Pop goes the radiator

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:23 pm

So last week it was the A/C compressor unit & the tensioner pulley assy....

Sat night I'm cruising home from work and the A/C stops blowing cold & engine temp starts to skyrocket.
I immed pull off the highway and pop the hood. Fluid in the overflow container is boiling nicely but the cap didn't pop off yet.
Lucky I got it off the highway so quick, I didn't max out the temp gauge.

So I'm looking around and I see some wet stuff, not alot, just like heavy condensation (I had the A/C on high) & I figure the A/C unit was the problem. Upon further investigation I discover a little pin hole in the upper right side (when looking under the hood) radiator, just under the cross bar near the top and see the fluid dribbling out. :cry:

"*&^%$ !@#$% %^&@#&!!" Of course, now I remember all the complaints about the radiator cracking there.

Anyway, let it cool, add a gallon of water, drive it home (3 miles) with the heat cranked to max (it was also like 86 deg out!) - didn't over heat on the way home (I guess the water helped!).
Got the radiator (part was $200) and coolant replaced the next day. Of course, they sent the wrong one first (I have the Renegade). It was missing some bracketry for some other unit on the front to mount to.
Hopefully I get another 136K out of this one!

So in less than a month I've replaced just about all external components under the hood! :roll:

Jeep Dawg · **Posted:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:23 pm

Cacher123 wrote:

So last week it was the A/C compressor unit & the tensioner pulley assy....

Sat night I'm cruising home from work and the A/C stops blowing cold & engine temp starts to skyrocket.
I immed pull off the highway and pop the hood. Fluid in the overflow container is boiling nicely but the cap didn't pop off yet.
Lucky I got it off the highway so quick, I didn't max out the temp gauge.

So I'm looking around and I see some wet stuff, not alot, just like heavy condensation (I had the A/C on high) & I figure the A/C unit was the problem. Upon further investigation I discover a little pin hole in the upper right side (when looking under the hood) radiator, just under the cross bar near the top and see the fluid dribbling out. :cry:

"*&^%$ !@#$% %^&@#&!!" Of course, now I remember all the complaints about the radiator cracking there.

Anyway, let it cool, add a gallon of water, drive it home (3 miles) with the heat cranked to max (it was also like 86 deg out!) - didn't over heat on the way home (I guess the water helped!).
Got the radiator (part was $200) and coolant replaced the next day. Of course, they sent the wrong one first (I have the Renegade). It was missing some bracketry for some other unit on the front to mount to.
Hopefully I get another 136K out of this one!

So in less than a month I've replaced just about all external components under the hood! :roll:

Chris,
I WILL TAKE THAT PROBLEM ANY DAY!!!!!

You should see the problems I have been dealing with. But my case, everything I do, does not work and each part getting more expensive than the next...

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:14 am

Put me down for a cracked radiator end cap.

7 years of service and only 80 thousand miles and the raditor has developed a hairline crack in the endcap that spew's out coolant.

Anyone swapped a radiator with the Mechanical fan yet?

Guest · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:49 pm

Not on a KJ, but it's really not that hard.

DryBones · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:38 pm

add my wifes 02 to the list with a seam separation at the top drivers side. Just barely leaking right now but the kid was taking it to school next week so off to the mechanic it went. $569 later It should be good to go. BTW, I think this radiator was replaced about a year ago after the kid hit a deer and had the front end redone. noticed this one was a nice silvery color and the old one was black. Are the replacements made out of different material and of those here that are leaking in that spot, what color are they? Also going to check to see if the accident repair work has some sort of warranty on the parts to get them to cover the replacement costs.

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

A leak in the top corner on the driver's side is extremely common. My original only lasted a little over 3 years. My mechanic put a 3 core aluminum radiator in it's place.

corwyyn · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:49 pm

KY Liberty wrote:

A leak in the top corner on the driver's side is extremely common. My original only lasted a little over 3 years. My mechanic put a 3 core aluminum radiator in it's place.

Got a model number or any other info on that? Everything I had read seemed to indicate there weren't any decent metal units that would fit but you know what they say about stuff you read on the 'net...

Mine has been showing signs of going out so a replacement will be in order shortly (read: as soon as I get my gubmint money in my hands

).

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

Sorry, I have no idea where he got it. I just remember that he said it was a pain to get it to fit. If I had known that it was something very hard to find I would have gotten the info from him, but that was about 5 years ago.

Pop goes the radiator

Who is online