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Over heating ish....

Demonoid369

Demonoid369

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Salem, OR
97' 4.0l aw4
So for the last week and a half, I've been at 210 and 215 every time I drive. In slow traffic I'm heating till my electric fan turns on and when driving at speeds I'm sitting at 210 it's never gone up higher than that so I'm a little confused since its not a typical "over heat" I've had the thermostat replaced(dealership), pump, and temp sender a little under a year and a half ago. I kept thinking it could be the temp sender but the hoses do feel to be a lot hotter than before. Is the thermostat failing? I can't imagine it failing so soon. Since its my dd I can't just crack open the t-stat housing yet till I know a more positive answer. My moms bf said he's going to bring a infra red gun so I can get a second temp reading but I wanted to get some ideas off you guys as to what could cause my heating ish issues since I was always before staying at a steady 200-205.
 
souske said:
The jeep should be running in the 210 range.

How old is your radiator?
Click to expand...

Really? Its always since owning it has been just below 210 in all driving situations. the only time its hit 210-215 is during summer and slow stop and go traffic?!?
the radiator as far as I can tell is the original.
Have I been driving under tempted then? I can't imagine the fan coming on this many times like it has.
 
Verify your gauge with the ir gun. The gauges at least on the early body style were notoriously inaccurate.

The e fan usually only cycles when it's hot out, under heavy load, it the ac is running. At 17 years old, it's a good possibility that it's time for a new rad. Shoot a few temps across the rad and look for cold spots.
 
it is still well within the normal range, and the change you are noticing is so small i really wouldnt be too concerned. watch it for any more change, but i wouldnt over-think it just yet.
most basic question, have you checked the coolant level?
 
Ya I've checked the level and its good and full.
Here is where it would normally sit before
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And here
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But now driving at 55 on level ground and for several miles it stays at this
equbudur.jpg


And going through a small town and parking in to my moms drive way it's at this
a7avu3aj.jpg

The electric fan was on and everything. And my heater/ac was off.

I know it's not a big over heating but I do want to fix it before it gets worse or at least find out why the sudden higher heat. Waiting on the ir gun to verify the temps
 
So these are the readings from the temp gauge, mind you, I don't really have a clue where to point as the a/c condenser is in front of the radiator
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Also I was able to hit the radiator on the driver side barely as there is a gap where the a/c rad doesn't go and I was reading 90-100 on the radiator
Any thoughts? I was pointing at the t-stat housing thinking it would give me the closes reading to the gauge.
Btw the gauge inside was reading at 210
 
Just a thought for you. The engine oil also helps keep it cool. Have you checked that? Also some times different oil's will make a difference I have noticed.
 
The temperature sender and dashboard gauge are not a measuring device, they are an indicator. They indicate cold, warm, normal, and hot. Indications of about 195-210* is normal.

I agree that the gauge indicates slightly warmer than, but unless it indicates significantly warmer, or shows actual overheating, I wouldn't worry. The fact that your e-fan turns on means shows at least that portion of the system is functioning correctly.

Naturally everyone replies are assuming that ALL of your cooling system components are newer, are functioning correctly, and that your coolant is less that 2-3 years old.

If you have an AW-4 automatic, has that been regularly serviced, or is it generating excessive heat ?

How old is the mechanical fan clutch ?

How old is the radiator cap ?

When was your last coolant flush and fill ?

Has the cooling system received regular routine maintenance over it entire life ?
 
Last edited:
Tim_MN said:
The temperature sender and dashboard gauge are not a measuring device, they are an indicator. They indicate cold, warm, normal, and hot. Indications of about 195-210* is normal.

I agree that the gauge indicates slightly warmer than, but unless it indicates significantly warmer, or shows actual overheating, I wouldn't worry. The fact that your e-fan turns on means shows at least that portion of the system is functioning correctly.

Naturally everyone replies are assuming that ALL of your cooling system components are newer, are functioning correctly, and that your coolant is less that 2-3 years old.

1. If you have an AW-4 automatic, has that been regularly serviced, or is it generating excessive heat ?

2.How old is the mechanical fan clutch ?

3.How old is the radiator cap ?

4. When was your last coolant flush and fill ?

5. Has the cooling system received regular routine maintenance over it entire life ?
Click to expand...

1. I've changed the fluids for the aw4 and the fluid is bright pink, no burning or dirtiness
2. Probably stock but I notice that it doesn't keep spinning when I turn the engine off, which I've read here that the clutch isn't bad yet(keeps spinning when engine is off means it needs replacing)
3. Stock I do believe but I haven't seen any leakage to indicate its failing.
4. Same time as the water pump and t-stat was replaced so a year and a half
5. As far as when I bought it, I think it was looked after pretty well, the fluid was green when I bought it and I flushed it after I got it and there was no brown to it.
 
ruger81 said:
Just a thought for you. The engine oil also helps keep it cool. Have you checked that? Also some times different oil's will make a difference I have noticed.
Click to expand...

I did switch to the half and half rotella 10w stuff, think that could cause the heat to raise?
 
Fan clutches are inexpensive, and "testing" them is both subjective and inconclusive.

Radiator caps are inexpensive, and easy to replace. Just don't buy an el-cheap cap. They do get weak before they fail. I replace mine every other coolant change, or about every 4-5 years.


Oil has no effect on the engine temps, unless you have none at all.
 
winterbeater said:
You're not overheating unless you're boiling coolant.
Click to expand...

Lol I know I'm not in the sense over heating like other threads I've seen but I'm very very observant of my jeep and how it functions and small changes concern me because they don't tend to lead to something good lol especially on a jeep lol so when I noticed I'm running a little bit higher than I do, it makes me concern that it might get worse since this is my dd and I want this engine to see the next ten years with little amount of damage to it(heat/hydro lock/water in oil/etc..) so I figure if I can stop it now or figure it out, it'll save me later in life. Ill do the radiator ca and see, then do the clutch.
 
Demonoid369 said:
Lol I know I'm not in the sense over heating like other threads I've seen but I'm very very observant of my jeep and how it functions and small changes concern me because they don't tend to lead to something good lol especially on a jeep lol so when I noticed I'm running a little bit higher than I do, it makes me concern that it might get worse since this is my dd and I want this engine to see the next ten years with little amount of damage to it(heat/hydro lock/water in oil/etc..) so I figure if I can stop it now or figure it out, it'll save me later in life. Ill do the radiator ca and see, then do the clutch.
Click to expand...

Excellent plan.
 
I know that my renix heep gauge is a min of 10 degrees over what the actual temp is. Probably about 12 over, IIRC from using a gun, and having my DBO 3fan setup with the fan controller.
 
The boiling point of coolant is increased by pressurizing the cooling system. Steam that is allowed to form by a faulty radiator cap, stalls the flow of coolant in the engine block, which reduces the effectiveness of the cooling system. This also leads to the production of more steam in newly created hot spots, starting a vicious cycle.

Beside, radiator caps are inexpensive, and replacement of them is part of your routine maintenance.
 
Last edited:
Well I replaced my radiator cap today, noticed that I'm in the 210 still but the e-fan isn't coming on as many times so I'm assuming it helped a little. The one I had was some FO made in Mexico 13lb cap?!?!
Is it wrong to assume that because a simple cap helped a little would mean my coolant flow is doing alright still? I checked out prices for a T-stat too and the guy said its possible it could be sticking causing the slight heat problem. Their t-stat(autozone) only has a 1year warranty which would be understandable but when I replaced mine 1 and a half years ago I got a dealership mopar one(before motorad) and their is guaranteed 100,000 miles?
Is it possible mine is failing prematurely?
 
16lbs is the correct cap for a later XJ.

Cheap parts are cheap for a reason. Buy a good thermostat, or buy a genuine Jeep thermostat. I don't buy any Jeep parts at IdiotZone.
 
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