I see hood vents mentioned in tons of threads. Constant talk of overheating. Not that I want to jinks myself, but mine does fine. Even in stop 'n go traffic in the Phoenix summer.

But, I would like to have a plan in the event the troubles start. Of the vents I've seen, the triangular ones I like the best.

Is there a thread that has a place to purchase them, as well as some tips to install them?

 

Not sure on the triangular ones. As for placement there are a few schools of thought. I've only had them on one XJ and I put it in the back of the hood and somewhat inboard. I'll put a picture in below. If I were to do such a thing again I would probably put it closer to the front just behind the rad support and over the fans. The vents at the rear don't really vent at highway speeds as that's a high pressure area. It seems that the front of the hood may be a better way to remove at least radiator heat.

I did notice I did stay cooler in the desert with the rear mounted ones as I was never really going that fast so they were able to actually vent.

I just used floor A/C register vents on my Jeep. I thought they looked alright and did the job. I probably wont be doing it on this Jeep but you never know.

 

Wow those actually came out fantastic for what they are, I have been thinking about doing vents and this seems like a viable option for much less than what the normal options are.

 

I didn't have any problems with heat but am less likely to have it in the future also now. I went with the Napier vents because doing research they are the only ones I found that had provisions to stop water

 

I was not having any problems in my '00 but followed other peoples lead using the '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 vents. Just did it for the look.

 

X2 for napier. Do not think I need them after fixing everything. But never know if I cross the west.

 

I've got lebaron hood vents on mine. No water provision, but I've been running them like this for years as a DD without any issue. Signature link has pics.

 

i like the look of the old school louvers, but i think they would look much nicer properly welded on the hood and smoothed over with filler so it looks like they were actually punched in the hood.

but i'm also wondering how difficult it would be to fit the new JL rubicon hood vents. i will have to have a better look at mine to see if they are flat enough to retrofit onto an xj hood.

 

This is the proper location for hood vents. There is a reason Jeep put them where they did on the 5.9L ZJ. When the air breaks over the hood, it creates a vacuum. So vents in this position help draw air from the engine compartment. Towards the back of the hood, air is under pressure near the windshield. This is why when you run the vent without the blower motor on, you get air forced into the cabin.

 

Napier hood vents are really nice.
Genright also makes some really nice ones, but only the Napiers are really designed to try and minimize water intrusion which is a big plus for me.

I would go with Napier - most of the benefit to me is preventing heat-soak and helping heat escape after you stop.

 

When you're moving, XJ cooling is not an issue. It is at lower speeds, generally when off-roading under load or in traffic that it becomes a problem for the stock fans and smaller radiator. Mine absolutely work when needed, I can see the heat pouring out of them when stopped or at low speed.

The ZJ vents, much like a cowl induction hood or a sunroof work because of their shape, not their location on the hood. There may be more pressure back there, but if you're overheating at 40mph, having your whole hood off isn't going to help the problem, its something major with your cooling system.

 

Vents are pretty and help with heat soak, but do NOTHING to lower actual engine temps. All Jeeps should run 210-215 no matter what. If they don't, you have other issues.