The Mud Pit > Wrenching

XJ was Overheating

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kirksjeep:
It all started last week before I left for my trip.  I noticed the radiator cap was leaking a little and was leaving some white residue on the air box.  Last Wednesday I was driving home and noticed a very strong coolant smell.  I pulled over and the radiator cap was off and sitting in the fender well.  Coolant was all over the engine bay.  I put the cap back on, drove a little further until I could get to a store and buy some water to get me home.  After I filled the Jeep up with water, I started driving again and just before I turned into my driveway the cap let loose again and I just parked it.  That night I went out and bought a new radiator cap and filled the radiator back up. 

Today I was driving to work and about 20 minutes into my drive the temp gage starts going up.  I pulled into Dunkin Donuts to get a coffee and as soon as I shut the engine off, the cap released a bunch of stream (but it stayed on).  I limped it to work and shut it off at the first parking lot after the gate and walked to work.  Later I went and bought some more water, filled it up and drove it home on the back roads, it was fine, never over heated, the temp gage stayed right at 210.   

The only things I could think of was a bad thermostat or an air bubble.  I pulled the thermostat and it looked ok.  I replaced it anyway and took extra care to burp the system.  When I was done I let it idle for 20 minutes, and even took it for a few mile drive with the AC on.  The temp with the AC on was just a little below 210.  Hopefully, the problem is fixed. 

BlacXJeep:
When I first bought mine something simmilar happened. I overheated on my way home from RI. So I put water in just like you did, but then it never did it again. I think it had something to do with the jeep sitting for so long before I got it. Did your XJ sit?

calvynandhobbs:
It could be that the sensor for the electric fan is not functioning properly. Cherokees have a mechanical fan that runs all the time as well as an electric fan that only comes on when it gets to a certain temperature. I had to hard wire mine with a switch on the dash because mine wouldn't come on at all. It never affected it while driving, but in stop and go traffic it would overheat.

PaulW:
check the radiator itself.  when i bought my 1991 xj it had 210k on the clock.  it would overheat on the highway, and blow the cap off.  in traffic it was fine when the fans were coming on.  it turned out to be that the radiator had rotted out.  the fins between the cores were non-existent.the individual rows were there but due to the non existent fins, the truck would over heat on the highway.  as soon as the fans cam on then it was all good.

kirksjeep:

--- Quote from: BlacXJeep on July 30, 2009, 10:05:12 PM --- Did your XJ sit?

--- End quote ---

From what I could tell about the Jeep from the titile, it was driven about 600 miles between last December and when I bought it in June, so it probabaly sat some.  The strang thing is that I have been driving it for a while and it just happened.

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