Anybody got any recommendations on a drop in radiator for my 97 sport i’m not trying to spend a bunch of money but I need something reliable.
Fully concur. Get the OEM radiator and a new OEM radiator cap.The ONLY radiator you should use is Mopar. If you do some research you'll quickly find out why.
This is NOT the place to cheap out, trust me.
Sshhh...I got about 80k on the factory one before it cracked, 60k on a napa replacement and going strong still
Not sure who captain facepalm is, just stating my experience.Sshhh...
Don't tell captain face palm.
Perhaps he's just never seen the infamous split on said Mopar radiator.
I've lost count of the ones we replaced.
You're in a very distinct minority of those who don't recommend the Mopar radiator. And you received another face-palm reaction due to your continued low signal-to-noise (good info-to-bullshit) ratio.Sshhh...
Don't tell captain face palm.
Perhaps he's just never seen the infamous split on said Mopar radiator.
I've lost count of the ones we replaced.
Good lord...X5 on the Mopar radiator recommendation. There are many so-called OEM replacement radiator that will "drop in" but so far, we haven't found one that works/cools as well as the Mopar does. And to be sure there is a lot of junk out there where radiators are concerned... store brands especially like Duralast, online brands like radiator.com, Mishimoto, etc. are known for problems like leakage or they just don't cool well.
While the early Mopar radiators that were installed in 97-98 had leakage issues, that was fixed in the mid-1999 model year. All Mopar radiators have an all aluminum core and they work well despite a few clueless types that like to bash them. Personally I haven't had a Mopar radiator issue since around 1999 and it's the preferred radiator for those of us who regularly wheel in hot desert conditions. If the OE cooling system didn't work well in hot desert conditions we'd be pushing something else.
Of course Mopar is not the only radiator with an aluminum core. But there are even 100% aluminum radiators that don't cool as well as the Mopar design does.Good lord...
"All mopar radiator have an aluminum core"
They sure do... as does the aftermarket.
See Jerry the problem isn't the aluminum core that you somehow think is exclusive to Mopar...
It's the shit plastic that finds its way into some (not all) but some of their radiators no matter the year. Hence why I clearly said Mopar radiators are hit and miss and it's completely in lieu of year.
Do you know what they changed in design? Just curiousOf course Mopar is not the only radiator with an aluminum core. But there are even 100% aluminum radiators that don't cool as well as the Mopar design does.
And if you knew WTF you were talking about where the history of Mopar radiators was concerned you'd know the leakage issue was up through mid-1999 and was fixed after that with a redesign. I have not had another Mopar radiator issue since the redesigned radiator came out in mid-1999.
It must be lonely scoreboard watching. I think I gave that up around...well I never did that childish BS.You're in a very distinct minority of those who don't recommend the Mopar radiator. And you received another face-palm reaction due to your continued low signal-to-noise (good info-to-bullshit) ratio.
I don't know exactly what the fix was but the issue was the seam between the tank and core was leaking. That's what was fixed. I had 3 Mopar radiators split open between mid-96 when I bought my '97 TJ and mid-99 when they fixed the problem and I received the new design under warranty. I haven't had a radiator problem since.Do you know what they changed in design? Just curious
I haven't had a radiator problem since.
I wish I could! I can’t drop $300-$400 right nowThe ONLY radiator you should use is Mopar. If you do some research you'll quickly find out why.
The radiator is NOT the place to cheap out, trust me.
And we wish we knew of a less expensive alternative radiator that was worth installing without it being a crapshoot That is the Holy Grail that is, so far, unfound. @mrblaine has been searching for a less expensive alternative since he does a lot of fixes of overheating TJs but his usual recommendation is still usually Mopar.I wish I could! I can’t drop $300-$400 right now