New from the Caribbean - Dealing with cooling issues

HungrySkull

New Member
Original poster
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
8
Location
Haiti
Hello all ,
New to the whole jeep thing. a Friend and I got an old 05 wrangler X with 150K miles and currently in the process of customizing it all. We are in haiti so it's all beaches or Mountains so should be fun :D Joining to pick everybody's brain and share.


Dealing with some cooling issues at the moment tho.
Water boiled in overflow tank without temp ever going past 210/215 1 month ago
hadn't even realized it boiled (just normal gurgling noises I thought after mountain climb/off road drives) until one day it heated up in heavy traffic with AC on for almost 2 hrs ( Easily 100+ degrees in the city at times).
So I decided to go check with a friend (mechanic who owns a jeep), told me to clean the rad, make sure I use proper fluids and change the rad cap.

I drove around town to try to find the 18lbs Cap...last store I reached said only the dealer will have that, and I quote, "huge s***"🤣.
Overflow tank boiled, even spilled coolant...so I called the dealer, ordered it and went home hoping to have it the next day; but this is where things got bad.... Radiator cracked that SAME DAY.
Anyway, I ordered (online not from dealer) an OE rad from Mopar and changed it last week....but now I have overheating issues randomly. It usually happens with AC on and it's 90-100+ degrees out, after an hour drive. Each time it overheats, I just have to turn off AC or stop for a moment and it goes back to normal even if I drive it around more.

I already checked the fan clutch it's fine, use proper zerex coolant 50/50, new rad Mopar..... water pump and thermostat maybe left to check... but I hear gurgling noises and sometimes even see overflow bottle boiling a bit (far less than before)

I realised right away that the Cap the dealer sold me is a 17Lbs black plastic one, not the same as the 18lbs chrome metalic I had. Eventho they checked and told me it's fine (I even heard whissling noises from the cap last time it overheated) , could this be the only cause of the issue? should I order an 18lbs ?
Anything else I'm overlooking?

Thanks.
 
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At that mileage point most tjs need a cooling system overhaul ...once you do the water pump and thermostat ,radiator and hoses , you should be great . Congrats and welcome to the forum .
 
At that mileage point most tjs need a cooling system overhaul ...once you do the water pump and thermostat ,radiator and hoses , you should be great . Congrats and welcome to the forum .
X2 on what @AndyG said...common issues with the TJ.
Good to have you onboard here, looking for to seeing plenty of pics of your adventures
 
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At that mileage point most tjs need a cooling system overhaul ...once you do the water pump and thermostat ,radiator and hoses , you should be great . Congrats and welcome to the forum .
Thanks, already did half, will probably do the thermostat but will have waterpump checked before I decide to change it (think it had already been changed before we bought jeep... And not cheap lol.. that's why).

I am curious about the radiator cap tho if some1 could clarify that too? Am I being paranoid and it doesn't make much of a difference or should I find an 18lbs to replace the 17lbs the jeep dealer sold me?
 
Thanks, already did half, will probably do the thermostat but will have waterpump checked before I decide to change it (think it had already been changed before we bought jeep... And not cheap lol.. that's why).

I am curious about the radiator cap tho if some1 could clarify that too? Am I being paranoid and it doesn't make much of a difference or should I find an 18lbs to replace the 17lbs the jeep dealer sold me?
Some guys swear by the factory cap.
 
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