I have an xj that runs a bit hot. Its a cheap hack i scored, but is lifted with 31's, everything else is standard. When going 4wding it used to get hot quite a bit ( bonnet popped, heater on would help, but not solve). I pondered getting a new radiator and other things but didnt want to throw lots of money at it. Just recently i tore the air con out ( It didnt work anyway ) , and in its place i put 2, cheap as, 10 inch thermo fans rigged to switches. Cost me all of $60, and some labour myself. Also have the factory thermo wired to a switch. So as the temp comes up, I start hitting switches. With all 3 going, i can pretty much stop the temp in its tracks on some pretty hardcore 4wding now. It may not work for everyone, but for $60, it gave me that extra cooling i needed. Another note is that I have cooked this engine a few times beforehand
( meaning it was well into the red, and boiling - not good I know
), yet it recovered everytime and still goes hard, mega hard now with the cooling fans.
And also for the record, I have mates with late model patrols. The old bunky runs rings around them. Went for a surf the othe day and parked in soft sand on the beach, full pressure in tyres ( around 36psi ). A mate rocked up in an "02" patrol ( $45K+ worth of vehicle ) and was letting his tyres down as I came in.
"your not stuck?" i said
"nah, i just cant reverse in this sand, to heavy, I will have to drop em down to 20psi" he replied.
With that, I jumped in the jeep and proceeded to drive my $2500 hack beautifully right around him in idle mode, all be it with a smart arse smile on my face
Another mate has a "02" patrol, lifted, lockers, 35's. My jeep will stay on his tail where ever that goes, even give him a run for his money. On the road in a drag...........haha...old skool jeep auto says "bye bye Mr patrol".
Another guy I knew has a flash patrol and jokingly said maybe we should test our cars against each other. I thought for a while and replied " boggy beach, full pressure tires, drag race??"
His reply............."you win".
Dont get me wrong. There's lemons. Theres other brands of good 4wds out there. Some drivers are alot better than others. But I own a jeep xj, and its been an awesome rig. Yeah it plays up now and again, and has its character points, like all cars eventually. But I will never get tired of the suprised looks from people when I drop the tires to 10psi and cruise through the gnarliest tracks out there, leaving
4wds 10 times the price in my rear veiw mirror. I can only imagine the beast she would be with bigger tires, a locker and some loving.
I hope it works out for you mate, I do, because mine has been sweet, and I am sure if you pin point the problem through basic trial and error, you will eventually have a very capable vehicle that you love and trust.
If not, I will wave at you as I fly past you in your patrol
