Is there such thing as a "good" performance aluminum radiator for the TJ?
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
They had a large hydraulic pump with a driveshaft that turned it which connected to the front of the engine and passed through that hole in the radiator.
Squirrel Trap
New Member
You're right they are the best radiators ever, just bad luck! I actually always go to NAPA and Dodge/Chrysler dealers spcifically for their selection of used parts, I also tend to take hammers and bang on them a bit to see if they are made good you know. I don't like using tools either so I just use bailing wire and slap these radiators in there...lets em flex when I'm wheelin'. Guess I was expecting too much yno, thought they did last forever until you set me straight and everything. Guess I'll just keep asking around because I was hoping for you to conclude something, guess I'll keep asking around. There's gotta be a couple experts here somewhere's.
Look on the bright side. Once the OE Mopar part supply dries up, then we'll all be at the mercy of the Chinese (i.e. Mishimoto garbage) and any other local auto part store brand we can find.
Glad I found an OEM back in 2016 then. Should be around 2035 by the time it needs replaced. I'll cross that bridge when its time.
I'm pretty happy having changed mine in September of Last year. The way my TJ is going, the rest of it will rot away and I'll have a nice new'ish Mopar radiator to put in my next one!
Let me show some ignorance here... Back in the day, radiator shops could fix lots radiator problems. Isn't there any way that a Mopar OEM radiator could be retrofited with a steel or aluminum cap to fix the problem of the plastic cap leaking? The only problem that I have ever heard about with the OEM radiator is that plastic cap. It seems to me there should be a way to fix that cap issue and save the rest of the radiator. I'm sure its been tried. I'm not that smart to be the first one to think of it. But I'm curious as to why the OEM radiators can't be refurbished.
OP
Technically the cap doesn't leak any more than the core does. The most common leak in that area is the o-ring that is used for the seal. It shrinks when cool and expands back up when it gets up to operating temp. The leak has nothing to do with the fact that the cap is plastic, the gasket losing resiliency is the issue. I'm not going to fault Mopar too much over that since some pretty smart folks at NASA managed to blow up 7 astronauts (actually 6 and 1 civilian, but whose counting?) over the same issue.
A metal cap would have the same problem. I have watched some of the OEM radiators weep in that area for a couple of years and none have failed catastrophically due to it. They generally stop when the engine gets up to temp.
The reason it is hard to refurbish is due to the crimped connection. The metal fails or is problematic when you undo the crimp and re-crimp the new tank on with a new gasket. Some folks have reported success with taking some vise grips and crimping the tabs a bit more to slow down or stop the weeping.
The original radiator on mine had been weeping at the top and bottom seams for quite some time before the top split open. I patched the split with epoxy and drove it for a week before the replacement attached. During that week a kept an eye on the patch and noticed all the other stress cracks that were developing. I also remember being able to see the upper tank balloon as the engine warmed.
This made me wonder what the correlation was between longevity and the heat cycles with it's accompanying expansions and contractions. Would a radiator that experienced steady temperatures last longer than one with persistent hot and cold cycles. Would the difference be meaningful?
This made me wonder what the correlation was between longevity and the heat cycles with it's accompanying expansions and contractions. Would a radiator that experienced steady temperatures last longer than one with persistent hot and cold cycles. Would the difference be meaningful?
Squirrel Trap
New Member
Squirrel Trap
New Member
Are you saying there is an o-ring between the metal core and the plastic top of the radiator where it's crimped together somewhere/somehow? I've never pulled one apart.
xxdabroxx
TJ Addict
Bring out yer dead... Ding. I'm digging this up as blaine posted in it and I have a question for him that could be useful for others in the future.
@mrblaine I know you have some experience with the Northern radiator that I have in my Jeep and I have question about the condenser in relation to it. I bought the radiator having no AC but remember you mentioning something about an issue with condenser fit along with the Northern. Do you remember what that was? I just ordered a Jeep Air kit for my 2001 and am trying to get ahead of the curve with what might be to come.
@mrblaine I know you have some experience with the Northern radiator that I have in my Jeep and I have question about the condenser in relation to it. I bought the radiator having no AC but remember you mentioning something about an issue with condenser fit along with the Northern. Do you remember what that was? I just ordered a Jeep Air kit for my 2001 and am trying to get ahead of the curve with what might be to come.
For whatever reason, no one at Northern has ever installed one in a TJ with AC. The grill has to come off with the condenser in place because there is no room to unthread the fan clutch and get it out of the way and not enough room between the radiator core and end of the fan clutch to safely drop the radiator in.
I have not installed one with the earlier fan clutches so it may not be an issue with that style. I know I'll never install another one. It is ridiculous to have to remove the grill to install a radiator.
Also, I believe that the radiator has to be spaced towards the engine off the grill mounting flanges to keep it off of the condenser. If you have the threaded fan clutch, I suspect you will wind up disliking the Northern as much as we do.
As someone who is 2 bolts away from removing the grill for other reasons, do you think there'd be any benefit to going with the Northern radiator for me? For everyone playing at home, I have a supercharger and roller rockers adding 50-70hp and am highly considering stroking up to 375-400hp in the future. I'd rather swap in a good radiator now that will work well later than buy an OEM radiator now and pay again later to swap to something else in the future.
xxdabroxx
TJ Addict
Mine was leaking when I pulled it out to install my AC. If you have an AC condenser good luck fitting the northern radiator without going to electric fans. Go OEM. I bought a cheap one from a parts store to get me by for a while until I have time to order a Mopar unit.
I have a turbo and intercooler that yield 103 additional hp at the wheels, so that is probably pushing 300 hp at the crank. I have the Mopar radiator, A/C condenser, and intercooler radiator, all installed without removing the grill. I have no overheating problems.