Need help diagnosing overheating issue

[DeFrancoTaylor]

I got into an accident in my 02 TG and like an idiot I drove it afterwards causing the car to overheat and shut down several times. I had it towed to my dads house and him and I put a brand new radiator in it and that at the time seemed to have solved the overheating issue. I drove it for two days following with absolutely no problems until it began to overheat again. Took it to a mechanic and he said he thinks it’s a blown head gasket which I cannot afford to fix at this very moment. If it is a blown head gasket would blue devil head gasket sealer do me any good? I’ll try replacing the thermostat too

 

[Chris]

If it is a head gasket issue, you should look at your oil. There would be coolant in the oil, which would be apparently obvious even just looking at the oil (post a picture if you're in doubt).

Look at the reviews on that Blue Devil head gasket sealer:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NOO798/?tag=wranglerorg-20

They appear mediocre at best.

If it works (which is an IF), it's only going to work for a short period of time before you have no other choice than to have you head gasket replaced the right way.

 

[qslim]

I wouldn't put much faith in any sort of headgasket sealer. Your mechanic should be able to do a fairly quick check to determine whether or not your headgasket really is blown.

Based on your description though I'd put money on it. If you feel froggy grab a basic set of tools and give it a go. There's plenty of people here to help if you're so inclined.

 

[TJ4Jim]

You have the option of doing a compression test which is very simple and only requires a spark plug wrench and a tester that is usually available as a free rental.

 

[CodaMan]

You have the option of doing a compression test which is very simple and only requires a spark plug wrench and a tester that is usually available as a free rental.

A head gasket can be blown at an oil passage, intake passage or exhaust passage and a compression test will still pass. A better test is a coolant pressurization test to find where the water is going.

 

[TJ4Jim]

A head gasket can be blown at an oil passage, intake passage or exhaust passage and a compression test will still pass. A better test is a coolant pressurization test to find where the water is going.

If he has contaminated oil and losing coolant that would be a good choice, both tests would cover all the bases

 

[bromel]

You have an 02 TJ, so it's possible the head cracked (a few early 02s had the dreaded 0331 head issue). Don't mean to alarm you, but make sure you check the head for cracks if/when you remove it.

 

[DeFrancoTaylor]

If it is a head gasket issue, you should look at your oil. There would be coolant in the oil, which would be apparently obvious even just looking at the oil (post a picture if you're in doubt).

There’s no coolant in the oil at all I checked and double triple checked it. Another thing that’s weird is that the dashboard is reading “no fuse” when I start it up. The Jeep starts right up though with no issues

 

[Chris]

I'm not sure if the "no fuse" is related to your issue or not, but it's worth checking out this thread:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/no-fuse-message-im-stumped.21833/