Heavy Duty Radiator

My 87 YJ (258 auto) has a thin 2 row radiator that I don't think is original or even OEM quality. After doing the HEI and Weber carb upgrades it has always seemed to run hot. I would like to replace it with a 3 row.

Does anyone have recommendations?

Thanks, Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Dellacona
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Do it! I replaced mine and the car runs much cooler.

Reply to
mike92105

For about $150 you can get a 3 core with lifetime warranty a EBAY.

Reply to
<robertworr

I second that, just do it! Drifter "I've been here, I've been there..."

Reply to
Drifter

I bought a 3 row one from RadiatorWorld.Com It was made by CSF. Fit perfectly, except for the transmission cooler connections which were a little wider apart than they should have been. The core is almost twice as thick as my old one.

$159 with postage, got it in 3 days.

Does the trick, the jeep runs about a needle width or more cooler on the temperature gauge when running on the highway.

Took the opportunity to change the water pump while I was in there. My old one was cast iron. The new one was aluminum, and needed a special fitting from jeep to hook up the heater hose, where the old had a cast in place connection.

Reply to
Charlie Dellacona

One thing about 3 row vs. 2 row radiators, 2-row radiators are usually more efficient at cooling. 2-row radiators have room for larger water channels with more air space between them which helps them cool more efficiently, especially at low offroad speeds.. More, in the case of radiator rows, is not alway better in this case.

There's a good thread on this going at http://65.42.106.152/forums/showthread.php?p=5872697#post5872697 which has surprised a lot of Jeepers who automatically thought 3-row radiators would naturally be better than 2-row. Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

I am going to be in need of a new rad soon, mine has been patched almost beyond belief because I snapped it in half a couple times. I have put new side brackets on, but the cores have been stretched bad.

My 2 row isn't enough on hot days because my winch and lights are cutting air flow.

The two row has room for the third row in it. The water cores are the same size and placement, just one row is missing. All the stock or replacement ones I have seen are like that, they don't make larger water channels, they just leave one or two rows out.

From your comments I would think you have seen custom rads with larger water channels????

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Jerry Bransford wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

From

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website

"Add more surface area. If none of the other tips can get your engine cooled enough, you probably have to add a bigger radiator. No matter what a radiator is made from - copper, brass, aluminum, steel, lead - the more surface area, the better. Of course, each type of material has its own advantages and disadvantages and you will have to figure out what suits your requirements best."

It might be best to call a real radiator shop and talk to them about your use and the blockage from the winch, lights, low speed use, etc. and get their opinion. A standard Jeep radiator replacement is probably not the answer.

Reply to
Billy Ray

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

From

formatting link
website

"Add more surface area. If none of the other tips can get your engine cooled enough, you probably have to add a bigger radiator. No matter what a radiator is made from - copper, brass, aluminum, steel, lead - the more surface area, the better. Of course, each type of material has its own advantages and disadvantages and you will have to figure out what suits your requirements best."

It might be best to call a real radiator shop and talk to them about your use and the blockage from the winch, lights, low speed use, etc. and get their opinion. A standard Jeep radiator replacement is probably not the answer.

The web site sited has an augument about how many tubes, of a given size, will fit into a specific area. This would be true IF the radiators were the same thickness but they are NOT. 1 cores are thinner than 2 cores that are thinner than 3 cores that are thinner than 4 cores, etc.

I am not saying that you should add cores till you touch the fan but, in general, the more cores the more surface area the more cooling ability.

Reply to
Billy Ray

Billy Ray wrote:This would be true IF the radiators were the

While that may be true of the import radiators that particular shop sells, that's not true of all aftermarket radiators. The 2 row radiators made by the two manufacturers I spoke to about this are about the same thickness as other 3 row and even some 4 row. That's how both the water channels and spacing demensions between them are bigger in many 2 row radiators. By the way, it's not 2, 3, or 4 core, it's 2, 3, or 4 row. And why most into slow-speed offroading that know what they're doing choose two row radiators because they cool far better at low speeds. :)

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

I have a fixed fan and don't have low speed cooling issues at all. My problem is at high speed.

The 'stock' radiators I see are all the same 'thickness', they just leave space blank for a second or 3rd row.

I have seen custom rads for Vette engines that were 2 row with really wide rows.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Jerry Bransford wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

How are the fins on your present radiator Mike? Are they clogged or bent up? Some fins are so close together I'm surprised the radiators they're in can cool an engine at all.

Jerry

Mike Roma> I have a fixed fan and don't have low speed cooling issues at all. My

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

It was a new rad 7 years ago and is still nice and painted black. It started overheating on the highway just after I put the winch on. If I hit the heater on high, it will compensate enough to keep the gauge out of the red. Yes, the gauge works because I put a fail safe t-stat in and failed the sucker first highway run so now I have instant water flow through the rad on startup.

I am thinking a fan shroud might help, my CJ didn't come with one, but I now need a rad anyway because I literally snapped mine in half on our twisty trails. The side straps broke due to the frame flexing too much. My 'glass body with the one piece front clip lets the frame twist like crazy.

I now just have the rad rubber mounted to the frame I built for it by the two top bolts with the lower ones free to swing. It has held together that way but I made all my core tubes over 1/4" longer when I snapped it....

Mike

Jerry Bransford wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Wow yeah, heck yeah, I'd definitely install that shroud before even trying anything else. A friend of mine with a '73 CJ5 finally installed a shroud to fix his AMC 304's overheating after 3-4 years of ignoring my saying it'd cure the overheating. It did and he grudgingly admitted he should have installed it during the restoration process. :)

Jerry

Mike Roma> It was a new rad 7 years ago and is still nice and painted black. It

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

I did my upgrade for over heating at high speeds (60ish mph) as well. It's helped.

As for a shroud, I thought they were for low speeds and idling. At high speed isn't the majority of airflow from the vehicle's movement and not the fan?

This is a good discussion, wish we had it before I spent my money...

--Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Dellacona

I can only contribute this: My '85 CJ came with a factory three-row radiator, a clutch fan, and a shroud. On the hottest summer days sitting in traffic the gauge never leaves its favorite spot in the low green.

OTOH, every winter I cover all but the top 1/2" with cardboard or something in an effort to get more heat. The gauge still stays in the low green except at sustained highway speeds, when it might move toward to middle. It's the best cooling I've had since my '69 Dodge Super Bee (also with heavy-duty cooling).

Reply to
Dale Beckett

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