Over heating problems

[extra-medium]

Today was a pretty hot day in Salt Lake City, UT, probably upper 90's. Well I was driving with my wife and a couple of her family members and when we got to her sisters house my jeep was just over 210*. I let it sit for a little bit and then popped open the radiator. There was coolant in it, but it was kinda low. The person that owned it before me didn't take care of it so there is no over flow tube going to the coolant reservoir. Add that to the list of parts i need. Luckily though i added some water too the radiator to limp it home to Orem which is about 45 miles away. Now one of these days after work i gotta tear into it and remove the thermostat since it seems as if its going bad. But at my sister-in-laws house i scored some free american racing nitro wheels.

they have a small amount of curb rash on them but they are still good. They are the steel or aluminum, not the chrome. Now i just need to get a set of new tires and ill be good to go.

 

[Turbogus]

Does your radiator have a fan shroud? This is an excellent way to increase radiator efficiency.
A quick way to detirmine aluminum from steel is using a magnet, steel is ferros so the magnet will stick, not so with aluminum. More obviously, aluminum rims are considerably lighter.

 

[extra-medium]

No fan shroud which i didn't even think of. I have found a lot of problems that need to be addressed, that being one of them. For such an old engine and the hot temps around here, i want to get rid of the 210* thermostat just so it runs cooler.

 

[saar]

Did you check the coolant level and what kind of coolant you are using?
How old is the radiator? maybe it needs to be cleaned, maybe even replaced?
Is it a V8 or I6 ?
Saar

 

[extra-medium]

coolant level was fine, tiny bit low but fine for operation. its an i6. not sure what brand coolant it is since i haven't needed to do anything with it until now, but its the green stuff, not the orange. once i get paid ill go to the parts store and get a 180* thermostat and throw it in. I would like to find a place i can dispose of coolant and just flush it all out.

 

[dirtybird]

I don't know a whole lot, but I know these i6 engines run hot. Mine runs at 210/212. The stat opens up at 195 and 210 or so is full operating temp. They just seem to run hot and lean.

 

[Turbogus]

My 360 in my CJ has a 190 thermostat that the spec. call for and in the Oregon summer it can run as high as 210, but my understanding of the electronic ignitions using in the post '70's motors are designed to run leaner and hotter than the motors of old.

 

[FloridaCherokee1988]

I removed the stat all together for the summer here in Central Florida, I usually run about 140-160 unless I drive longer distances to get up to a normal operating temp like 190. I just remove mine in the summer since it gets so hot here as well and just reinstall a 160 degree stat for the mild winters here.

 

[extra-medium]

i removed the stat in my first car and it really didn't change much over winter, but there was a significant difference in the summer. i thought about that with my jeep but still unsure if i want to removed it all together.

 

[saar]

i removed the stat in my first car and it really didn't change much over winter, but there was a significant difference in the summer. i thought about that with my jeep but still unsure if i want to removed it all together.

Hi,

I'm not sure that removing the t-stat is the right solution.
The engine needs it to work in the correct temp.
Saar.

 

[dirtybird]

I have a question and a statement based on a thought and some ignorance to the topic.....
If you remove the thermostat altogether, won't that affect your fuel mileage as well? Seems the computer would think youre in warm up mode/choke for a longer period of time and cause your Jeep to run rich, maybe? I guess water boils at 212 but with coolant added I think it's around 225/235?
Why fix it if it's not broken? Yes 210/212 seems hot compared to some cars/trucks but it was also made to run at those temps. Hot and lean.... And good on fuel.

 

[extra-medium]

The problem is my motor was running way hotter than 210, maybe close to 240. Im not going to remove it all together but would prefer a lower temp thermostat.

 

[FloridaCherokee1988]

Yes it will effect your fuel mileage slightly, but I chose to lose a small amount of fuel economy to keep my engine running cooler, 160 is a lot easier on internal engine components then 210-220 lol these straight 6's always run warmer then most engines but if you're out on the trail no stat in the summer time can really save you. We all know you need both fans offroad to keep your engine cool, no stat saved me on the trail when my clutch fan took a crap and all I had was the electric.

 

[extra-medium]

Well I got fed up with it running way too hot, so for the time being I just yanked the thermostat out. My a/c seems to blowing a little colder now that I did that. Once it starts getting cooler here, I'll throw it back in. Even with no thermostat in, it still idles just under 210.