how cold is to cold

[morgan320i]

so when i bought my jeep 89 xj 4.0 the previous owner had the stock fan/clutch taken off to fit the thick aluminum rad he put in , and put in 1 e fan, and it was very insuficiant at cooling, i added a second crappy e fan, and it would run at like 200 while driving and go to 210 at long idle periods and slow driving, i felt uncomfortable with this, so i orderd 2 more fans to replace, so now i am runing one of the original and the 2 new fans i ordered, which combined are 2500 more cfm then i was runing before, but now i am at 180 190 degrees no mater what i do, i let it idle for like 20 minutes also,
is this 2 low?

 

[87manche]

it's fine. The thermostat is what keeps the motor warm, it fully opens @ 195.

keep in mind that the gauge is driven from a sender in the back of the head, so it often does not give a truly accurate reading of what's happening at the thermostat housing.
that and the factory gauge sucks.

If you really want to be sure, get an HO year (91) thermostat housing, it will have a hole for a temp sender. You can install an aftermarket gauge very easily in it, standard NPT thread.

 

[Planetcat]

I think it's fine, but really is designed to run optimally at 195*. You can always obstruct the radiator a bit with cardboard or similar to get the temps up a bit. Common method in areas with extremely cold winters and very hot summers.

 

[Talyn]

it would run at like 200 while driving and go to 210 at long idle periods and slow driving,

That is normal and where you want it.

 

[morgan320i]

It would have overheated on hard offroad

 

[Talyn]

Put a correct temp t-stat (195*) in and put the fans on a thermostatic control. You want it to run 200-210*. A little higher under a heavy load won't hurt.

 

[87manche]

it's fine. The thermostat is what keeps the motor warm, it fully opens @ 195.

keep in mind that the gauge is driven from a sender in the back of the head, so it often does not give a truly accurate reading of what's happening at the thermostat housing.
that and the factory gauge sucks.

If you really want to be sure, get an HO year (91) thermostat housing, it will have a hole for a temp sender. You can install an aftermarket gauge very easily in it, standard NPT thread.

I would like to reiterate this.

Stock renix gauges are not accurate, and you can have 5X the cooling needed, but a properly working thermostat will restrict flow and keep the motor at the proper operating temperature. Check that your gauge is accurate. Keep a good working thermostat in it and call it good.

 

[morgan320i]

I thought the same, i have a feeling he removed it cause he was having cooling issues

 

[ktwalker01]

Basically you want your engine running at the needed 210F +/- at that temp XXw-30 oil is at the right thickness to run properly. Too cold and too hot are never good, unless compensated for.

 

[Ecomike]

Basically you want your engine running at the needed 210F +/- at that temp XXw-30 oil is at the right thickness to run properly. Too cold and too hot are never good, unless compensated for.

That may be true for the OBD-II and newer jeeps, but the Renix models run just fine with a 180 T-stat. 192 F is the OEM for the Renix. I run the alternate 180 F t-stat in all my Renix jeeps.

 

[morgan320i]

So many dif answers, imma replace the tstat and call it good i might run an aftermarket temp guage just cause

 

[Ecomike]

So many dif answers, imma replace the tstat and call it good i might run an aftermarket temp guage just cause

Lots of reports of bad aftermarket T-Stats. Most here suggest using the dealer T-stat only!!!

My last one was a Mallory from O'Reilys, which is (or was made in Isreal, NOT CHINA!!!!). It is working fine.

 

[morgan320i]

So the 91 housing is bolt on?

 

[Talyn]

What?

 

[87manche]

So the 91 housing is bolt on?

yes. It will have a NPT hole in it, fits most standard temp senders. I have one on my junk because it was the only one available at the parts store and mine was cracked. I simply plugged the hole with a brass pipe plug and went on my way.