No electric fan, no water pumping, radiator clogged???

Hello, I'm an idiot/non-mechanic, but here is the vehicle: 89 4.0L Straight 6 XJ Cherokee (close cooling system), 150k miles, and here are the symptoms:

Radiator leaking moderately at the top, passenger side.

Holding the pumps, they get hot but cannot feel any liquid inside moving.

With AC on, the electric fan is not working.

Engine overheating after 5-10min of running/idling.


It is Overheating...If I fiddle with the the blower (selecting between defrost, heat, and vent settings) I can manage to keep the temp between 220-235, but after ten minutes of driving/idling I have to turn it off because it gets to the red, approaching 260. The fan clutch feels fine (not loose, and can't hand-spin it more than one rotation). The only leak seems to be coming from within the radiator. I also see some on the lower radiator hose at the bottom, but probably just dripping down.

History
Springtime one year ago I had a professional, thorough radiator flush and a new thermostat installed for $300. Lots of nasty, rusty guck came out. Later in the summer 2010 a freeze plug blew and it was replaced.

my suspicions

- there is a clog at the top of the radiator...?
- there might be air bubbles...?
- water pump has died
- plastic resevoir cap is cracked, leaking air

Please help - and suggest something other than a head gasket, freeze plud or similarly bad bad news...Should I pressure test or exhaust gas test? Repalce the whole system to an open cooling system? Will that cost less than $500??? I live in Alaska, and I'm not mechanically inclined but can't afford the rates here in Fairbanks.

the 89 uses a closed pressurized cooling system, if it's leaking it won't build the pressure it needs to cool the engine properly. feel the radiator when the engine is hot, if you feel a spot anywhere that's cooler than the rest of the radiator there is a clog there.

It may also be that the thermostat has gotten clogged with junk and is stuck closed. you can remove and replace it with simple hand tools, I would replace the thermostat, the radiator, and if the hoses are soft and bulging at all replace them as well as now would be the easiest time to do it. Usually the waterpump will leak if it has failed, but if the vanes on the back of it are clogged up with junk it won't pump well either. It's not much more work once the radiator is out to replace the pump as well.

All of this can be accomplished in an afternoon with nothing more than a socket set and a 13mm open ended wrench.

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