Advice on Radiator Replacement Brand

[3Cherokees]

Hello All, first time poster:
2001, the nipple for the line to the expansion tank from the radiator has deteriorated into oblivion. It is just GONE. (68K original pampered miles). Auto Zone, Advanced, Napa, Oreilly are my local choices, and it appears all of China origin. Murray Brand used to be made in Israel, but now China. Any experience on which brand to choose or which not to? Have a feeling they are all the same manufacturer and just rebranded per store. On my 90 we chose the most expensive full metal over $450 I think. Everything is heavy duty beautiful, except the weld joints. Leaks like a sieve. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch!

 

[JonnyCat63]

I've used many radiators on my Cherokees, with mixed results. Here are some of my findings:

1. Spectra Premium on my son's 99 stock daily driver, from AutoZone. Honestly, works great and was inexpensive.

2. American Eagle 2 row from Champion Radiators on my 97. One of the best radiators I had. Sprung a leak and they don't make that one any longer.
Replaced it with a Cold Case radiator. That one is adequate, but not as good as the American Eagle.

3. CFS 2 row on my 95. Completely sucked. Had one custom made from Bryce Thomas Radiators. Just adequate, still fighting heat soak, but I manage it. Mostly a trail rig with fan bypass switch, so it works, just not as well as I hoped. Running the e-fan keeps it cool.

4. Factory Mopar radiator on my 99. Not sure if it was the HD one, or if it was real. Could have been a knockoff. That one worked okay, but wouldn't cut it when towing my little teardrop trailer. Could have been exacerbated by my heater core. Core may have clogging the radiator with gunk.

Replaced that one with with the new Champion BC1193. Pricey, but worth it. It works great and keeps things fairly in check. Sometimes have to run the e-fan, but so far so good. Haven't had it that long, but encouraged by the results so far.

I understand that other factors can come in to play with overheating issues. Honestly, I think I've read every single thread on the Web about Cherokee cooling problems. No one seems to have a definitive answer as to why these things are so prone to cooling issues. I think most people throw parts at them, and the results seem to be mixed, at best. I think most just manage the issues in some fashion or another. So far, there has never been anyone that I have found that has said, XYZ is the problem. I've found the e-fan bypass switch to help out the most in my situation.

In conclusion, for a daily driver, the Spectra Premium is a good choice. For a trial rig with bigger tires, etc, the Champion BC1193 might be the best bet, IMO.

Hope this helps, YMMV.

 

[Anak]

This thread probably has more information than you want:

https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1150722

The last half of that thread will probably be the most useful for you.

The Mopar HD was the radiator to get, but it is no longer available.

My next try was the Cold Case. I am not particularly impressed.

Currently running the Champion BC1193. No complaints, but it has yet to see a summer or any other form of hard use. I have good hopes for it though. It seems well made.

Note that with the Cold Case and the Champion there is a need to make up for 1/4" of height. If you read through the above linked thread you will see how I dealt with that issue.

 

[XJlimitedx99]

Spectra from Autozone won't do you wrong. Can't beat it for the price. The fancy aluminum ones have too many quality control issues, unless you can pony up for a Griffin.

 

[Unclewolverine]

Running a spectra in my mail rig now. 2 welded aluminum radiators in a row went to crap in 2 years. The thinner spectra seems to be cooling better.

 

[XJI6191]

Help me understand the significance/importance/relevance of going to Autozone for a Spectra rad.

 

[xcm]

Help me understand the significance/importance/relevance of going to Autozone for a Spectra rad.

There’s no significance. Get a radiator that doesn’t leak. If you are racing, or the jeep lives in Death Valley, you have special needs. Everyone else is just trying to be fancy for no reason.

 

[XJI6191]

That's my thinking, which is why I get mine on FleaBay, saving 1/3 of the cost of having the old one repaired but, obviously wasn't making myself clear. Several people said Spectra, OK, reputable brand,etc, etc, so far, so good - but why specify getting it from Autozone?

 

[xcm]

Because there are a million and a half autozones in the US.

 

[JonnyCat63]

That's my thinking, which is why I get mine on FleaBay, saving 1/3 of the cost of having the old one repaired but, obviously wasn't making myself clear. Several people said Spectra, OK, reputable brand,etc, etc, so far, so good - but why specify getting it from Autozone?

If you get it from Autozone, they probably have it in stock, or at least close by. If you have to warranty it, you can do it anywhere nationwide. It is in stock at my local Autozone here in San Diego.

But it is substantially cheaper on Amazon, and it would deliver to my area on Thursday if ordered today.

Either way is fine, just depends on how in a hurry you are and if you have any concerns about a warranty.

 

[XJI6191]

Thanks for taking the trouble to explain. Now I understand but the reasons are peculiarly American (i.e. wouldn't apply here - or, probably, anywhere else) which is why I was a bit slow on the uptake.

 

[xcm]

the reasons are peculiarly American (i.e. wouldn't apply here - or, probably, anywhere else)

No, this is , not BFEJA.
Don’t be so surprised that advice will be aimed at the North American market. YOU are the weirdo, not us.

 

[XJI6191]

Only thing that surprised me was your attitude, I was only seeking a better understanding & the only thing that makes me a weirdo (at least in the eyes of my compatriots) is I've chosen to run a succession of Jeeps over a period of years.

 

[JonnyCat63]

Only thing that surprised me was your attitude, I was only seeking a better understanding & the only thing that makes me a weirdo (at least in the eyes of my compatriots) is I've chosen to run a succession of Jeeps over a period of years.

X2. None of your questions were rude or condescending. You were just merely asking legitimate questions. Can't say the same from some of the responses you received.

It takes more effort to write a snarky and non-helpful response, rather than just ignoring what you don't like. There is no law that I'm aware of that requires someone to respond to a post on a forum. Things like this are one of the main reasons people move away from forums.

I appreciate your information about how things are done from the other side of the pond. It is an interesting perspective.

 

[318SixPack]

A little over a year ago I got one of these: CSF 2670 from Rock Auto
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8610344

I wanted copper/brass, and this was the only one I found at a reasonable price at the time.

This is the third radiator in my 1996 XJ, 366,000 miles back then. The factory radiator was replaced around 2004 IIRC, with a copper/brass one and I think that one was 3 row. Haven't seen a performance difference between any of them. And the first two probably would have lasted longer if I'd ever replaced my radiator fluid.

 

[Robster16z6]

Xjs overheat due to their straight 6 design. They have a water pump that needs to push fluid a very long way through the water jackets while having an engine bay that retains a lot of heat. Your radiator doesn't need to be special. Just want something reliable that doesn't leak and stay away from the 3 cores that have narrow passages that like to clog. If you're going to spend money to upgrade cooling, look into flowkooler or hesco water pump, hood vents, and a zj mechanical fan. The electric fans typically aren't upgrades when you look at the cfm compared to mechanicals.

 

[Unclewolverine]

Xjs overheat due to their straight 6 design. They have a water pump that needs to push fluid a very long way through the water jackets while having an engine bay that retains a lot of heat. Your radiator doesn't need to be special. Just want something reliable that doesn't leak and stay away from the 3 cores that have narrow passages that like to clog. If you're going to spend money to upgrade cooling, look into flowkooler or hesco water pump, hood vents, and a zj mechanical fan. The electric fans typically aren't upgrades when you look at the cfm compared to mechanicals.

All this has been covered on this forum a lot. The consensus has usually been that for a stock ride, a clean, well maintained stock system is more than sufficient. No harm in the zj fan clutch, aftermarket oversize radiators typically just don't hold up, high volume pumps have been shown to cause other issues, hood vents can help, but can cause water intrusion, electric fans can move a little more air but are typically noisy, and cold thermostats are just a bad idea all around. If someone has a stock jeep, with a stock cooling system, and they are overheating something is wrong.

I subject my jeep to as hard of driving conditions as anybody and my only upgrades are a zj clutch and a e-fan override switch so I can turn it on if I see the temp starting to come up. 150 miles a day, 300 plus stops and starts, 500+ pounds extra weight every day, engine off and on 50+ times, Temps up to 105 ambient, up and down hills and vallys. Extreme reliability with great off road handling is why all these years later a lot of rural mail carriers still use XJs.

 

[ChuckQue]

No, this is , not BFEJA.
Don’t be so surprised that advice will be aimed at the North American market. YOU are the weirdo, not us.

Why the dickhead response? Jeez.