Ah yes, winter in Ohio. The wind chill is 15 degrees F and my XJ seems to have some issues surfacing...
2000 XJ Sport 4.0L 165k miles, all stock.
A couple weeks ago, the engine was running a bit hot, and I found that coolant was running low. My fault, of course, so I mixed some antifreeze and filled up the overflow bottle. Worked like a charm for about a week, and then started running hot again. I decided the mixture might have been a bit too rich and added some more distilled water to the overflow and bingo, good to go again. Of course it was getting colder, and as I turned on my heater, the air was tepid at best. Occasionally, it would get pretty hot and heat the cabin as expected, but it's still kind of hit or miss.
So, at this point, I'm thinking that the heater core is full of crud and needs flushed and/or replaced. The heat has been working well enough to take the chill out of the air, so it wasn't a major concern until about after xmas when things would be generally less hectic.
Today at lunch, I'm idling in a parking lot enjoying some hot soup and the engine starts to get a little on the hot side...not much over 210, but slightly higher than normal. I start to pull out (done with my soup) and get to a stop sign when it starts idling rough. It usually idles around the .75RPM range, but it was dipping halfway below one when it was starting to shudder a bit. Gave it some gas and it was fine, but as soon as went back to idling, it would get rough again. The engine never actually killed itself, but I didn't have much time to inspect since I needed to get back to work fast (about half a mile away).
As I pull into the parking lot at work, it is still idling rough, and I notice it smells hot. I get out and see that the overflow bottle is full and spitting out on the ground below, and the engine has a tiny bit of smoke coming off the top (maybe just from the extreme cold?).
So, thoughts? I first was thinking maybe it was finally time to replace the radiator. It's been recommended to replace it before, but until it stopped doing its job, I didn't see a good reason to do it. After reading some of the forums, I'm leaning towards a new water pump and thermostat. I also read a post mentioning a leaking head gasket...greeaaaaat.
Fair warning, I'm a bit of a noob, but I am certainly not afraid to get my hands dirty. I've replaced my own a/c compressor (couple times), wheel bearings, and a few other fun parts!
Thanks in advance.
2000 XJ Sport 4.0L 165k miles, all stock.
A couple weeks ago, the engine was running a bit hot, and I found that coolant was running low. My fault, of course, so I mixed some antifreeze and filled up the overflow bottle. Worked like a charm for about a week, and then started running hot again. I decided the mixture might have been a bit too rich and added some more distilled water to the overflow and bingo, good to go again. Of course it was getting colder, and as I turned on my heater, the air was tepid at best. Occasionally, it would get pretty hot and heat the cabin as expected, but it's still kind of hit or miss.
So, at this point, I'm thinking that the heater core is full of crud and needs flushed and/or replaced. The heat has been working well enough to take the chill out of the air, so it wasn't a major concern until about after xmas when things would be generally less hectic.
Today at lunch, I'm idling in a parking lot enjoying some hot soup and the engine starts to get a little on the hot side...not much over 210, but slightly higher than normal. I start to pull out (done with my soup) and get to a stop sign when it starts idling rough. It usually idles around the .75RPM range, but it was dipping halfway below one when it was starting to shudder a bit. Gave it some gas and it was fine, but as soon as went back to idling, it would get rough again. The engine never actually killed itself, but I didn't have much time to inspect since I needed to get back to work fast (about half a mile away).
As I pull into the parking lot at work, it is still idling rough, and I notice it smells hot. I get out and see that the overflow bottle is full and spitting out on the ground below, and the engine has a tiny bit of smoke coming off the top (maybe just from the extreme cold?).
So, thoughts? I first was thinking maybe it was finally time to replace the radiator. It's been recommended to replace it before, but until it stopped doing its job, I didn't see a good reason to do it. After reading some of the forums, I'm leaning towards a new water pump and thermostat. I also read a post mentioning a leaking head gasket...greeaaaaat.
Fair warning, I'm a bit of a noob, but I am certainly not afraid to get my hands dirty. I've replaced my own a/c compressor (couple times), wheel bearings, and a few other fun parts!
Thanks in advance.
