need advice on my overheating XJ !

I have an 89 cherokee with 118k miles ,4.0 ,all stock so far . bought this about 6 months ago , XJ didnt pass smog at first ,after $300. it passed ,tech said cat would need to be replaced next time i smog it . OK ... after driving around town never noticed it getting hot ,but once on freeway if i dove 55 mph it would be ok , when i hit 65 or more ,temp started to climb then overheat. Ok heres what i did. I had the head resurfaced and seals installed , all hoses replaced, waterpump, thermostat,sensor at raditor,sensor on head replaced , NEW raditor,new overfill bottle and cap replaced. Took it up to lake tahoe cause i thought overheating was solved , I was wrong !!! Installed fan clutch in lake tahoe , Made it home without overheating ,but temp climbed to just below red point on temp gauge. last weekend drove it up skyline (up over hill in Santa Cruz) this time temp gauge climbed up but not alot ,i thought everything ok but when i stop engine ,it overheated ,overboiled ! EVERYTHING WITH COOLING SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED , EVERYTHING ! I thinking of converting it to an open system that 92 and newer have , and want to install a fan system call triple threat ,its a raditor with 3 fans ,all electric . ....But at same time im thinking maybe catalytic converter is plugged ? reason im thinking this is exhaust manifold is starting to leak ,i had replaced gasget when i did head job,and if i put my hand over muffler and press on gas ,theres no change in pressure comming out of exhaust . ANY ADVICE WOULD BE VERY HELPFULL THANKS !

If I were you...

I'd skip the triple threat. I'd make sure my e-fan was working at proper temps. I'd upgrade to the ZJ fan clutch (NAPA p/n 272310) and I'd convert to the open system.

Here's why: Hwy 17 is notorious for overheating compromised cooling systems. Closed system IMHO is a stock compromised system. ZJ fan clutch is a heavier clutch that moves about 30% more air.

Also, if you were running your A/C and your e-fan wasn't working right (bad switch, bad fan) you WILL overheat on 17. Especially if there's traffic and you're adhering to the 50 MPH speed limit. If you boiled over you either have air in the system or a bad seal somewhere, like a funky Chinese bottle and cap from ebay.

The triple threat just moves air, does it specify how much air, do you know how much air the mech fan AND the e-fan moves? What's the difference, when does the second and third fan come on?

Check your CAT at night, at temp. If it's glowing red, it's clogged. If it rattles when you tap on it it's shot.

Lose the pressure bottle cap.

Purchase and install Stant 10244 pressure bottle cap--from the 2.3 L engine in the 700 series Volvos.

Why? The standard caps on the bottles "strip" on the crappy interrupted threads, they fail to hold pressure, they are too tall and impact the underside of the hood (check the painted surface for the marks) when the pressure bottle expands.

The Stant 10244 WILL stay tightened down, it has a low profile and won't impact the hood (which contributes to stress fractures in the pressure bottle), and it has a higher rating which RAISES the coolant boiling point.

Also (a little late for now), run 30/70 coolant mix during the NON-FREEZING season. Ethylene glycol is a great anti-freeze and its a P/poor coolant. 30 ethylene glycol to 70 distilled water when it isn't going to freeze. Time to up the anti-freeze just pull the lower hose, dump the coolant into a bucket, add straight coolant and stir--use your $3 tester to get the mix to 50/50 (or whatever is appropriate for your area in winter).

Also, and kind of oddball but it was reported on --pull apart the hose nightmare at the pressure bottle and coolant control valve and make sure none of the hoses/passages are plugged up.

Also (again) make sure you burp the closed system to remove ALL air. Park nose down, pull the temperature gauge/idiot light sender from the rear of the head--driver's side--then add coolant to the pressure bottle until ALL air is forced out the sender port, then replace the sender and adjust the coolant level in the pressure bottle so it is ONLY 1/3 full WHEN COLD.

Good luck.

Joe i couldn't get Kragen or Autozone to cross that number so i got one from a 90 volvo 2.3 non turbo and it was a little larger thread and wouldn't tighten. do you have a specific year and model and turbo or non turbo? thank you i read that cap number on the thread you answered for me

1984-1982 Volvo 244 2.4L L6 2383cc 1984-1982 Volvo 245 2.4L L6 2383cc 1981-1980 Volvo 264 2.4L L6 2383cc 1980 Volvo 265 2.4L L6 2383cc 1992-1985 Volvo 740 2.3L L4 2316cc 1986 Volvo 740 2.4L L6 2377cc 1985 Volvo 745 2.3L L4 2316cc 1990-1984 Volvo 760 2.3L L4 2316cc 1985 Volvo 760 2.4L L6 2377cc

damn nice thanks

Por nada.

valleyray said:

I have an 89 cherokee with 118k miles ,4.0 ,all stock so far . bought this about 6 months ago , XJ didnt pass smog at first ,after $300. it passed ,tech said cat would need to be replaced next time i smog it . OK ... after driving around town never noticed it getting hot ,but once on freeway if i dove 55 mph it would be ok , when i hit 65 or more ,temp started to climb then overheat. Ok heres what i did. I had the head resurfaced and seals installed , all hoses replaced, waterpump, thermostat,sensor at raditor,sensor on head replaced , NEW raditor,new overfill bottle and cap replaced. Took it up to lake tahoe cause i thought overheating was solved , I was wrong !!! Installed fan clutch in lake tahoe , Made it home without overheating ,but temp climbed to just below red point on temp gauge. last weekend drove it up skyline (up over hill in Santa Cruz) this time temp gauge climbed up but not alot ,i thought everything ok but when i stop engine ,it overheated ,overboiled ! EVERYTHING WITH COOLING SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED , EVERYTHING ! I thinking of converting it to an open system that 92 and newer have , and want to install a fan system call triple threat ,its a raditor with 3 fans ,all electric . ....But at same time im thinking maybe catalytic converter is plugged ? reason im thinking this is exhaust manifold is starting to leak ,i had replaced gasget when i did head job,and if i put my hand over muffler and press on gas ,theres no change in pressure comming out of exhaust . ANY ADVICE WOULD BE VERY HELPFULL THANKS !

Click to expand...

sell it and get a non renix xj!

just wondering....

Could it be a bad fuel-air ratio.
(cooling sys ok, but it really is overheating?)

How's fuel milage?
Exhaust manifold leaks?
extra hot cat converter?
etc.?

How are other XJs doing on those long climbs?


Good Luck,
Orange

orange said:

just wondering....How are other XJs doing on those long climbs?

Click to expand...

I have a 90 XJ 4.0 w/230K, two row all metal CSF, open cooling, ZJ HD fan clutch, HD tranny cooler and a curved blade e-fan. I just took a trip last week with my Jeep full of gear, my trailer with 2 canoes, firewood and more gear. The grade I have to go up is about 9 miles of up, up, up. About a 5-6% grade, on a 90+ degree day.

I worry about this grade when I go, but it never got more than a click or two (not hatchmarks, just MM's) above 210, so probably about 230 working hard at 55.

The trans never got over 180.

The grade that the OP is talking about (CA 17) is about 12 miles kind of curving, slow, freeway with a 50 MPH speed limit. You can be cruising at 55-60 and bog down to about 40-45 with trucks and what ever. It's a bruiser.

My Dad drove 17 for about 20 years from Scotts Valley to Milpitas.

During the Summer it was a parking lot in the morning for those heading to the Santa Cruz beaches, and a parking lot in the evening when they were heading back home.

Did a lot of fan belts, radiators, hoses, and head gaskets at our Norwalk/Hancock/Gulf station on Scotts Valley Drive (the old highway).

When you replaced the radiator did you buy it new or used? One core or two? Was your coolant showing rust? Is it still?if so, flush the cooling system over and over and over again until you are confident its all out. The rusty pieces will clog the radiator and cooling jackets.

See thread below or nearby-

-1990 Renix runs to rich-
-the tribe-

Joes info in particular-

(leaky manifolds)