Dealership discontinued parts for Renix XJs???

I was at the stealership this afternoon to pick up a lower radiator hose for an '89 XJ.

They told me it was recently discontinued?

Makes sense - dealers are only required to carry parts for 10 years after the last model is sold (as I recall.) That means that the last RENIX part would be "technically" available from OEM until 2000 - unless it happened to fit something else.

Go aftermarket. Get Gates or Goodyear - apparently, the OEMs all use Dayco anyhow (Dayco, in case you were wondering, sucks. Dayco also makes belts and hoses for Checker/Schuck/Kragen automotive, and the return rate on them was appalling when I worked there...)

Did the factory hose use a spring inside? The reason I ask, when I replaced my hoses, it did not have a spring, and I remember reading somewhere that if it did not have a spring it would squeeze up on the highway and restrict water flow. Mine seems fine, but it has been in the back of my mind.

Thanks,
Bob

1990 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 with a Auto.

I think it did (it would have been known as a "support coil" - also often seen in suction lines for fluid power,) but as long as you keep your hoses fairly new, it presents less of a problem than you'd think.

Also, those support coils can be re-used once or twice - when I change out hoses, if the new hose has a coil in it, I'll remove the old one, clean it up, and tag it as a spare. Comes in handy...

If you just aren't comfortable without the thing in place, you can check around fluid power suppliers - they usually carry them in "suction sizes" (1-1/2" and up,) and theirs are wound from CRES flat stock, so they'll hold up better anyhow. Buy a length - then cut, deburr, and wind into the hose.

Mine has the spring well untill I replaced it.

I recently tried to get a MAT sensor for my 90' and it was discontinued. I was able to use one from the 91-95 era and splice it in. The AC compressor bracket(has the clutch fan shaft and bearings in it) has also been discontinued but my dealer found some old stock in the midwest.

As for the hoses I've been using Gates and do not use the spring and have had no problems.

These things are going to happen we are just lucky that the junk yards still have plenty of 87-90 XJ's in them.

That's OK - the aftermarket still carries lots of parts, and most of the RENIX sensors (save the TPS, CPS, and SYNC) are GM OBD-I parts anyhow.

So, a 1-bar MAP sensor that will work with GM will work with RENIX. An IAT that works for early GM will work with RENIX, ditto the CTS. The IAC is also a GM part.

That expands our options considerably...

NAPA carries the inner springs in a couple different sizes. You can add it to your unsprung hose if you want.