Cracked Radiator

Average Joseph · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:57 pm

I noticed steam coming out of the front of my hood while on the highway today, looked at my temp. gague and it was all the way in the red. Pulled over, popped the hood and there was a clumn of steam and fluid all over the inside. Hoped to find a blown hose or something but came to find out the leak was from a small crack in the radiator itself... Front right corner at the top right below where the hose connects. At least I got to sit in a parking lot for an hour and a half and wait for a tow. Much better than making money at work!

Not sure if it's worth fixing or if I should just get a whole new unit. Some advice would be great.

P.S. Has this ever happen to anyone else?

raceinfan · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:02 pm

I would suggest a whole new radiator,if you fix the crack who's to say it won't open again later on & a radiator shouldn't be to bad in price I'd think & it would be free of all debris & such compared to what might've been in the old one

detroit_doc · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:09 pm

Average Joseph wrote:

P.S. Has this ever happen to anyone else?

I think it's pretty common. Maybe we need to push for a radiator recall too.

Is that an '04?

www.newmoparparts.com has '04 manual trans radiators for $177 and auto trans radiators for $259.

saxdogg · **Joined:** Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:26 pm **Posts:** 199

there seems to be a lot of recent threads about this very spot cracking...driver's side, right? do a search...I know there's at least 3...I wonder if it has to do with the frame flexing while wheeling...seems to only happen to those guys who off-road more often...could be a bad observation on my part tho...

Average Joseph · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:51 pm

It's an '03. My buddy works at a Dodge dealership and is going to hook me up with one (auto trans) for around $200. Won't break the bank but it'll put off my next purchase for a while :cry:

Haven't really been off road since moving back to D.C. in July. I have been doing my fair share of parking lot doughnuts in the rain though...

P.S. Good luck with the recall. If it works I want a refund!!!

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:16 am

First I have heard of it.

FLJeep · **Joined:** Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:27 am **Posts:** 84

Eventhough my rad is cracked permenatly, yes this has happened to many people, including me. The driver side top corner seems to get a crack in it. Don't worry about repairing it, just get it replaced.

I have thought that this should have gained a recall as well.

Wahoo650 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:42 am

Those of you that have already experienced this failure, do the rest of us a favor. Go to the NHTSB site and file a complaint. That's about the only way it will get any attention. Just like the LBJs.

FastTRX · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:21 am

Happened to me about 3 weeks ago...I even posted a thread about it. My KJ has 81K on it and the radiator just cracked. Dont think there was much I could do to prevent it...the KJ radiator has plastic sides and they crack most likely caused by the weather. Fix costed about $360 parts + labor when all said and done. Sorry to hear of you're bad luck too!

FastTRX · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:24 am

saxdogg wrote:

there seems to be a lot of recent threads about this very spot cracking...driver's side, right? do a search...I know there's at least 3...I wonder if it has to do with the frame flexing while wheeling...seems to only happen to those guys who off-road more often...could be a bad observation on my part tho...

You could be right...and I first thought this too...but I'm the 2nd owner of my KJ and it WASNT wheeled before I owned it. I have wheeled it very little and the flex that my KJ has seen isn't anymore than what anyone else experiences. I think that they just go out after time...mine was patched once before. I don't know if it would be worth the time to file a complaint like the LBJs.

FLJeep · **Joined:** Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:27 am **Posts:** 84

It seems like most of the cracks occur on older kj's that are up in the miles.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:06 pm

The crack is probably a cause of several small issues:

Thermal expansion of different materials (plastic tanks / aluminum core) as the engine heats up / cools down
The radiator fluid heat and pressure
Vibrations from road variations / engine harmonics
etc...
All add up to the repeated failure of the radiator.

I think this is the only vehicle I have seen multiple reports of a failure in the same spot (with plastic tanks.) But I agree that everyone should report it to the NHTSB if you have experienced a failure. I haven't yet on mine but worry about it every day now. :cry:

saxdogg · **Joined:** Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:26 pm **Posts:** 199

I doubt we'll ever see a recall on that...perhaps a TSB though...is there one?

You know...is there a site with all the Jepp TSB's? I've found one for about every other car Ive ever owned...just haven't been told about a Jeep one yet. (I mean one that shows the actual doc., not the summary)

Gramps · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:05 pm

I had the same thing on the radiator of my 92 YJ, split 12 miles after the warranty ran out. 2nd radiator lasted 11 months (so DC covered it), same with radiator #3. Number 4 lasted 15 months, so I had to pay. By that time, an all-metal aftermarket unit was finally available. That lasted till I sold the 11 yo vehicle with well over a quarter million miles on the clock.

You have no idea how ecstatic I was to see the composite radiator still coming as original equipment in Jeeps....

GilaMonster · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:42 pm

If you can afford it, and assuming one is available, then get a solid aluminum radiator. On my previous bmw, I replaced with one and the engine temps were cooler and it was a much more robust radiator for longevity.

Plastic sided radiators are crap.

detroit_doc · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:55 pm

Does someone make an all aluminum drop-in replacement for the KJ?

Jeger · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:05 pm

detroit_doc wrote:

Does someone make an all aluminum drop-in replacement for the KJ?

Any good custom radiator shop "should" be able to make one if someone doesnt already. I suppose it could be pricey though?

FastTRX · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:18 pm

detroit_doc wrote:

Does someone make an all aluminum drop-in replacement for the KJ?

This would be really nice...there has to be an aftermarket aluminum KJ radiator out there somewhere. I threw a new stocker in mine after mine cracked and I never really researched an aftermarket one.

Average Joseph · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:12 pm

Yeah, already replaced mine with stock too. When something like that goes, you don't have much time to sit around and search the internet for aftermarket parts. All said and done I lost about $400 on the deal (towing, parts & labor).

Wahoo650 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 01, 2006 7:54 am

Does any one have pics of where their's failed (or still have the old one to take pics). I've already inspected mine, but it would be great if we all could see exactly what to watch for.

I also would still highly recommend taking the 5 minutes out of a day to file a complaint on line with the NHTSA. It may not make a difference, but we will never know unless we try.

Cracked Radiator

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