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Stupid question: where does one fill the coolant on an 89 XJ?

90Pioneer

NAXJA Forum User
Location
USA
I'm in the middle of replacing the radiator and flushing the cooling system on an 89 XJ, It was a closed system. Once everything is back together, where do I pour in the coolant?

The bottle? Or should I pour some into the upper rad hose before I connect it to the t stat housing?

Also what is the best way to burp the system for air?
 
The coolant will re-fill through the bottle. The 4.0 is unlike early ford v8's as they dont need to be burped. Just add as it goes down.. It may have been the time to get away from the closed system.. All you need to convert is the new rad, heater valve and hoses. fill direct to the rad that way. and it is more efficent
 
JoeOffRoad said:
The coolant will re-fill through the bottle. The 4.0 is unlike early ford v8's as they dont need to be burped. Just add as it goes down.. It may have been the time to get away from the closed system.. All you need to convert is the new rad, heater valve and hoses. fill direct to the rad that way. and it is more efficent


Yeah but you also gotta deal with the sensor for the electric fan.


I thought only the open cooling system was self burping, and that the closed cooling systems had to be burped?

I just had a boil over. My thermostat stuck closed I believe.. running without the t stat right now.. water and prestone flush running through. Will pick up an OEM t stat tomorrow.
 
JoeOffRoad said:
The coolant will re-fill through the bottle. The 4.0 is unlike early ford v8's as they dont need to be burped. Just add as it goes down.. It may have been the time to get away from the closed system.. All you need to convert is the new rad, heater valve and hoses. fill direct to the rad that way. and it is more efficent

I am NOT trying to start any trouble, but that is not true. My 90 had to be burped, and there are a crapload of write-up on doing this. Your system NEEDS to be burped. The easiest way that I had found was to drill a small hole in the flat part of the t-stat (1/16") to let air bypass to the bottle.
Also pull your large hose from the top of the outlet on the front of the engine, and fill woth 50/50 antifreeze, pour some into the bottle as well. Run the motor, and keep the bottle full. Keep an eye on the temp gauge.
I always open the lid on the bottle slowly and let any air out after turning the engine off for the first couple of time I go anywhere. Careful while doing this.
Here is another way........... http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Cooling/BurpAirMod.htm
 
XJRob2 said:
I am NOT trying to start any trouble, but that is not true. My 90 had to be burped, and there are a crapload of write-up on doing this. Your system NEEDS to be burped. The easiest way that I had found was to drill a small hole in the flat part of the t-stat (1/16") to let air bypass to the bottle.
Also pull your large hose from the top of the outlet on the front of the engine, and fill woth 50/50 antifreeze, pour some into the bottle as well. Run the motor, and keep the bottle full. Keep an eye on the temp gauge.
I always open the lid on the bottle slowly and let any air out after turning the engine off for the first couple of time I go anywhere. Careful while doing this.
Here is another way........... http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Cooling/BurpAirMod.htm

You are correct....the system does need to be burped.

As response to the original question, if you are just topping off, use the bottle. If you are changing fluid I prefer to fill through the upper rad hose as much as possible, and then top the bottle.
 
You can also pull the temp sensor and fill the block untill fluid come out it will make the job much easier.
 
JoeOffRoad said:
The coolant will re-fill through the bottle. The 4.0 is unlike early ford v8's as they dont need to be burped. Just add as it goes down.. It may have been the time to get away from the closed system.. All you need to convert is the new rad, heater valve and hoses. fill direct to the rad that way. and it is more efficent

Sorry Joe, but you're way off base!

The RENIX 4.0 does need to be "burped," or you will get an air pocket behind the thermostat and resultant overheats (since the thermostat will not open with an air pocket behind it.)

If you've already put everything together, you can jack up the rear of the vehicle until the cylinder head is "leaning forward," then loosen the temperature sensor at the driver's side rear of the cylinder head. Add coolant at the pressure bottle until it starts to run out past the sensor, and tighten the sensor. Lower the vehicle and drive it about normally for a day or so, and check coolant (topping off as necessary.)

How full? Look down through the fill hole - you'll see a moulded post that looks like a chair. The bottom of the chair (the fully round part of the post) should be covered with coolant, with the level being somewhere along the "half-round" part (look at it, you'll see what I mean.)

If you haven't already put it back to rights, you can drill two 1/16" holes in the thermostat flage, 180* apart, and install the thermostat with one hole at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock, and drive normally. The cooling system will be "self-purging" in normal operation, so you just need to monitor your coolant level for a week or so to let it stabilise (which it should do after you top it off once or twice anyhow.) This is my solution, and what I use consistently.

Anyone who doesn't tell you that the RENIX system does not require the purgation of trapped air, simply put, hasn't had to deal with the overheat resulting from not doing so...

As far as the rear washer fluid - yes, they share a common reservoir underhood, and there are two pumps at the bottom of the thing.
 
I am going to install a thermostat from a 96 XJ, and has a hole in the top of it. Then I'm mounting on my old tstat housing from my 96, and got a couple of brass fittings for the sensor hole. which I will use to burp the air. I'll just park on an inline, nose up.

Thanks for the link XJRob2
 
90Pioneer said:
I am going to install a thermostat from a 96 XJ, and has a hole in the top of it. Then I'm mounting on my old tstat housing from my 96, and got a couple of brass fittings for the sensor hole. which I will use to burp the air. I'll just park on an inline, nose up.

Thanks for the link XJRob2

Don't trust the single hole - drill a 1/16" hole directly across from it, and do like I'd mentioned.

You can get "traffic jams" with the single hole - even with the little brass "flapper" they put in it. With two holes, the lower hole passes water, the upper one passes air, and they don't lock up.
 
5-90 the only thing that i question is the 2 holes in the thermostat! I agree with you theory and i like to cut them brass valve out my self but..........................
in cold climate like i live in, that -30F below days would probably never get enough heat to clear the wind shield.

flash.
 
Flash said:
5-90 the only thing that i question is the 2 holes in the thermostat! I agree with you theory and i like to cut them brass valve out my self but..........................
in cold climate like i live in, that -30F below days would probably never get enough heat to clear the wind shield.

flash.

That's why I specified that they're 1/16" holes. I drive all over the country at various times of the year - the flow area of the two 1/16" holes is negligible (.0061 square inches, both holes, all up) and it won't affect heating at all.

I've been doing this for a number of years without ill effects, and I grew up dealing with the cold in northern IN - and I know it works there.

You don't have to drill two massive holes - just the two 1/16" holes will serve neatly. Don't go any smaller than 1/32" - but 1/16" drill bits are plentiful anyhow.
 
5-90 said:
That's why I specified that they're 1/16" holes. I drive all over the country at various times of the year - the flow area of the two 1/16" holes is negligible (.0061 square inches, both holes, all up) and it won't affect heating at all.

I've been doing this for a number of years without ill effects, and I grew up dealing with the cold in northern IN - and I know it works there.

You don't have to drill two massive holes - just the two 1/16" holes will serve neatly. Don't go any smaller than 1/32" - but 1/16" drill bits are plentiful anyhow.

I may have to give it a try some day but not before i replace my half plugged 300,000 mile heater core:twak: :laugh3:

Flash.
 
5-90 said:
Sorry Joe, but you're way off base!

The RENIX 4.0 does need to be "burped," or you will get an air pocket behind the thermostat and resultant overheats (since the thermostat will not open with an air pocket behind it.)

If you've already put everything together, you can jack up the rear of the vehicle until the cylinder head is "leaning forward," then loosen the temperature sensor at the driver's side rear of the cylinder head. Add coolant at the pressure bottle until it starts to run out past the sensor, and tighten the sensor. Lower the vehicle and drive it about normally for a day or so, and check coolant (topping off as necessary.)

How full? Look down through the fill hole - you'll see a moulded post that looks like a chair. The bottom of the chair (the fully round part of the post) should be covered with coolant, with the level being somewhere along the "half-round" part (look at it, you'll see what I mean.)

If you haven't already put it back to rights, you can drill two 1/16" holes in the thermostat flage, 180* apart, and install the thermostat with one hole at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock, and drive normally. The cooling system will be "self-purging" in normal operation, so you just need to monitor your coolant level for a week or so to let it stabilise (which it should do after you top it off once or twice anyhow.) This is my solution, and what I use consistently.

Anyone who doesn't tell you that the RENIX system does not require the purgation of trapped air, simply put, hasn't had to deal with the overheat resulting from not doing so...

As far as the rear washer fluid - yes, they share a common reservoir underhood, and there are two pumps at the bottom of the thing.

woops... I have been wrong before. This is a good bit of info def. Thankyou.
 
kg4bet said:
What about a 96 model? Do I need to burp it?

No the 91's and above have open systems and do not have to be burped.

It doesn't hurt to burp the open system, but it's generally not needed as the open system runs higher pressure and is less susectiple to boil overs. It doesn't take much air in the closed setup (or the pos plastic cap on the bottle to leak) to cause a boil over.

-Chris
 
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