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Death Wobble and Overheating

Fergie

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
These are two things you DO NOT want when driving on crappy highways in desert heat.

Anyway, the DW thing is just loose bushings, or whathaveyou, and not too concerned about it. However, I am very concerned about the overheating as this has been a continuing problem since I bought the Jeep.

Things I have done/replaced:
CSF rad last summer w/ external trans cooler, plumbed in-line with the rad(in front of aux fan)
New water pump, and thermostat(stock)
New fan clutch(stock)
Hood spacers
New coolant sensor at thermostat housing
New relay for aux fan
New pressure cap for rad(13lbs. Was 16lbs, but still have same overheatring symptoms)
Running a bottle of water wetter in the coolant.

When the overheating occurs:
I can pretty much cruise around town and not have a problem. When I stop to park the XJ though, the temp jumps above 210, by a lot. On the highway, I can cruise at 210 when on the flat, but any time there is any type of grade, the temp climbs proportionately with the steepness of the grade, and the duration I am going up. THe temp also jumps above 210 if I have to sit in traffic for an amount of time. Turning the AC on does not help bring the temp back down.


What else can I check and/or replace that will solve my overheating problem. I realize that XJs run at 210, but mine jumps way above this temp as mentioned above, and I am concerned that in the lovely Tucson heat, I will damage my engine.

Thanks for the help.

Fergie
 
Ferg, are you losing any coolant? I.E. Blown head gasket?

Silly question, can the fan go on backwards in late model rigs? I.E. pushing instead of pulling?

I had similar symptoms last summer after the stroker build. Couldn't even drive to the trail without overheating. Put in a 2 core Modine, and I can run the hills at 3,200 RPM fully loaded with the AC on without trouble.

CRASH

Fergie said:
These are two things you DO NOT want when driving on crappy highways in desert heat.

Anyway, the DW thing is just loose bushings, or whathaveyou, and not too concerned about it. However, I am very concerned about the overheating as this has been a continuing problem since I bought the Jeep.

Things I have done/replaced:
CSF rad last summer w/ external trans cooler, plumbed in-line with the rad(in front of aux fan)
New water pump, and thermostat(stock)
New fan clutch(stock)
Hood spacers
New coolant sensor at thermostat housing
New relay for aux fan
New pressure cap for rad(13lbs. Was 16lbs, but still have same overheatring symptoms)
Running a bottle of water wetter in the coolant.

When the overheating occurs:
I can pretty much cruise around town and not have a problem. When I stop to park the XJ though, the temp jumps above 210, by a lot. On the highway, I can cruise at 210 when on the flat, but any time there is any type of grade, the temp climbs proportionately with the steepness of the grade, and the duration I am going up. THe temp also jumps above 210 if I have to sit in traffic for an amount of time. Turning the AC on does not help bring the temp back down.


What else can I check and/or replace that will solve my overheating problem. I realize that XJs run at 210, but mine jumps way above this temp as mentioned above, and I am concerned that in the lovely Tucson heat, I will damage my engine.

Thanks for the help.

Fergie
 
Fergie said:
Things I have done/replaced:
CSF rad last summer w/ external trans cooler, plumbed in-line with the rad(in front of aux fan)
New water pump, and thermostat(stock)
New fan clutch(stock)
Hood spacers
New coolant sensor at thermostat housing
New relay for aux fan
New pressure cap for rad(13lbs. Was 16lbs, but still have same overheatring symptoms)
Running a bottle of water wetter in the coolant.

When the overheating occurs:
I can pretty much cruise around town and not have a problem. When I stop to park the XJ though, the temp jumps above 210, by a lot. On the highway, I can cruise at 210 when on the flat, but any time there is any type of grade, the temp climbs proportionately with the steepness of the grade, and the duration I am going up. THe temp also jumps above 210 if I have to sit in traffic for an amount of time. Turning the AC on does not help bring the temp back down.


What else can I check and/or replace that will solve my overheating problem. I realize that XJs run at 210, but mine jumps way above this temp as mentioned above, and I am concerned that in the lovely Tucson heat, I will damage my engine.

Thanks for the help.

Fergie


Good luck to ya fergie you are now experiencing true AZ summer do not adjust your temp gauge the sun will do it for ya!! Ive had 2 xjs out here its the damn autoboxs they just put off too much heat for the cooling system to handle your on the right track to getting the tranny externally cooled but you fell short by leaving it connected to the radiator...Ive picked up a b&m cooler with the fan mounted on it but havent found were to put it yet but when I do it sure wont still be hooked up to the rad anymore(thats only helps in cold weather lucky for us in southern AZ we dont have that)...

My first was a manny tranny and it didnt have half the problems my auto does also whats your water to afrezze ratio I use like 80/20 with 80 being the water the afrezze just doesnt cool fast enough out here... Ive got a friend whos going to make me a deeper tranny pan thatll hold more fluid to see if that helps keep it cooler also Im gonna put a guage on it and see what the real temps for the tranny are Ill let you know how that works...After that I might just try driving around without the hood and see if that helps???

pm me if ya want Ill help as much as I can..
Daniel
 
Andy- I smell coolant, and am loosing coolant, but wouldnt a blown head gasket have more problems and be easier to figure out?

I do not believe that the fan can go in backwards, and I checked that specific idea yesterday, just to make sure. I'll check again though.

Daniel- I will be back in Flag this winter, so I think I need the tranny plumbed into the rad anyway, but may change it, and I will also try the different coolant mix...right now it is 50/50 premix stuff.

Also, I believe I have a cracked exhaust manifold as I can hear the fluttering of the engine that gives the crack away. Would this cause an overheating problem? I know it causes bad mileage problems as I have 4.10s and 30s and am getting 10mpg on the highway.

Thanks for the help.

Fergie
 
it'll add to heat soak... fix that and on the next coolant change dump in some baking soda and run it up to full temp, drain, and replace with coolant. the electrolytic action will help to strip any scale out of the block.
 
Well, today I ran the Jeep with the AC on from the moment I started it. THe temps didnt jump at the lights, but did when I parked it, and that is when the fan cut out.

I'm thinking I'll check the HG, replace the manifold, and put in a manual switch for the aux fan.

Fergie
 
You really should be running the 16# cap. The higher the rating the higher the pressure the higher the boiling point of the water. It is real common here in Colorado to have a vehicle boil over when you stop if you run a 13# cap and you can get a slow loss of fluid during running.
 
old_man said:
You really should be running the 16# cap. The higher the rating the higher the pressure the higher the boiling point of the water. It is real common here in Colorado to have a vehicle boil over when you stop if you run a 13# cap and you can get a slow loss of fluid during running.
Excellent call,I missed that before,especially when you figure in "density/alltitude".
 
Cool, I'll switch it out when I get home.

Any more suggestions? If these fixes dont work, I'm gonna replace the WP and t-stat housing with the high $$$ Hesco versions.

Fergie
 
91 Jeep Project said:
Do it!! You took all the cool stuff off, you need to put more back on.............. :laugh3:
Yeah, dont start.

The XJ is actually going to be the trail vehicle now. Oh well, sometimes you gotta sell things to get by...but now we are putting money away! Good times!!

Fergie
 
Okay, so lemme get this straight.

To do a manny switch, I'll splice into the fan connector at the t-stat area, and run it to a relay, then a switch.

30-bat
85-ground
87-fan wire(white)
86-switch

Correct?

Thanks

Fergie
 
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