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water pump replacement question

hightime81

NAXJA Forum User
93 XJ 4.0 HO. 114K on the clock, Auto and stock.

creeping temp issues recently when idling at a stop light.

Radiator is ~5 years old along with the water pump. The fan clutch is brand new. Most likely OEM Tstat (but at least 5 years)

I know i am probably nearing the end of the radiator's life, but the fluid looks REALLY good still, so i don't think that is the problem.

That leads me to the thermostat and water pump. Got a new Stant 195 Tstat and a new waterpump today. Question is, can i cheat and just replace the stat and pump without draining the radiator?

And if i do need to drain rad, the draincock seems to be on the far left (when standing in front of the jeep facing it), side of the rad. any good tips for not making a giant mess?

Thanks!
 
you'll need to drain the radiator....no way around it.

Careful when you pull the pump off of the block....it will gush coolant....fair warning.

Helpful hint, just pull the grill off (it's like 8 phillips head screws er something like that). You'll never get to the petcock any other way.

As for the mess....if you dont totally remove the petcock, you may be able to hit a drain pan with out too much drama. Otherwise get a hold of a tool called a transmission funnel. It will collect from a larger footprint and kinda keep things a little tidier. But don't be surprised if you end up rinsing the garage floor...lol
 
Congratulations on providing the base info, year/engine. Other good info would be transmission, efan, a/c, transmission cooler, winch, etc.?

Creeping temps at idle/slow moving traffic = insufficient air flow through the radiator. You need to increase the flow of air.

5 years is about max on a water pump. What fan clutch?

Radiator's will last a finite period of time, shorter when abused, longer when treated properly. Correct coolant mix, changed AT A MINIMUM of every 2 years with a good flush, use distilled water or 50/50 pre-mix. And you need to TEST the coolant, there is no way to tell by looking.

I hope you bought the Stant Premium, well worth the extra change.

Changing the thermostat and water pump without draining the radiator? Well, when you pull the lower radiator hose from the water pump you are going to loose quite a bit of coolant, but if you don't let the hose drop too low I guess the radiator won't drain all the way.

Don't mess with the petcock, they are usually plastic and usually break. When you remove the lower radiator hose from the water pump you won't have to mess with the radiator.
 
Thanks, kind of figured i would have to, oh well.

i pulled the grill off earlier today to take a look and it makes sense that i would have to go that way to get at it. i will borrow a buddies over-sized catch and hopefully not make too much of a mess.

Joe - and you are right. it is a plastic piece and i bet it WOULD break lol. i bet i will have better 'AIM' for the catch using the lower rad hose anyways.

Cheers
 
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I use a small piece of hose on the drain so it goes right into a bucket, no mess. Even if the hose is too big it will still drain the fluid away it's not like it needs a seal since there's no pressure.

Lower radiator hose and big enough bucket works well enough, have some kitty litter on hand.
 
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