best thing you can do for your XJ is have a proper working factory system. The clutch fan isn't going to draw as much power as you'd think. Generally, if you can feel a difference in power by removing the clutch fan then you're lying to yourself. Most of the lower end 3 core radiators are not true 3 core actually, and same goes with the lower end 2 core radiators. Hope this helps.

 

Camaroboi13, you mentioned that the people you've heard from were not happy with the "low end" 3 fan setups that they installed. Well, nothing low end about what I'm installing. I bought this kit from Champion Cooling, they provided a custom shroud that fit beautifully on the 2 row radiator that I bought from them as well. The radiator was $200 with the fans, shroud, and wiring harness total cost was $564, so either I got ripped off or there is nothing low end about what I am installing. Judging by the tig welds on this radiator, this is quality workmanship.
While the mechanical fan was part of the factory cooling system, the shroud was not and the e-fan was not either. In fact, the previous owner of the jeep I'm working on must of had problems installing the e-fan because there is a second temp sensor installed next to the factory unit but it's no longer being used because he cut the factor connector off for the fan and made his own harness which goes directly to the dash where it's manually operated via switch. So, the e-fan I used to have only came on when I turned on myself. During the summer I just left it on all the time. Winter in Idaho, it was safe to leave it off all the time and let the mechanical fan take care of the rest. That hassle is gone now, I'm installing all new wiring with new temp sensor to turn on/off the fans when needed.
I understand your comment about having a well functioning factory system but Chrysler failed big when they packed the ever so HOT 4.0L along with all the other supporting items inside that tiny engine compartment with a tiny grill giving the coolant very little time in the radiator to be cooled, mine has AC with the condenser blocking the radiator completely from left to right and an auxiliary transmission cooler on top of that. I can't drive up a steep mountain highway pass without overheating. That's with the "as close to factory" setup as you can get which I had before the fan destroyed it. I'm trying it my way now. I have a brand new alternator in this thing, I fear I'll fry it so if this works looks like an alternator upgrade to follow.

 

I looked at that Champion radiator, it looks just like all the rest of the radiators I see on ebay with the only exception being that yours is shiny. So I do wish you the best of luck for that. The Mishimoto radiators are more expensive and I'm still not sure why, as both radiators are only a 2 row style. The Champion radiator gets a 3.9 out of 5 stars, with fitment and leaking issues being common problems it seems. This is going to be an issue with ALL aftermarket radiators considering 90% of them are made in China in a factory that's probably never even seen a Jeep Cherokee.

Then there's the issue of electric fans... The Champion fans are 10" in diameter and flow 650 cfm each. The factory mechanical fan is good for 1800-3000 cfm, and the aux fan is good for another 1100-1800 depending on what website you look at. So now you're looking at atleast 4000cfm with both fans running at the same time, when your A/C is on, when you're climbing uphill, or when you're doing some wheeling offroad and your engine requires more cooling. You've got 3 fans that flow 650cfm each. So at best you've got 1950cfm with all 3 fans in good working order. That's less than half of what the factory fans can produce. So effectively, you've doubled the size of your radiator, and cut your air flow in half. So again, I do wish you the best of luck for that.

If you're truly interested in cleaning up your cooling system, a common upgrade would be the stock fan from a Ford Taurus. The center fan flows upwards of 4500 cfm on it's highest speed, and fits right in place of where the factory mechanical fan was in our little engine bays. If I were to make the switch from a mechanical fan to an electric fan, that's the route I would go.

I don't drive my Cherokee as much as I should, but I'm in the Inland Empire, Southern California. It gets just as hot here, if not hotter than most areas. We have 118* temps this summer, and that seems like a normal thing down here. I'm on the old school closed style system, and I don't run into any over heating problems when wheeling down here. Good luck in your findings.

 

Spectra factory replacement radiator, keep the fan clutch or upgrade to a fan clutch out of a 4cyl XJ if you need more airflow, you can put your elecrtic fan on a switch to turn it on earlier. You should have no overheating problems at all with that setup if everything is working correctly.

 

problem with electric fans is you need to run a switch to turn it off if you offroad and go through deep water or river crossings, then try to remember to turn it back on when you're out.
then, if you ever loan your jeep to someone, you will need to make sure they understand that switch.

i know you can hook them up through a thermostat, so they only turn on when the engine temps get up there, but you will still need to shut them off to cross into deep water.