
~ With Some Help From Radiator.com ~
Jeeps aren't perfect. That's part of their charm; and the source for a huge aftermarket industry. In the case of our
Project 94 XJ, one of the imperfections was the cooling system. Living in the southwestern desert will push any vehicle's
cooling abilities to the limit when the summer months arrive. In the past, our daily driver 4.0 XJ has been borderline
overheating in heavy traffic and at times required turning off the AC to keep the temp down. To me, turning off the AC
when it's 110 degrees outside is not an appealing prospect. Once again, the aftermarket steps in to save the day.
The weak link in our XJ was the factory single core radiator, it just doesn't hold enough coolant to battle summer
temperatures. So what does any self respecting Jeeper with a computer do when he has a problem? Start surfing the 'net.
It didn't take very long to find www.radiator.com. They have stock
replacement radiators as well as upgrades for any Jeep on the road, and they're surprisingly inexpensive. The upgrade
radiators are not listed on the site (yet), you will have to speak with a sales rep (as I did) so they can gather all
of the pertinent info. After a short discussion, we found a three-row radiator from Go-Dan Industries that is a bolt
in replacement. The radiator arrived the next day (radiator.com has
warehouses all across the country) neatly packaged and undamaged. All I had to do was wait for the weekend...
Saturday morning, a cup of coffee, and two hours of solid labor and the new radiator was in. There is really no trick to
it, the GDI unit fit perfectly. It was so straight forward and uneventful, I won't even bore you with the details of how
to do it. The only potential snag is for those of you with an automatic transmission (like ours). The snag really has
nothing to do with the radiator, but with the plastic "quick connect" clips used on the tranny cooler lines. You will
have to transfer these clips over to the new radiator without breaking them...or better yet, have new ones on hand
before you begin the job.
That install was done in mid-march, just as the temperatures start to rise in the desert. As I write this, we have had
two weeks straight of 100+ degree days. The new GDI radiator has done the trick. With the AC full blast and idling in
rush hour traffic, the temperature gauge sits on 210. I've even tried to get the Jeep to overheat through liberal use
of the go pedal and it still won't budge. There was a section of highway that plagued me all last summer. It's about
10 miles long and a 7% grade. This hill eats cars in the summer. My usual routine was to turn off the AC about a mile
before the hill started, and then go easy on the throttle all the way to the top to avoid overheating; the temp gauge
was still 230-240 before I got to the top. Does this routine sound familiar to you? I just drove this same hill last
week at 75 mph, with the AC blowing, and a leisurely 220 degree coolant temp.
What We Really Think
The benefits aren't just on the highway, the XJ ran very hot in slow speed four-wheeling. Hot enough that an occasional
stop and shut down was necessary. I knew before I took our XJ on Dirtroad's Moab Fun Run that the radiator would have
to be replaced. The outside temperature was still pretty cool then, and the coolant gauge spent most of it's time under
210 degrees. Not only was the XJ not sweating, I didn't have to sweat worrying about it.
If any of your Jeeps have cooling problems, click over to www.radiator.com
They have a radiator for virtually every Jeep application, including engine conversions. I picked up a new 3 core for my
Scrambler with a Chevy 350 in it! They are easy to deal with, and those summer months are coming...
For more information, visit their web-site at: www.radiator.com,
or call them at 888/RADIATOR. You may also contact us directly if you have any
questions about our radiators.
radiator.com
2990 Bay Vista Industrial Center
Benicia, California 94510
help@radiator.com
1.888.RADIATOR
(1.888.723.4286)
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Dirt Road Magazine is sponsored by Turner 4WD Parts Co.
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