radiator for an 89 xj

I have the option to purchase an 89 xj limited for next to nothing the only thing wrong is the radiator has been sold. I have an 86 with the 2.8 that I will prolly part out. Will the radiator out of the 86 fit in the 89 with the 4.0, and if it does fit will it be enough to keep it cool? any other inputs would be a great help. thanks in advance.

No it won't fit, and no it would not be adequate if you could make it fit.

change over to a open system....pretty much the same money,approx 200.00 is what it cost me in a 88, and many fewer problems.

To bad your not closer I have one you could have. It was good when I did the open swap. But shipping would cost more than it's worth.
Keith

Definately do the swap...
I did one last summer and have not regretted it.Here's what I used:
Rad...GDI 3 core Autozone..$140.00 (just make sure you get brass tanks and not aluminum) GDI "did" have a problem w/aluminum tanks but it is my understanding that problem has been corrected.
Rad needs to be for a 92' 4.0 XJ
Heater cntrl valve...92'XJ $15.00
Heater Hoses,get the formed hoses w/2 different ends.
The hoses are formed 90deg.The short leg is 3/4" ID the long leg is 5/8" ID
On the heater core Top...3/4" OD
Bottom....5/8" OD
Heater valve...........All are 5/8" OD
Water Pump............5/8" OD
T stat ............3/4" OD
By cutting the formed hoses to the desired lenghts,you can eleminate the possibility fo kinking the heater hoses.These 2 hoses are like $15.00 apice.
You will also need a coolant overflow bottle.I put mine where the pressure bottle used to be.
I also changed the waterpump(under warranty FREE!!!) and the t stat and gasket.

RAD..........................$140.00 + tax
Upr/Lwr RAD Hoses......$35.00
Htr valve...................$15.00
Htr hoses(2)..............$30.00@
Collant rcvry btl.........$ 6.99
8- 1.5" clamps..............$8.00@
4- 3" clamps.............$6.00@
Takes bout 3 hrs time wise just make sure everything fits and is tightened before starting up.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to backflush before you start the swap,and then do a backflush yearly after that.
I probably left sometning out but I'm sure someone will let me know... :jester:

Don't forget --
You loose the thermostatic switch that was in the back of the old radiator to turn on the aux (electric) cooling fan. You have two options here:

- Replace the theromostat housing with the '92 housing and switch. You will then need the wire harness for the new switch. It is one of the molded connectors that seal out the moisture. I found the part number for the connector on a Jeep site somewhere that described the swap. I can't find the url now. (I have the part number at home if you can't find it.)

- Control the fan with a manual switch from the cockpit.

MoFo

For what it's worth...

I swapped to GDI 3 core and still have the closed system. I don't have any problems running closed (temp sits quite happily between 185-195 depending on conditions) so it's just not worth the time/effort/cash to do the open convert. Main thing to keep in mind if you continue to run closed is that the system needs to be able to hold pressure. Main culprit with overheats is a leaky o ring on pressure bottle or a cracked pressure bottle. They run about 25 bucks from quadratec for a new one (including the shipping). If you've got it all torn apart a new set of hoses might be a good idea just because it's easy to do while apart and the cost is low.

If you seach there are a bunch of posts that talk the the Moroso racing tank thing... I looked into it but it's just plain too much money for me.

Hey thanks for all the inputs guys. Here is another question for the cooling guys. This xj I am looking at I thought the head gasket was bad but it does not miss at all at any speed and There is no water in the oil or oil in the water. I know that it was overheated and the truck shut down. How sensitive are the head on the 4.0's? I have seen many other vehicles get so hot they shutdown and later it starts and never a problem again. Is something that is likely with the 4.0 or will there be problems with this vehicle? Thanks for any and all inputs.

Wouldn't be the first old style cooling system XJ to be misdiagnosed with a bad head gasket.
I pegged my '90 a few times.. had a mechanic tell the head gasket was gone.. then read in this forum about the lousy pressure bottle and cap, how to burp the air out etc. That was two years ago and not a single overheat since. Bet you're just fine with that rig.

When you say shut down, do you mean the computer shut it down when it got too hot? Do they do that? I had a Volvo overheat on me once on the interstate and it heated up so fast the computer shut it down before I could even pull over. The computer shut it down the second it hit the edge of the red on the gauge. What I'm really trying to ask is do XJs do that?

No they don't.

It will drive until you have a core melt-down.:flame:

Finesse points for the open swap -

Use a 3/4 to 5/8 adapter between the heater core and the new valve. And the '92 up thermo housing is 5/8 for it's hose, so bulk 5/8" is all that is needed. No more special hoses, it took less than 5 feet.

I also took off the hose bracket and reused a bolt for the intake heat shield. Same as the fuel rail hold downs, so if one gets eaten by the Jeep gremlin underhood, you know where a spare is.

What part number was the GDI three core from the Zone?

MoFo said:

Don't forget --
You loose the thermostatic switch that was in the back of the old radiator to turn on the aux (electric) cooling fan. You have two options here:

- Replace the theromostat housing with the '92 housing and switch. You will then need the wire harness for the new switch. It is one of the molded connectors that seal out the moisture. I found the part number for the connector on a Jeep site somewhere that described the swap. I can't find the url now. (I have the part number at home if you can't find it.)

- Control the fan with a manual switch from the cockpit.

MoFo

Click to expand...

I recently did the swap on my buddies Jeep. I posted all the parts and the way we dealt with the fan switch problem....

Click Me!


Part numbers and wiring details were included. Let me know if you have any questions. Definately a good idea to swap over if you need a radiator anyway.

Bryan