Good to know. I am unable to fit an intercooler in front of the radiator due to a transmission and steering cooler sitting there but I am running a 3rd injector so that might help enough with cooling.
Is there such thing as a "good" performance aluminum radiator for the TJ?
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Good to know. I am unable to fit an intercooler in front of the radiator due to a transmission and steering cooler sitting there but I am running a 3rd injector so that might help enough with cooling.
xxdabroxx
TJ Addict
It wasn't leaking bad yet but you could see where it was weeping out on the passenger side where the tubes enter the bottom. I was bummed to see that, then I was even more bummed to see there was no way it was fitting with the condenser.
Even though I live in a relatively cool climate I enjoy my AC on humid days. I'm not about to give that comfort up for more horsepower.
I would think a cast aluminum cap that is welded to the stock core would be robust … when comes time to replace, you can reuse the caps and reweld them. This is assuming you can find a radiator shop, there’s only one I know that actually repairs radiators here in Phoenix.
Another thing to add is the radiator cap! Hear me out … there are two types of radiator caps.
One is sealed and any heat causes pressure to start building until the valve opens into the reservoir … when it cools another valve opens to draw fluid from the reservoir back into the radiator.
Another style radiator cap doesn’t allow pressure to build unless it’s “rapid” they the valve seals and pressure builds …
Parking a hot engine with radiator cap A causes the cooling system to hold pressure long after shutdown. Cap B the hoses will feel soft and not pressurized …
Technically you refer to this as a spring vacuum valve and a weighted vacuum valve.
I can see the spring style (seems to be most common from the parts store) causing additional stress on the radiator, hoses, gaskets and basically the whole cooling system
In my experience, in the heat of the Phoenix desert, I have not found a bad radiator. All the factory ones an all 4 TJ’s/LJs popped EVERY SINGLE ONE, but they always cooled, they just weeped coolant on top. Never had an overheating issue on any Jeep, full AC, 120+ degree days, blah blah blah.
When I replaced the OEM Units
I always use a 195 degree thermostat
I always swap the fan clutch with a Hayden heavy duty
But when I was new with my first 98 TJ 5 speed. I put a 3 or 4 row copper/brass CSF. It worked, but I would see the needle dance around 210 (yes it would sway a bit). Wheeled the crap out of this thing in AZ. Fun fact, I went muddying for hours in this rig, needle was dancing more than usual, when I deep cleaned off all the mud when I got home, the radiator was just packed with mud. Killed an air filter and a MAP sensor but still didn’t overheat …
Next Jeep I got “smarter” and put a 4 core aluminum champion radiator in my LJ Ruby with an automatic. This radiator was a beast, but would run a little above 210 with stock fan clutch, heavy duty was able to overcome the resistance of the 4 cores, never overheated. I never really wheeled this one.
Next Jeep was a LJ 6 speed, I listened to the Mopar hype and bought the stock replacement. Was perfectly fine but at this point I was in San Diego, wheeling in the desert, but not as much as I did my first love, I mean first Jeep.
Next Jeep I bought to show my San Diegan wife the beauty of the AZ desert, moved back and had to make it appealing. used Mopar. Perfectly fine, never an overheating issue.
When I pick up my 5th, LJ here shortly, I’ll be putting a Mopar unless someone like Dewitt’s starts making Jeep radiators.
MORAL OF THE STORY: they all work, make sure your junk is flushed, fresh coolant, 50/50 coolant mixture (I always use G05 and distilled), 195 thermostat (I have gotten bad ones twice), fresh fan clutch (heavy duty is extra loud until it releases). In terms of absolute limits, limits beyond my experience, avoid the fancy foo foo, the 4 core copper CSF and 4 core aluminum champion seemed closer to the limit of their performance envelope, I feel the stock MOPAR had more overhead… again, overhead I never needed in the desert. If only the bastards wouldn’t crack.
In other cars/rigs if you pounding axle snapping power high centered in your favorite rock garden, take a few seconds to be kind to your rig and run your truck at higher rpm at idle to let the fan move some heat, then proceed to romp around. This also works to get your AC to chill a bit more if your stationary for a while.
I would love a real American made, full welded aluminum radiator, pressed end tanks, same core design as factory, perhaps extend the core from 1” to 1.25” tubes. Or dual 1”. Any more then that and I believe the cooling stack becomes too restrictive. But all this would do is look pretty and give me the warm and fuzzies that this might last longer than the mopar 10 year life, and possible keep me cool when the tree hugger prove they’re right and Phoenix goes up to 135 degrees in the summer.
When I replaced the OEM Units
I always use a 195 degree thermostat
I always swap the fan clutch with a Hayden heavy duty
But when I was new with my first 98 TJ 5 speed. I put a 3 or 4 row copper/brass CSF. It worked, but I would see the needle dance around 210 (yes it would sway a bit). Wheeled the crap out of this thing in AZ. Fun fact, I went muddying for hours in this rig, needle was dancing more than usual, when I deep cleaned off all the mud when I got home, the radiator was just packed with mud. Killed an air filter and a MAP sensor but still didn’t overheat …
Next Jeep I got “smarter” and put a 4 core aluminum champion radiator in my LJ Ruby with an automatic. This radiator was a beast, but would run a little above 210 with stock fan clutch, heavy duty was able to overcome the resistance of the 4 cores, never overheated. I never really wheeled this one.
Next Jeep was a LJ 6 speed, I listened to the Mopar hype and bought the stock replacement. Was perfectly fine but at this point I was in San Diego, wheeling in the desert, but not as much as I did my first love, I mean first Jeep.
Next Jeep I bought to show my San Diegan wife the beauty of the AZ desert, moved back and had to make it appealing. used Mopar. Perfectly fine, never an overheating issue.
When I pick up my 5th, LJ here shortly, I’ll be putting a Mopar unless someone like Dewitt’s starts making Jeep radiators.
MORAL OF THE STORY: they all work, make sure your junk is flushed, fresh coolant, 50/50 coolant mixture (I always use G05 and distilled), 195 thermostat (I have gotten bad ones twice), fresh fan clutch (heavy duty is extra loud until it releases). In terms of absolute limits, limits beyond my experience, avoid the fancy foo foo, the 4 core copper CSF and 4 core aluminum champion seemed closer to the limit of their performance envelope, I feel the stock MOPAR had more overhead… again, overhead I never needed in the desert. If only the bastards wouldn’t crack.
In other cars/rigs if you pounding axle snapping power high centered in your favorite rock garden, take a few seconds to be kind to your rig and run your truck at higher rpm at idle to let the fan move some heat, then proceed to romp around. This also works to get your AC to chill a bit more if your stationary for a while.
I would love a real American made, full welded aluminum radiator, pressed end tanks, same core design as factory, perhaps extend the core from 1” to 1.25” tubes. Or dual 1”. Any more then that and I believe the cooling stack becomes too restrictive. But all this would do is look pretty and give me the warm and fuzzies that this might last longer than the mopar 10 year life, and possible keep me cool when the tree hugger prove they’re right and Phoenix goes up to 135 degrees in the summer.
My USA made CG&J fully welded aluminum radiator works fantastic…
I run the 4.0L shroud, HD fan clutch and 18” Flex-A-Light fan blade. On the 192 thermostat the Hemi runs between 194° and 197.8° or so. Doesn’t matter the temperature outside or the idle time…
The radiator has an A/C condenser, a large transmission cooler and a power steering cooler all stacked in front of it. I do run the side and bottom condenser seals (although it didn’t seem to care if they were installed or not)…
I run the 4.0L shroud, HD fan clutch and 18” Flex-A-Light fan blade. On the 192 thermostat the Hemi runs between 194° and 197.8° or so. Doesn’t matter the temperature outside or the idle time…
The radiator has an A/C condenser, a large transmission cooler and a power steering cooler all stacked in front of it. I do run the side and bottom condenser seals (although it didn’t seem to care if they were installed or not)…
Had to Google that one … I’d say it’s worth a try … seems to hit all my points. But does it last ?!?!
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this company mentioned before …
Been running it for several years. Best built radiator I have ever owned. And I’ve had quite a few…
They make cores for a lot of serious equipment. Heavy duty equipment that has to last. The vehicle market is almost an afterthought for them considering what they do every day…