How come when I click the part number for the OEM radiator on this thread that it tells me it won't fit my 97 Tj 4.0, manual? I just want to be certain that if I order this part - (Mopar# 55037652AA). Also, when I look at other sites, this is not the part # that comes up. I do understand that part numbers can change, just want to make sure I get the correct OEM radiator for my TJ.
Jeep Wrangler TJ Cooling System Overhaul FAQ
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
I'm the same boat as others asking. 1998 4.0 auto, radiator linked in the beginning shows doesn't fit on Amazon. Sounds like Mopar hasn't made a radiator for my Jeep in a while and searching around on places like rock auto no Mopar option available. Hoping it's operator error searching. If anyone can confirm a source for a Mopar option I'd appreciate it. Otherwise a least bad aftermarket option. Thanks!
I just stuck the 05-06 with the quick disconnect auto cooler fittings in my 97 with no issues other than adapting the cooler lines. Only issue I am aware of is some of the early 97's have a different AC condenser configuration where the AC lines attach.
Thanks for the awesome resource! Getting my cart together for the overhaul which was prompted by a busted radiator. I'd like to confirm the part number for my thermostat (2000 Wrangler 4.0L auto transmission).
Thanks!
- OP states pn 52028186AC with hyperlink to Stant 45359 on Amazon
- 2000 TJ Parts Manual pdf pg 77 from forum resources section shows pn 52028186
- Rock Auto lists Stant 45359 (same one from Amazon link) as compatible with Jeeps 1960-2005, but doesn't list 5202816 as an alternate/OEM pn
- Rock Auto instead has Stant 13789, and lists both 52028186 and 52028186AC as alternate/OEM pn, but doesn't list any Jeeps as compatible.
Thanks!
One more vote for doing it all at once. My radiator ruptured today, not even a week of driving after replacing the water pump, fan clutch, and thermostat. I thought I'd save money and do it later since it was still "good".
It seemed like all the other people's radiators that failed right after the water pump was just coincidence, but I think there may be a correlation. Just know that if you choose to only replace the water pump and not the radiator, it may be on borrowed time...
It seemed like all the other people's radiators that failed right after the water pump was just coincidence, but I think there may be a correlation. Just know that if you choose to only replace the water pump and not the radiator, it may be on borrowed time...
The water pump should not be on the cooling system overhaul. Water pumps should be changed when the bearings fail and they start leaking. If you plug a leak it is very common for the system to spring new leaks when it holds pressure again. Plenty of people suggest replacing the water pump for no reason, it serves no purpose. I think Blaine recently posted he doesn't do it anymore because he got tired of throwing away perfectly good Mopar pumps. It's good advice to leave it alone whoever you choose to listen to. The radiator has a finite lifetime, that is pretty well established and is something people should pay attention to.
You might get a message back saying it isn't available, moparpartsgiant.com and wermopar.com seem to have it in stock for about the same price but obviously shipping ain't gonna be cheap.
It looks like I have to replace my lower radiator hose. I have the Gates 22900 in my cart on Amazon. Are these the correct clamps for this hose? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040CRUWK/?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...urces-for-constant-tension-hose-clamps.28271/
@Chris , this would be a good thread to link to at the end of the first post
@Chris , this would be a good thread to link to at the end of the first post
The link to the water pump at wermopar says it doesn't fit my 1997. Anyone else have issues with this? I double checked the part number but I don't want to order it and find out it was the wrong one.
Jerry, I have never done this to any of my t-stats, but I'm curious about giving it a try. What does the bleed hole accomplish? Air release from the block?
Yes, It helps bleed air from the system after parts are replaced. Especially since the thermostat will be closed initially until the coolant warms up.
Should I replace my entire cooling system at once?
It's a wise thing to do, yes. Let's say you buy a used Jeep Wrangler TJ with 100k plus miles on it. Well, first and foremost you have to know that as I'm writing this in 2017, your vehicle is anywhere between 20 years old (if it was made in 1997) to 11 years old (if it was made in 2006). Either way, if you have no record of the cooling system having been replaced, then you're on your stock cooling system, and even if the miles are lower, that's still a lot of time for a cooling system. Plastic and rubber wear out over time, as do water pumps, thermostats, seals and coolant.
The number one thing that is likely to fail in stop-and-go traffic or long road trips is most likely your cooling system. Replacing the major components in your cooling system is a fairly inexpensive and easy process. Assuming you use OE replacement parts (which is always recommended for longevity), you can expect an easy 10+ years and 100k+ miles out of your new cooling system.
Stay away at all costs from cheap replacement parts from AutoZone, O'Reiley's, NAPA, and other auto part stores. The parts they sell are known to fail prematurely, and will not last nearly as long as OE Mopar replacement parts.
So yes, it's a very wise idea to replace all of your cooling system components at once. In fact, you'd be a fool not to!
What parts will I need?
I've compiled a list of part numbers for the radiator, thermostat and water pump for our Jeep Wrangler TJ vehicles. I figure this information will be very handy when doing a cooling system overhaul.
A few things to take note of here are that in the links above, I'm only linking to OE Mopar parts (as I believe any other cooling system part--especially ones from local auto part stores--are far inferior). The thermostats I'm linking to are Stant SuperStat thermostats with the factory 195 degree configuration. Stant SuperStats are very highly regarded as being better than OE thermostats for our vehicles.
4 Cylinder (SE) Models:
1997-2002 (2.5 liter 4 cylinder)
Waterpump: 4626054AF
Thermostat: 52028186AC
Thermostat Gasket
Radiator: 55037652AA (Manual Transmission)
Radiator: 55037653AB (Automatic Transmission)
Upper Radiator Hose: 52028266
Lower Radiator Hose: 52079670AA
Fan Clutch: 68065080AA
Replacement Radiator Cap: Stant #10234 (yes, this part is a must if you're refreshing your cooling system)
2003-2006 (2.4 liter 4 cylinder)
Waterpump: 4694307AF
Thermostat: 53010552AC
Thermostat Gasket
Radiator: 55037652AA (Manual Transmission)
Radiator: 55037653AB (Automatic Transmission)
Upper Radiator Hose: 52080030AD
Lower Radiator Hose: 52080031AD
Fan Clutch: 68064765AA
Replacement Radiator Cap: Stant #10234 (yes, this part is a must if you're refreshing your cooling system)
6 Cylinder Models:
1997-1999 (4.0 liter 6 cylinder)
Waterpump: 68382489AA
Thermostat: 52028186AC
Thermostat Gasket
Radiator: 55037652AA (Manual Transmission)
Radiator: 55037653AB (Automatic Transmission)
Upper Radiator Hose: 52028264AB
Lower Radiator Hose: 52079670AA
Fan Clutch: 68065080AA
Replacement Radiator Cap: Stant #10234 (yes, this part is a must if you're refreshing your cooling system)
2000-2006 (4.0 liter 6 cylinder)
Waterpump: 5012366AG
Thermostat: 52028186AC
Thermostat Gasket
Radiator: 55037652AA (Manual Transmission)
Radiator (2000-2004 only): 55037653AB (Automatic Transmission)
Radiator (2005-2006 only): 55037653AC (Automatic Transmission)
Upper Radiator Hose: 52028264AB
Lower Radiator Hose: 52079670AA
Fan Clutch: 68064765AA
Replacement Radiator Cap: Stant #10234 (yes, this part is a must if you're refreshing your cooling system)
Should I go with a low temp thermostat?
No, do not buy into the hype that a low temperature thermostat is going to benefit you. There are very, very few cases where a low thermostat will be of any benefit. For 99% of us, they're going to make things worse since the engine will take longer to warm up which can have a handful of negative effects on the engine, performance, and potentially even fuel economy. Whoever started the whole "low temp thermostat" idea needs to be shot, seriously.
Your Jeep was designed by Jeep engineers to operate within a certain temperature range. Making it operate cooler than that designate temperature goes against everything that is programmed into the ECU. There's a reason engineers did the things that they did, and if you're dumb enough to try and reverse engineer it because you think you're smarter than they are, well, then perhaps you're on your way to a Darwin Award
Seriously though, all humor aside, don't use a low temp thermostat unless you have some sort of very, very special use case (which doesn't count as "I go rock crawling").
Why do some later model and aftermarket thermostats have either a very small bleeder hole, or no bleeder hole at all?
According to @mrblaine, the later Mopar thermostats and others of similar design have changed the bleeder hole to be nearly non functioning. We've noted the change in the self burping function many times and finally resorted to drilling a 1/8" diameter hole next to the jiggler which solved the problem and made them work as before. The later ones are not self burping in the least until you fix them.
So in other words, you can drill a 1/8" hole in your new thermostat if it has a hole that is much too small, or no hole at all. It's very easy to do and nothing to stress over.
There's a very good discussion on this subject in this thread.
What kind of coolant should I use?
In my opinion you should be using HOAT coolant in your Jeep Wrangler TJ. Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) is a combination of IAT and OAT. Several manufacturers are using HOAT for their vehicles. One version is dyed orange and contains 10% recycled antifreeze. Another version is dyed yellow and does not contain any recycled antifreeze. Both of these HOAT antifreezes use the marketing designator of GO-5. They are compatible with each other but mixing them with IAT or OAT is not recommended. The normal HOAT antifreeze service life is 5 years or 150,000 miles (250,000 km).
A perfect example of a good HOAT coolant for use in your Jeep Wrangler TJ is the OE Mopar coolant or Zero G-05 coolant.
How much coolant should I use?
See this thread for fluid capacities (it varies depending on which model TJ you have): Jeep Wrangler TJ Fluid Capacities
Tap water or distilled water?
If you are flushing your cooling system or using a coolant that is not pre-diluted, DO NOT use anything other than distilled water. You can buy gallons of it at your local grocery store for less than 99 cents. Distilled water doesn't have the minerals in it that tap water does. If you fill or flush your cooling system with tap water, you will start to see rust build up (which turns brown in the coolant) that occurs sometimes in as soon as months. This will ultimately destroy your cooling system in short order, and make a big mess of things.
How do I replace the radiator?
See this thread: Jeep Wrangler TJ Radiator Replacement
How do I replace the water pump?
See this thread: Jeep Wrangler TJ Water Pump Replacement
How do I flush the cooling system?
See this thread: How to flush the cooling system on your Jeep Wrangler TJ
What kind of hose clamps should I use?
Contrary to popular belief, a "worm gear clamp" is not the way to go with cooling system hoses. What you want to do is re-use the stock "constant tension" clamps (which you can also find on Amazon in various different sizes). The stock "constant tension" clamps are far superior than a "worm gear clamp" because they apply constant tension as the name suggests. The problem with the worm gear clamps is that often times you'll get it tightened down too much, and it can cause a very small leak in one area of the hose where the clamp might not have enough pressure or have something under it causing it to not seal correctly.
I've seen a lot of cooling system hoses (especially radiator hoses) leak, and it was entirely due to the person using a worm gear clamp as oppose to the constant tension style. There's a reason the factory uses the constant tension clamps, and you should re-use them or source out new ones (if yours is missing them) if you're going through the process of overhauling your cooling system.
Chris,
Firstly, I want to thank you for all the guidance/expertise over the years. I have used this site and your recommendations several times (on various projects), with excellent results. Thank you.
I do have a potential issue that has arisen while overhauling my cooling system this week.
I have completed an entire OEM/Mopar cooling system overhaul/replacement (radiator, water pump, T-Stat, T-Stat housing, fan clutch, hoses, etc. - *minus the heater core) including the recommend system flushes with distilled water. Actually, I used the links that you provided to obtain the vast majority of the required parts. So again, thank you.
When selecting the new engine coolant, I used the link that you provided below:
"A perfect example of a good HOAT coolant for use in your Jeep Wrangler TJ is the OE Mopar coolant..."
As such, after completing the entire overhaul process I filled my new system with the OE Mopar Engine Coolant, from your link.
"Mopar 68163849AB 10 Year/150,000 Mile Coolant 50/50 Premixed - Embittered"
However, a few hours after completing the job, I discovered that this is actually an (OAT) coolant. It is NOT a (HOAT) coolant. As you will see, the link still brings item# listed above in bold. Error?
So, in short, can I run this OE Mopar OAT Coolant (68163849AB) in my entirely new/flushed system? Or, do I need to re-drain + re-flush + re-fill with a HOAT coolant???
(I certainly hope I don't have to drain and flush the entire system again. ) *fingers crossed*
Thank you in advance for all of the help!
Best Regards,
- Brian
- 2002 Jeep Wrangler Sahara (4.0L) Manual -
That stuff is good for 10 years. The only reason I run HOAT is because the G05 from Zerex is compatible with the regular green stuff so in a pinch I can use that. I do have to change it more often as a result. You will be fine until your next cooling service whenever you choose that to be. Just use the Mopar OAT if you need to top it off.
OP
@pagrey beat me to it.
Looks like that link either changed or I linked to the wrong product to begin with. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I'll update it now!
The Mopar radiator for 02 TJ 4.0 has just been discontinued (55037653AB). I guess there's a few still out there at the online parts stores but I can't get any to respond about how long shipping will take (my ride is already in the shop). For future reference, what other brands are tough enough to handle the TJ stress test?
Update, the shop who is replacing my radiator (under warranty because of the crappy first one I allowed them to put in) said they can get a Carquest (no), Metrix, or CSF radiator, for additional cost to me. Not surprising. Anyone have experience with the last 2 brands??
Update, the shop who is replacing my radiator (under warranty because of the crappy first one I allowed them to put in) said they can get a Carquest (no), Metrix, or CSF radiator, for additional cost to me. Not surprising. Anyone have experience with the last 2 brands??
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