Hi Guys, ....so, my jeep has been overheating lately intermittently. at first i thought a bad sender or thermostat since it will go down instantly once i turn off-on the car. then did it a couple of times more and the coolant was boiling in the reservoir tank. while on the expressway everything was fine and once on the streets it would do t again. i figure out that if i would put it in neutral and rev up the temp will go down. so i open the radiator cap and there was this rusty mud everywhere (i forgot, coolant was also brownish rusty color) so i did a system flush and clean and nothing changed, so my next step is shop for a good radiator. what is your experience on radiators, what will be a good option and i guess i should go all aluminum? i am throwing a new Thermostat, thermostat housing and new water pump for peace of mind. all suggestions on radiators are greatly appreciated.

 

It sounds like it was long over due for a flush so it's good you did that, but before you replace the radiator have you tried replacing the radiator cap? If it's not holding the correct pressure it will boil over.

 

I used Champion 2 row All-Aluminum Radiator , had it now for 3 years and no problems , also make sure your fan clutch is good .

 

A Spectra factory replacement radiator works fine.

 

Might be this problem. Fins rust away and can't move much water. That's why it cools down when it revs. You get some water moving. Still, not a bad idea to just do the whole shebang: radiator, water pump, hoses, t-stat, cap.

 

If fan turns easy when jeep is hot the fan clutch is wore out and fan isnt kicking on.

 

yes, it was gifted to me a year and a half ago and i started lifting it and working on it. Not my daily driver, just a rarelybused hobby car. Supposedly the person who had it before tookbgood care of it but definitely it was overdue. No; i have not tried the cap, but anyways for peace of mind will do everything.

 

I have not tried the fan clutch, but i know both kicks in, the electrical i replaced a couple of month ago since the one before broke in parts.

 

Thanks. Checking all the option, will take a look at them.

 

Thanks, will look at them. It showed up in my search on Amazon but did not specifically said if it was all aluminum construction will check them out carefully.

 

All aluminum isn't important, my 20+ year old factory radiator with well over 200K on it wasn't cracked or leaking when I replaced it, the only reason I did replace it was because the fins were falling apart. If you do some research you will find that quite a few people have issues with overheating after switching to an all aluminum radiator.

 

good point, in all honesty i would prefer to buy an original radiator but i am having a hard time finding one. I did find on amazon what seems to be an original (chrysler) water pump but not sure if the number matches what i need. I will keep researching to try to find all original if available.

 

I'm running a cheap ASI aluminum with winch and license plate blocking radiator.
Runs cool too cool. I replaced water pump and t stat at same time also got rid of coolant tank and all under hood junk on my 89.


It was a much needed upgrade hd coolant lines leking at heater core radiator itself leaking. Only thing i dont like is the asi radiator cap.

 

Before you go to the trouble of replacing the radiator and water pump and hoses, do yourself a favor and flush the system multiple times until it is clear of rust and debris. A new radiator won't make a difference if it gets clogged up with junk. Even if you have to flush it several times using water only, just make sure it is clean.

 

Cat tech told me to flush with dawn dish shop