Using old-style closed rad with open system

Hi...I've tried searching but not found the answer to this one:

I have a 95 xj with front-end damage I'm repairing using a 88 xj for a parts donor. The 95 rad, open system with the cap and resivoir line is pooched so I'd like to use the older 88 closed system rad.
The idea I had was to cut off the piece that protrudes and has the filler cap off of the 95 rad. Then I plan to add a "T" on the passenger side/upper rad hose and link in the filler cap piece to the existing upper hose.
Do the old and new systems have similar pressure etc? is this a crazy idea?
Does anyone care to offer an opinion?

thanx

i thought of this before
the idea i came up with was go buy a upper rad hose for a 2000 durango with a 4.7. it has a plactic tee in it that has the rad cap on it
bleeding it might be fun but it think it will work
btw i didnt do it cause i was given a new open style rad for free

hope this helps

justin

Before I would go that route I believe I would search for one that is made for you xj. You can buy a new one fairly cheap as well. I understand that you don't want to spend a lot. But over time you might spend just as much to make that one work correctly.

I did exactly as you are describing as I had a custom made 3 core rad for my closed system that I didn't want to scrap when I changed to the open style system. I just cut my upper rad hose and put a cap inline with it. I removed all coolant resevoir and put an overflow bottle in it's place. It has worked perfectly for 4 years now. To help with filling it's best to have the cap located as high as possible so as you fill all the air escapes easily. When I fill mine it has yet to require any sort of top up after which shows me there is very little air getting trapped in the system.

caglezxj said:

Before I would go that route I believe I would search for one that is made for you xj. You can buy a new one fairly cheap as well. I understand that you don't want to spend a lot. But over time you might spend just as much to make that one work correctly.

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Dealership rad $500 CDN
Used factory rad $150
new aftermkt rad $200

Before I would go this route, I'd like to fully explore using the *free* one I already have!!:greensmok

BTW I'm talking about spending NOTHING to make this work if you read my post. It will either work or it won't and all I'm risking is my time and the crushed rad I'm going to cut up.

Bender-Thanks, exactly what I hoped to hear! Sounds like it'll work...or at least worth a try....

a new open system radiator is $120 from advance auto

radiatorbarn.com has great pricing on CSF all-metal radiators. $130 shipped for a 2-row, or $173 shipped for a 3-row. That 88 donor is likely cruded up by now and not worth trying to adapt. Tranny cooler connections might be different as well. The closed system ran 6-psi versus the open system at 16-psi.

Well he is looking at spending no money, and it is worth his time to try. It might work, it might not! However when I do work to my trail rig I like to know it is good, and done with. Do it right the first time and you won't be doing it again.

lawsoncl said:

radiatorbarn.com has great pricing on CSF all-metal radiators. $130 shipped for a 2-row, or $173 shipped for a 3-row. That 88 donor is likely cruded up by now and not worth trying to adapt. Tranny cooler connections might be different as well. The closed system ran 6-psi versus the open system at 16-psi.

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I disagree with the pressure difference you quoted = 6psi and 16psi, I believe they are both the same pressure ( closer to 15psi) and the tranny connections are the same on both systems.


If you can tig weld you can weld the new 95 neck on the old 88 radiator in the same spot. thats the only difference between the two radiators.

onetallmj said:

I disagree with the pressure difference you quoted = 6psi and 16psi, I believe they are both the same pressure ( closer to 15psi) and the tranny connections are the same on both systems.


If you can tig weld you can weld the new 95 neck on the old 88 radiator in the same spot. thats the only difference between the two radiators.

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The last cap I bought for a closed setup was marked 6-psi. The 95 FSM actually calls for a 13-18 psi cap and I believe the oem cap is a 16-psi.

Brazing would probably work better than welding :}. I believe Moroso makes a radiator cap fitting that splice inline with the upper radiator hose. I still think a 1988 radiator is likely to be pretty cruded up and not worth the effort to cobble together a half-arse solution.

Closed was 6 psi.

Open is 16 psi.

The 1988 radiator is, like mentioned a few times, not worth using. Even if it isn't crudded up, it's bound to leak sometime, being nearly 19 years old.

Blaine B. said:

The 1988 radiator is, like mentioned a few times, not worth using. Even if it isn't crudded up, it's bound to leak sometime, being nearly 19 years old.

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You assume it's 19 years old.....it could be brand new. I have a 3 year old radiator in my 1990 rig.

Another option....get a pressure bottle with a standard radiator cap from a Chrysler LH car (Intrepid/Concorde/Vision) and the heater valve and essentially make it back into a semi-closed system. Then you just run regular closed system radiator hoses and have the pressure bottle work off of the heater hoses. This should be very cheap at a wrecking yard.

The cleanest and simplest idea is still the inline radiator cap tee in the upper hose.

Nothing wrong with being cheap if you do it right.

Guys.....The "old" rad is actually brand new...a legacy of the previous owner! Anyways it's done now and seems to work fine so far. Basically, I just cut the filler neck off of the 95 rad, installed the 88 rad, cut the upper hose and hose clamped in a copper T ($3 @ home de pot) which allowed me to put the filler neck on the T right by the overflow bottle.

When I need to spend $$ I do but this is project cheap jeep: The 88 and the 95 cost $100/each at auction!! (the 95 is crashed and the 88 is clapped out), but I'm almost done repairing the 95 using the 88. Total investment to date: $300!! And This jeep actually looks good! The 95 is an insurance write-off and local regs specify a fairly stringent re-registration inspection, but I am confident it will pass (soon). BTW Tig welding and braising generally not advised on PLASTIC!!! Thanks Guys for all the input, I will post my results here after I've had a chance to make it work hard and let you know if the mods and rad can handle the pressure....I'm optimistic!!

One further thing for you: When judging a rad I would suggest NOT going by age....I recently turned down a used factory rad at a wreckers out of a 96 because it was kinda green. The next day, my friend and I pulled a rad at a junkyard for his 86 nissan multi...20 years old, definately the factory one, and looks and works great. Many factors aside from age such as overheating, environment, and much more (I'm sure) Seem to have a profound effect on rads....if it's green or flakes apart when you touch it it's CRRRAAAP, I don't care how old it is....and if it's not green/soft, and does not show signs of leaks it can generally serve for years.

Also the 88 is auto and the 95 is standard so the tranny lines are not an issue. I'll tell ya tho when I started up the 88 to pull it out of the garage with no rad an awfull lot of atf shoots out of those lines!!! perhaps I should have connected them together!! The tranny fitting do appear the same though!!

:eeks1: :woohoo: :eeks1:

Update....have been running this setup on trails, road, winter summer for aprx 1 yr. now! works great, no problems! It is a bit annoying to fill though.