• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

XJ radiators, a review.

Someone found an all-aluminum, USA-made one over on Amazon (Brand is OPL - "Our Parts are Legendary"). He made a thread over in OEM Tech about it. Might have to get him to chime in here with pics and impressions - never a bad thing to have more options.
 
Seems like I'm late to the party but just to throw my 2 pennies in the mix... I had a CSF 3 core years ago that was highly recommended on a local forum I used to frequent. It was garbage honestly. Temps wouldn't stay down even in easy driving and cool ambient temps. Then the thing cracked on me after only about a year. I went to a 2 core aluminum. Don't remember the brand honestly, but I remember it was only around $150 and i haven't had a single complaint to lodge about it. Works great even when being taxed quite a bit on hot days in the mountains. I think sometimes simplicity truly wins out.

Interesting. I replaced my OEM with the CSF 3-row about 6 years ago and it sits like a rock at 205 no matter the weather or situation. Just wheeled for 5-6 hours straight on Saturday and it never even twitched, not even when driving back up over the pass in 3rd gear at 2000+ RPM.
 
I think a problem a lot of guys see and don't realize is that after 140k miles or even north of 100k miles the timing chains on these engines are pretty much shot. I know a couple guys who replaced everything, water pump, radiator, hoses, etc with good stuff and still had engines that ran warm. One was a TJ and the other was an XJ. Knowing that a cam that is running retarded will cause an engine to run warm they both tore into it and found stretched timing chains. They replaced the chains and "new jeep", temps no longer run hot. It's something to keep in mind when chasing cooling problems.

Also to add to this, I've got the mishimoto and griffin direct fit sitting here. After doing a core "tubing count" and comparing, the Mishimoto has about 17% more cooling area.

I also picked up one of the trinity audrino fan controllers that Nick makes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iterctWa-hE
 
I can confirm that the Mopar radiators cool very well. I managed to find a Max Cooling radiator for the AX15 (M2080115AC) (lacks a connection for the automatic transmission meaning more cooling for me) and have had remarkably steady temps around 198 where before I was pushing into 210 in the Texas summers on uphills. But they are largely discontinued and not cheap.
 
I was pretty disappointed with mine.

But starting to suspect I may have had a cracked head all along. Working on that now.
 
Got the Auto Dynasty/DNA Motoring in and it's cooling nicely, ran it by the local Advance Auto to have them pull the CEL Code (it has a bad miss, specific thread is pending) and one of the kids that works there knew of the work being done and asked about it so I tossed him the key and let him go take a look while myself and the other guy were looking into plugs and wire prices then went to go see what the kid thought once there was somebody in line. I walk out the door and the first words out of his mouth are "You guys stole that radiator!" He was surprised how nice what he could see of it looked and told him how it all but fell into the front end when we put it in place, despite what the reviews said.
 
Last edited:
In all honesty, lazyxj, for around that $1000 Jeg's is listing that at I have bought for my '98 XJ;

The Auto Dynasty/DNA Motoring 3 row aluminum radiator (found on Amazon)

Auxiliary cooling fan (can't remember brand, but also found on Amazon)

Auxiliary Fan Relay (Mopar, from dealer I bought my Chrysler 200 from but not yet installed)

Thermostat (bought in store at Advance Auto)

Napa water pump-new (bought in store)
Crown Radiator Isolators (Advance Auto Online)

Antifreeze (Advance Auto and O'Reilly's)

Underhood fuel line (Mopar, also bought from dealer that I bought my Chrysler 200 from, connector at the bottom of the firewall rotted out)

Battery (Sam's Club)

BFG Rugged Terrain Tires (235/75r15, bought at Walmart next to where the above Sam's was)

Sylvania Silverstar Headlights (Advance Auto online)

Bosch Icon Wipers (Advance Auto Online)

Accel Tune Up Kit (Advance Auto Online)

Puroilator Oil Filter (no clue where the oil came from, we had a box on the shelf in the garage)

We've kinda Roadkilled it, but at least I no longer have to think about taking the hood off to drive it and hopefully I won't need to worry about any "Triple Homicide" like ATF losses.........again:laugh3:

IMG_20190106_125140_793 by bjoehandley, on Flickr
 
In all honesty, lazyxj, for around that $1000 Jeg's is listing that at I have bought for my '98 XJ;
www.flickr.com/photos/93857471@N03/]bjoehandley[/url], on Flickr

No question the Flex-a-lite is stupidly expensive, above my pay grade, but it still it is good to see new products and innovations for our antique Jeeps.
 
No question the Flex-a-lite is stupidly expensive, above my pay grade, but it still it is good to see new products and innovations for our antique Jeeps.

I've got this feeling that the XJ is going to be a lot like the earlier Mustangs, Camaros, Broncos, Blazers, and CJs. They're now getting old enough to be a "classic" and one that there would be a larger group of enthusiasts interested in, especially with those of us who are Gen-Xers and Millennials that grew up with them (My Sister and I both took our driving tests in Dad's and she had one of her own at one time too) as well as our elders still driving them, I'm even seeing high school kids driving them.
 
I've got this feeling that the XJ is going to be a lot like the earlier Mustangs, Camaros, Broncos, Blazers, and CJs. They're now getting old enough to be a "classic" and one that there would be a larger group of enthusiasts interested in, especially with those of us who are Gen-Xers and Millennials that grew up with them (My Sister and I both took our driving tests in Dad's and she had one of her own at one time too) as well as our elders still driving them, I'm even seeing high school kids driving them.
It's already kind of moving in that direction. At least in my neck of the woods. You can get a nice clean WJ or late ZJ for what a beat up XJ costs around here.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
Thats not really that bad of a price compared to some other options.

Would be interesting to check one of those out.
 
Good thread thanks for compiling some data.

The Spectra Radiator which can be had for $50 has an interesting feature that none of these radiators have. It has relief cuts on the body of the core. I wonder if the cheap aluminum radiators would have this they wouldn't fail so often.

Ive had mine for 3 years before I damaged it accidentally, I'm replaced it with the same one. At ~$50 I've had no issues with it in S.FL
 
For what little it's been driven so far, that Auto Dynasty/DNA Motoring one seems to work nicely, I let the truck idle for around half an hour after getting back to the office after running an errand on my lunch hour, and the temps stayed right in line with what they should be, even if the belt was slipping on occasion!
 
Anyone try the Summit house brand? Looks promising but costs a pretty penny.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-382012

Blew apart my plastic tank snow wheeling today. Reviewing this thread and I'm getting the above radiator. I was figurreing on getting the Mishi but I like the brass/copper construction of the Summit along with the rows. Nearly identical to the old HD Mopar radiator.

Will post my thoughts once it arrives.
 
Back
Top