Jeep hood is incredibly hot

MacdaddyTJ

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Joined
Jul 1, 2024
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Arvada Co
Hey guys, new to the forum here. Recently I bought a 99 TJ with only 50,000 original miles on it! But the other day while driving around on a relatively warm day, I noticed the hood of my Jeep was insanely hot! Like I could have fried an egg on it! There were no engine over heating warnings, gauges were normal, and it seem to be driving around just fine. But I could not believe how darn hot the hood was. I popped the hood to let the engine compartment cool off because I was quite alarmed at this. Is this normal?! I have heard the 4.0 engines run hot but holy cow! Coolant levels were also fine. The hood is also white. It just didn't seem right as to how incredibly hot it was to the touch.
 
Fathers day weekend @Hog and I drove his LJR to a harbor freight 13 miles away

After being in the store about 20 minutes the hood read 170 degrees with an infrared.

Water boils at 230 degrees i think.

The real problem with the jeep engine compartment is air does not escape easily-

Do any of you guys remember when guys would set up the rear of the hood to set about an inch and a half above the cowl in the 70’s? That worked.
 
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Ya someone also mentioned there is no under hood insulation so ya got heat coming from the engine and heat from the sun. Thanks guy, I was just a little worried about that. Things usually don't last long under intense heat! I know I dont! :LOL:
 
Ya someone also mentioned there is no under hood insulation so ya got heat coming from the engine and heat from the sun. Thanks guy, I was just a little worried about that. Things usually don't last long under intense heat! I know I dont! :LOL:

It has lasted nearly 20 years and 50,000 miles
 
Fathers day weekend @Hog and I drove his LJR to a harbor freight 13 miles away

After being in the store about 20 minutes the hood read 170 degrees with an infrared.

Water boils at 230 degrees i think.

The real problem with the jeep engine compartment is air does not escape easily-

Do any of you guys remember when guys would set up the rear of the hood to set about an inch and a half above the cowl in the 70’s? That worked.

Just throwing it out there but I believe water boils at 212*f. The coolant and 18 psi radiator cap allows the coolant temps to get as hot as they do without boiling.

Adding a good louver was the best thing I did to cool my engine bay, and it greatly reduces hood flutter. I’m able to handle the hood most of the time even in summer desert temps. The hood was typically scolding hot at operating temps before I added the louver.
 
At a certain altitude 🤓

Blow Your Mind Wow GIF by Product Hunt


212*F at sea level. Looks like it drops about 1*F for every 500 ft of elevation over sea level.
 
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Adding a good louver was the best thing I did to cool my engine bay, and it greatly reduces hood flutter. I’m able to handle the hood most of the time even in summer desert temps. The hood was typically scolding hot at operating temps before I added the louver.

I would add louver(s) but I like the way the stock hood looks.
 
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I would add louver(s) but I like the way the stock hood looks.

I didn’t want a louver either bc I preferred the stock look way more.

I eventually installed one to lower my intake temps after adding the turbo. I chose function over form at the time bc I expected to not like the look very much. I consider myself lucky bc the satin louver goes well with the other black parts to offset the khaki.

I understand if you don’t want to add any vents to the hood bc you like the original look.
 
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212*F at sea level. Looks like it drops about 1*F for every 500 ft of elevation over sea level.

I've always been in the habit of testing my thermostats on the stove before install. I had to skip that step when I lived at 7500' because I couldn't get the water hot enough to see the thermostat open all the way.
 
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