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XJ radiators, a review.

After 205k miles on my '98, the OEM radiator developed a tiny leak.

After reading this thread, I got a Spectra radiator from Amazon. Price was amazing, as was the overall quality. I was impressed. It dropped right in with no fitment problems. Having a 5 spd, I didn't have to deal with trans coolant lines.

As long as the radiator was out of the way, I replaced the water pump as well with another OEM water pump. The stock one was working fine with no leaks, and the impellers looked brand new. I just didn't want to push my luck any further and figured 205k miles on a water pump was a good run....
 
After reading this thread, I got a Spectra radiator from Amazon.

I wanted to buy one for the Wife's '96, but's been next to impossible to find them (for a reasonable amount of $).

The one in my 2001 cost me $61.79.

Now I can't find them below $100. So I went with one from Advance Auto, since it looks the closest and I could use a coupon code.
 
I wanted to buy one for the Wife's '96, but's been next to impossible to find them (for a reasonable amount of $).

The one in my 2001 cost me $61.79.

Now I can't find them below $100. So I went with one from Advance Auto, since it looks the closest and I could use a coupon code.

I bought mine on Aug 5 for $78 - Prime delivery.... glad I bought when I did. Even for $100, it's a screaming deal on a good quality radiator...
 
[IMGI started the process of installing my new Ron Davis radiator today. My old radiator is a Chinese aluminum one (not sure of the brand). Here is the Ron Davis on the left and the old one on the right.
59CDCD52-61E9-4149-8ED7-472F50148082.jpeg


My first impression is that the Ron Davis is a super well made radiator and BIG! The Ron Davis is slightly more than a 1/2” thicker than my older radiator and slightly taller.

Old

0CE6DF1F-FD5A-4D10-889F-CF7A05392EDF.jpeg
.

The real test will me be how it performs with my 4.7L stroker and if it keeps it nice and cool!


New

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It is a tight fit with the AC condenser, but it does go in.
The Ron Davis radiator does nothing have the standard studs to mount the radiator brackets not does it have the bracket for the condenser. It does come with 1/4” bolt holes in the proper locations. I just used 1/4” bolts that I had , they were 3/4” long, which was slightly too long so I spaced them out with some washers.

DE680AAE-606B-427C-88BD-2084B70BD84E.jpeg


I tied to make a simple tab out of flat stock to mount the AC condenser
9284C125-6959-4636-8D37-30650CD9BB4C.jpeg

I found that the radiator is slightly taller than the old one, and the condenser stud is too short. I’ll have to make a bracket that dips down slightly to catch the stud.

I was running the ZJ fan clutch with my old radiator and with the new one it was too close for comfort, so I swapped it out for the stock one.
510D8850-6747-4DD1-85D8-F242D80C95B1.jpeg
 
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Nice! How many rows of tubes in it?
 
Weather is finally warming up a bit in the PNW, so I'm thinking about preparing to swap in a new radiator in a few months. I'm down to either the Mishimoto or the Summit. With cal's clogging issue with the Mishimoto, I'm leaning towards the Summit, but wondering if owners of either radiator can chime in on recent experiences.
 
In a couple of days I will have some input on this radiator:

"Cold Case" : https://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAD-MOJ994A

Looks good on paper (or on screen). We will see what arrives. I should have it tomorrow. Probably get to install it (if it looks good) on Saturday.
 
Ive had great luck with my Mishimoto for the last two years in California heat with a lot of climbing mountain grades to get to trails. So far no clogging issues or leaks and never any over heating.
 
In a couple of days I will have some input on this radiator:

"Cold Case" : https://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAD-MOJ994A

Looks good on paper (or on screen). We will see what arrives. I should have it tomorrow. Probably get to install it (if it looks good) on Saturday.

The quality looks nice, and it is 2-row, but the specs say that its 2.5" thick. Don't the thicker radiators have clearance issues? There were two reviews on Summit where the owner mangled the radiator against the mechanical fan teeth.
 
The quality looks nice, and it is 2-row, but the specs say that its 2.5" thick. Don't the thicker radiators have clearance issues? There were two reviews on Summit where the owner mangled the radiator against the mechanical fan teeth.

I saw that. And immediately wondered about the condition of their motor mounts.

There is also the question of whether they are running the stock fan clutch or a ZJ fan clutch.

I have Brown Dog motor mounts and a stock fan clutch. I will find out whether it clears or not.


Edit: It appears I have not been running a stock fan clutch. See post #236.
 
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I saw that. And immediately wondered about the condition of their motor mounts.

There is also the question of whether they are running the stock fan clutch or a ZJ fan clutch.

I have Brown Dog motor mounts and a stock fan clutch. I will find out whether it clears or not.

Yeah, one of those reviewers posted a photo that showed a considerable amount of clearance between the radiator and those fingers. Hard to imagine how the gap was closed. I think cal mentioned something about his radiator moving to hit the fan rather than the motor moving.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes for you with install and cooling performance.

Still, to this day...have had the most luck with the Spectra CU1193 radiator.

My Jeep, wife's Jeep, even putting one in the current flip Jeep.

Hard to beat for ~$85.

I should try to figure out what's in my XJ right now.
 
Still, to this day...have had the most luck with the Spectra CU1193 radiator.

My Jeep, wife's Jeep, even putting one in the current flip Jeep.

Hard to beat for ~$85.


People don't realize that almost all of these fabricated Al radiators use pretty subpar cores (even if they are thicker), and the fabricated tanks are even more prone to cracking due to the shape of the XJ's radiator. You want high density fins and a strong fan.
 
Cold Case Radiator Review

In 2014 I installed a Mopar HD radiator (part number 52080104AC) in Scope Creep. It developed a leak this February. I think in the core. It is hard to see anything while it is installed. I may try to have a radiator shop try to figure out where the leak is and if it can be fixed. Sadly, this part number has been discontinued. For some time it had been regarded as the best choice radiator. Oh well. Back to the drawing board.

I know lots of folks are happy with the Spectra Premium (CU1193) so I thought I would give one a try. I ordered one off Amazon for about $125. They aren’t $60 anymore. I received it, opened up the box, and you have got to be kidding me—that is half a radiator. That has to be the thinnest core I have ever seen for a radiator. Have they always been this thin? No matter. I can’t bring myself to run this thing. So, back to the drawing board again.

I will grant the Spectra Premium would probably be fine for most of what I do with my XJ, using it as a daily driver. But I cannot see it working for me when I take my XJ on long trips. One of the things my Jeep must be capable of is driving 1,000 miles, off-roading for 100-200 miles and then driving another 1,000 miles back home. I don’t see the Spectra working for that. Even with my Mopar HD there have been times I have had to turn off the AC in order to keep engine temps down. (Yes, I maintain my AC system. It is really nice to have when the outside temps are triple digits.) I just don’t see such a small heat exchanger being able to meet my needs.

In searching for a reasonably priced, heavy duty radiator, I found the Cold Case MOJ994A. I have heard nothing at all about these radiators, but I saw that they have a lifetime warranty. That piqued my interest. And the price looked reasonable (about $340) for the product. I decided I would order one and check it out.

The first thing I noticed when I received the radiator was this label on the box:

ColdCaseRadiator1OPT.jpg


Have to register in order to have a warranty? Not a good sign. I immediately jumped to the expectation that in order for the warranty to be valid the product would have to be installed by a certified shop… ASE Certified, cage free, gluten free, non-gmo… Looking online it does not appear to be that bad. But there are some terms I may have issues with. Among other things is this clause:
Quote: Cold Case recommends using a green 50/50 coolant mixed with distilled water. Using other mixtures may void the warranty.

I don’t use green coolant in anything anymore. All my vehicles have been switched to long life coolants, and I am in the process of getting all of them on Rotella ELC (Cat EC1 spec) coolant. I am tired of trying to keep track of which vehicle runs which coolant, and of trying to keep some of each on hand. Much simpler if they all run the same thing. I also disagree with the choice of distilled water. I believe de-ionized water is a better choice. I will have to see if that decision means there is no warranty on this radiator.

I also find this warning label to be interesting:

ColdCaseRadiator2OPT.jpg


I wonder how many stories are behind that one.

Opening up the box was a more positive experience. Very well packaged:

ColdCaseRadiator4OPT.jpg


Product is plenty shiny, a feature that is wasted on this application. Once installed you can hardly see our radiators. Nonetheless:

ColdCaseRadiator7OPT.jpg


ColdCaseRadiator9OPT.jpg


However, the instant I saw this cut I thought something had happened by mistake:

ColdCaseRadiator11OPT.jpg


And then I saw there was a matching cut on the opposite bottom corner:

ColdCaseRadiator13OPT.jpg


I remember having noticed similar cuts in OEM radiators, although more cleanly made. I believe this relates to one of the biggest issues with aluminum radiators and the reason the fabricated units are possibly more prone to core leaks. The expansion of the cores creates stresses which eventually become cracks. I suspect the plastic tank units with steel upper and lower supports (can be seen on both the Mopar HD and Spectra Premium) do a better job of maintaining structural integrity over time. OTOH, my Mopar HD only made it 7 years. If this radiator actually does have a warranty I might get my money’s worth.

I measured the core with a set of inside/outside calipers and got roughly 2 ¼” thick:

ColdCaseRadiator37OPT.jpg


Measuring the Mopar HD the same way I got just over 1 ½” and the Spectra Premium measured 1”


At any rate it looks like this radiator is worth a run. What does it take to install it?
 
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The first problem I ran into was the fact that I couldn’t even get this radiator into place with the AC condenser in place. After several efforts I concluded that the pins on the Cold Case have been biased toward the rear of the vehicle so as to push the radiator forward. This would be good for creating more fan clearance. It would be a non-issue for folks who don’t have AC. But I want my AC. I decided to try to modify the AC condenser mounting brackets in an effort to create the necessary clearance. I scribed them:

ColdCaseRadiator19OPT.jpg


From there I removed the brackets from the condenser, took a rotary file in a Dremel and ground out to my lines, then cleaned things up with a file. A couple of test fits were required to finalize the modification, but it did work and I was finally able to drop in the radiator. The first thing I found was that I was essentially right up against the fan clutch:

ColdCaseRadiator26OPT.jpg


I also found that the studs for the upper radiator support did not even manage to make it to the bottom of that panel, let alone through it:

ColdCaseRadiator24OPT.jpg


The fan clutch was the next problem that had to be solved. I had assumed I was running the stock fan clutch. I now believe that was an incorrect assumption. While my fan clutch does not exactly match the fan clutch in my ’97 ZJ, I believe it is still a ZJ fan clutch. In my collection of random parts I found what is probably an original style XJ fan clutch, and it is substantially different from what I have been running.

An original?

ColdCaseRadiator34OPT.jpg


Unfortunately my example of an original style is seeping oil out the back, so I had to go looking for a new one. I started at Napa and received a part that looked similar to the original style, but with risers along the perimeter that might as well be radiator saw teeth. Not exactly the profile I want to install in a tight situation. So I tried Vatozone to see what they had to offer. They had something that looked like the ZJ fan clutch. I was afraid it would be too tall, like the ZJ, but decided to take it home to measure it.

I first measured the fan clutch I had been running. It came out at 3.328”

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I then measured the one from Napa. It measured 3.032”

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And then I measured the one from Vatozone. It measured 2.957”

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And the Vatozone unit is made in the USA. Who knew? I didn’t think we made anything anymore, unless perhaps those little stickers that say “Made in China”.

In case anyone is interested, here is the Vatozone Part number:

ColdCaseRadiator43OPT.jpg


It should be noted that this unit comes with new bolts for the fan. You must run these bolts. The originals are too long and will bottom out before properly tightening down the fan itself:

ColdCaseRadiator44OPT.jpg


A fit check showed that the quarter inch I gained with the new fan clutch would provide me with reasonable clearance, so I moved on to dealing with the lack of height for the studs for the upper radiator support.

I decided to go at this by splitting the difference top and bottom. I used some 1/8” thick rubber to cut out some donut spacers for the bottom supports:

ColdCaseRadiator46OPT.jpg


Here they are installed, along with the modified and freshly painted AC Condenser brackets:

ColdCaseRadiator52OPT.jpg


For the top I used the same 1/8” rubber to make washers to go under the isolators:

ColdCaseRadiator49OPT.jpg


And now my fitment top to bottom was spot on:

ColdCaseRadiator57OPT.jpg
 
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One other detail I decided to address was the drain petcock. I have never found this feature to be useful on any vehicle. It is always inconveniently located and more likely to be a liability than an asset. On my XJ it is particularly annoying because it hangs up on the AC condenser lines when removing the radiator. I pulled that useless valve and put in an allen head ¼” pipe plug in its place:

ColdCaseRadiator55OPT.jpg


Now we can take a look at final fitment. I used drill bits to try to measure my gap between the radiator and the fan clutch. With upper support installed and bolts snugged down to assure its location I have 23/64” of clearance between the fan clutch and the radiator:

ColdCaseRadiator69OPT.jpg


This means the ZJ fan clutch at 3.328” thick would have 0.011” of clearance. In other words, no room for vibration.

The AC condenser is tight to the radiator:

ColdCaseRadiator71OPT.jpg


And:

ColdCaseRadiator73OPT.jpg


And yes, I know the fan shroud is missing in the above photos. I left it out so that I could get better pictures. The radiator came out one last time so that I could install the shroud.

In the final installation I found one more detail worth noting. The fitting for the overflow tank (just below the radiator cap) was not installed tight. In the process of pushing on the hose I found the fitting was rotating under hand pressure. Removal of the fitting showed that it had been installed with thread sealant:

ColdCaseRadiator75OPT.jpg


I cleaned it up, put on some thread sealant and tightened it down. Initially it had been installed with the hex flats about 1/8” short of the filler neck. Properly tightened it went all the way to fully seated against the filler neck:

ColdCaseRadiator76OPT.jpg


On the inside I was a bit worried it might interfere with the radiator cap:

ColdCaseRadiator77OPT.jpg


The cap goes on fine however.

I should note that this radiator comes with a new cap, but it is a perfectly round cap which makes it hard to install and remove. It is a nice clean look, but inconvenient to live with. We will see how long I tolerate it.

The real test will come over time. Daytime highs are in the 50s currently. It won’t be for a few months until I can get a sense of how well this radiator cools.

I will add feedback as I gather information.
 
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The clutch fan pictured as 'original' is a MOPAR. I was warned that aftermarkets would be wider and probably damage a HD radiator. Yes, I found out the hard way. Even with good engine mounts there is very little clearance.
 
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