Louie4's YJ by Louie4

4 minute(s) of a 411 minute read

I drove the jeep about 4-1/2 hours yesterday. I towed a small trailer toting my washer and dryer to my folks house. I didn't want to make a detour there and fool with it when I make the big move so I took care of it now. Well the jeep did OK. The power was there but I couldn't tackle a hill or maintain speed without it overheating. I know my e-fan was on at the low speed the entire time but couldn't keep it cool. I had to turn on the high speed to bring the temp back down. I did this a number of times. If I slowed down and came to a stop it would cool with the low speed. I finally just decided to run my defroster on low the entire time on the way back home. It kept the temperature right below 210.

When I got home I popped the hood and the plastic top of the radiator was very hot but the cap was cold (boiled over to the overflow I think) and the cores on the outside were hot but when I put my hand over the center cores it was cool. I'm thinking my radiator is plugged. Since I have the Autozone lifetime replacement I'm going to call them and tell them what's going on and if they'll swap it out. If not I'll make it leak and swap it in. If the new one does the same thing I'm going to get a better one and just store the A-zone as a backup.

What do y'all think? Oh and a pic of the trailer.

7-22-2012

I did flip the high speed on when it overheated and it brought the temp back down but I don't feel like I should have to rely on that. Plus it would overheat on the highway with no trailer. It just took a little longer to overheat. I also think it boiled over and didn't replenish because the radiator cap was not hot. Usually it is.

7-24-2012

I forgot to mention I went to New Smyrna Beach, Florida this past weekend to spend time with the family. They rented a house right off the beach and both my brothers, my sister, and nephew were there. Had a lot of fun. My view.

I swung by Autozone and picked up a new radiator.

My Taurus fan on.

Finished product.

7-25-2012

I got the new radiator in and took it for a spin. It cooled great especially on the highway. It would run cooler on the highway and heat up right below 210 at a stop light. After a while I checked the radiator and it was low on coolant and it was still cooling well. I filled it up all the way so I think I'm good to go. The test will be towing.

7-26-2012

I've been donating and throwing crap away to prepare for the move. While I was tossing away some metal I saw an old exercise bike in the scrap metal bin. Scored an adjustable throttle.

I also remembered that I have some brake cable...win.