2000 radiator and water pump replacement - tips?

Hello,

I plan on using this web site's search option in the evening to find threads on this subject. Prior to going to work, I wanted to post this asking for any tips on replacing the radiator (CCF) and water pump (FlowKooler) in my 2000 XJ Limited. I plan on doing the job this Sunday.

In particular, I was wondering if any of the water pump bolts go into the water jackets of the block? I was wondering if I had to use RTV on any of the bolt threads or heads to eliminate the chance of leaks?

I have the plastic tool to remove the transmission cooler lines from the radiator. I will buy a set of torx sockets tomorrow or Saturday, have plenty of tools, have done water pump and radiator on old cars (1967 and 1968 plymouths), I have the XJ factory repair manual, I have a butane torch in case the water pump bolts put up a fight ...

I'm just trying to gather info prior to starting the job. Any suggestions would be great.

All hoses, thermostat, thermostat housing, etc have recently been replaced.

I believe some of the bolts do go through to the water jackets. But, it's been 6 years since I threw out the FlowKooler pump and got a standard one. Not sure if it was giving me problems, but my cooling issues improved after replacement.

As a rule, for the past 30 years, I've used Anti-sieze on all water pump and thermostat bolts, amongst many other places. I've never had a issue with any of the bolts leaking. I prefer it over RTV. Not only does the Anti-sieze stop the leaking, but makes things much easier to take apart next time. In addition, the presence of shiny particles in the water tells you that water is flowing

I also like spray HiTack for the gasket.

David Bricker / SYR

David_Bricker said:

I also like spray HiTack for the gasket.

Click to expand...

Yes but only on the water pump and/or thermostat housing side.

Don't use it on the block side. Makes doing the job again sometime down the road much easier.

just buy a new water tube.
they're $10
trust me.
don't forget thread sealant for the tube.

All,

Thank you all for your replies.

I did the job this past Friday and Saturday. I used "Indian Head" on the water pump and block along with the paper water pump gasket. Should be fun removing the gasket when the time comes. I used anti-seize lube on the bolts and I replaced the heater tube as well as the fan clutch. The fan clutch is much larger than the unit it replaced. The fan makes a lot of noise now, but if it keeps things cool, I'm ok with it. Regarding the water pump bolts, only one seemed to enter the water jacket. So I used a little RTV on that bolt head to make sure no leaks occurred.

After everything was assembled, I made sure the over-flow tank was filled to the "Full" mark. I never realized that the radiator actually pulls fluid from that tank and not just 'pukes' to it. I had to fill that tank four times before the coolant stopped dropping in level after test drives, and that was after filling the radiator to the top of the fill neck.

So far, the temp doesn't budge off of 210; even with the AC on in traffic. I have no leaks and it starts easier during hot startup. Prior to the repair, when it was really hot outside (90s) and the car was completely warmed up, I would turn the Jeep off, go inside to a store, then come back out 10 minutes later or so and start the Jeep, it would make a small rattle sound initially (for maybe a second) and then start. It hasn't done that since replacing everything. I think the coolant level was low, which may have caused that hot-startup noise. The factory radiator had started leaking on the passenger side tank and it wasn't holding the fluid when I topped it off. That noise is very bad (pre-ignition I think), which is why I wanted to get this done.

The hardest part of the job was removing the transmission cooler line from the stem of the radiator. I had the plastic tools to do the job, but they were not strong enough. I had to use a little screw driver to get the tabs up and wiggle the line at the same time. That was a PITA.

The other thing the factory service manual suggests is to use the radiator petcock to drain the fluid. I tried that, but not one drop came out of the petcock after I turned the valve knob.

We shall see how the FlowKooler pump and CSF radiator hold up. I have read bad things about both units on this website; hopefully I didn't make a mistake.

Jon

jbeintherockies said:

All,

We shall see how the FlowKooler pump and CSF radiator hold up. I have read bad things about both units on this website; hopefully I didn't make a mistake.

Jon

Click to expand...

After only five months, my CCF radiator is leaking from the passenger side tank. It is hard to see exactly where, but it appears to be where the tank attaches to the radiator core on the engine-side of the radiator. Wow, five months.

Not sure what to do? I guess I will contact quadratec and see if there is a warranty on the radiator. Pain in the ass because now I have to take it back out and that is a messy job. Not happy at all and can not recommend CCF radiator to any fellow Cherokee owners.