Best aftermarket radiator now that OEM are all gone (2004 4.0)
- Thread starter SeizeTheKarp
- Start date
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
The fan and radiator work as a system. To switch to electric you'd need a radiator that was engineered for the airflow provided by an electric fan, which is much less than that provided by a belt driven fan due to reasonable constraints on current draw, wire sizing, etc.
You need to study the mounting system for the OEM radiator and the grill shell some. The grill shell is very robust with very little flex in any direction since it is two heavily ribbed sections that are then slid together with a good bit of overlap and then spot welded together around the seam. Add to that the only bits which actually hold the radiator to the mounting flanges are 4 small #10 machine screws with the heads slid into slots cast into the plastic tank and it becomes very obvious that the shell does not flex or it would rip those right out.
The reason aftermarket radiators fail is due to shit quality, nothing else.
The concept of using a YJ radiator that might be more robustly constructed and more easily repaired. The 2 row thing isn't what grabbed my attention, but being that it's copper may make up the difference vs a 1 row.
Copper and brass in traditional construction methods suffer from the Achilles Heel that is lead solder with its horridly low thermal transfer rate. I'll reserve my testing and evaluation of them when they finally bring the new tech brazing and laser welded versions to market for automotive.
Blaine are there any high-end high-quality all aluminum radiators made for the TJ that cool as well as the Mopar for those where cost is not an issue?
Oh, yeah that's no good. I would bet that's why this flattened tube style was never big in HVAC until they started making them from aluminum. Round tube/plate fin heat exchangers are mechanically bonded by expanding the tube into the fin so we don't have that issue.
Yep, that and they had issues getting the copper tubes strong enough to withstand the higher pressures and keep them cost effective and light enough to be a decent solution. No one denies that copper has a better conduction rate but the rest of the issues are hard to overcome for high efficiency stuff. When the very thing that dictates a big chunk of the performance which is fin to tube contact is highly compromised at every connection with lead, it is not a good thing.
The furnace brazed fin to tube contact for the aluminum cores really helps to put them ahead in efficiency. I suspect that is one of the things that really helps the Setrab coolers we use work so well. They are just basically long skinny radiators like you see in vehicles.
When I spoke to the guy at
edit: I made a mistake, US Radiator does have TJ radiators, it was the FlowKooler guy I talked to.
US Radiator may have been discussed here on the forum, are they good? I seem to remember some bad reviews.
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I'm aware of 2. One is the 2 row of 1" tubes made by Northern. It is and should be way down on the list of anyone considering one due to it being poorly designed and never test fit into a TJ with AC. You have to space it back off of the grill to clear the AC condenser and that gets it pretty close to the fan clutch button. But, it does work, it does cool very well and so far has lasted about 5 years or so.
The second one is one by CBR. They are custom, they are not cheap, they do work. I just can't stomach a grand for a TJ radiator and that was the pre-covid price.
I have a single row radiator in my 2000 jeep wrangler 4.2 now. Works fine below 90s but won't handle the heat. Puked the other day at 96 deg. After shutting it off in the Popeyes chicken place. Looked outside and watched it. I don't want to ruin my 2000 wrangler 4.2 with only 60,000 original miles. Her.
C.J. Roberts
TJ Addict
Ummmm, did you retro fit that 4.2? Because our TJs have the 4.0 in them.
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C.J. Roberts
TJ Addict
Same Napa brand that I mentioned in my post.
Sounds like you need a different radiator.