Overheating when engine is stressed

brodyrife

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Jul 19, 2020
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I have a 2000 Jeep Tj with the 4.0. I have had so many items replaced on this jeep but when the engine is stressed like the other day I was driving up some mountain roads I drive up all the time and the engine kept overheating. This engine has a new head (the old one was cracked), new thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, water pump and no coolant leaks. The only thing I can think of it has a check engine light for a 02 sensor I replaced with a ngk one and nothing changed. I’m so tired of this constant isssue of overheating.
 
What radiator did you install? Did you by chance install a store brand? If so, store and online brands usually have little to no excess cooling capacity to handle extra-hot conditions. Mopar's radiator has plenty of excess cooling capacity, mine does not overheat in even the hottest conditions with the steepest climbs. And when buying radiators, also know that the number of rows has no direct correlation to its cooling capacity. A 3 row radiator won't necessarily cool better than a 1 row radiator. The Mopar radiator is a 1 row radiator, it just happens to have a very good design with an all aluminum core.
 
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What you want is the Mopar 52080183AC or the 52080184AC which is the same one but made for an automatic transmission which will work fine with your 5-speed.

@mrblaine builds Jeeps for a living and also occasionally is asked to fix an overheating problem that is stumping everyone else. His most common fix is to replace whatever radiator was installed with a Mopar.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=s...2ahUKEwjm7syjrJ_yAhXFxWIKHXwwB0AQu-kFegQIABAT
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...pIBAzEuMpgBAKABAqABAcABAQ&sclient=products-cc
 
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There are a few good aftermarket radiators, but they are 6-800 and usually way more that what a Jeeper needs. Mopar is usually good enough, just like Jerry said.
 
What you want is the Mopar 52080183AC or the 52080184AC which is the same one but made for an automatic transmission which will work fine with your 5-speed.

@mrblaine builds Jeeps for a living and also occasionally is asked to fix an overheating problem that is stumping everyone else. His most common fix is to replace whatever radiator was installed with a Mopar.
Sorta. I replace with Mopar parts including the thermostat, water pump, and coolant after doing a drive around engine and cooling system flush. I won't just swap in a radiator to solve a problem.
 
Had some temperature issues in 2013 with my TJ with automatic transmission going up the mountains and an external transmission cooler helped to reduce the temperature and avoided any future overheating.

From your profile I see that you have a manual transmission and I'm not sure if an external cooler will help with that.

A few weeks back I had again overheating events similar to yours and the fan clutch was the culprit this time.
Replaced it and no more overheating. You may check the fan clutch in your TJ, if not done already.
 
If the radiator doesn't work the 02 sensor code could mean you are dealing with plugged cats. They can dump enough heat to cause overheating. Any one failed or failing component can cause the system to reach the tipping point so you generally get allot of, "I replaced this and it fixed my issue." Going from cheap to expensive one step at a time is the right way to do it.
 
On the subject to radiators what do you guys think about this one?
MISHIMOTO RAD

I have ran this brand in the past under boosted applications and it kept heat down. I was thinking of getting it for my TJ
 
I would get the 55037652AA radiator which is for manuals and cheaper than the older ones listed. It was the model used in the latest TJs and it is for manuals only.
 
Where did you get it from? Were you able to exchange it? I assume it leaks as soon as you added liquid..
That was a plan of mine way in the past. I never did because of how many people I saw have problems with them (personal friends who put them on their Jeeps as well as plenty of forum members and FB users). They don't have a good reputation in the TJ and on the contrary, Mopar has a near flawless reputation.
 
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I would get the 55037652AA radiator which is for manuals and cheaper than the older ones listed. It was the model used in the latest TJs and it is for manuals only.
That's a good find, doesn't hurt that it is going for under $200 at rockauto. Prices on the others, which can be difficult to source, are through the roof.
 
That's a good find, doesn't hurt that it is going for under $200 at rockauto. Prices on the others, which can be difficult to source, are through the roof.
Agreed. They seem to pretty much all be the same part despite the part number differences across the years. The Mopar parts manuals tell me that the number I listed is from 05-06 if I'm recalling correctly. The other older part numbers I'm guessing are new old stock and likely that is why they cost more. I don't know that for sure. I do know the number I listed works on all years.
 
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Garbage. They are very popular for how effectively they leak out coolant.
Where did you get it from? Were you able to exchange it? I assume it leaks as soon as you added liquid..
It doesn't leak immediately. Like all aftermarket radiators in our Jeeps, they wait anywhere from several months to a couple years to do so. The best thing about them is that they have a lifetime warranty. So you get to replace them as often as you want, instead of every 15 or 20 years like a Mopar radiator.
 
That was a plan of mine way in the past. I never did becuase of how many people I saw have problems with them (personal friends who put them on their Jeeps as well as plenty of forum members and FB users). They don't have a good reputation in the TJ and on the contrary, Mopar has a near flawless reputation.

Strange because all the other applications ive used them on have been great without issues. I dont do FB so I wouldnt know and I try to talk to people who have actual use instead of the "oh I know a guy and its trash" statement but I will have to pickup a new mopar to try it