My XJ Cherokee's......

[Fishframe]

Have a look at diy hydro dipping on YouTube - obviously not as fancy as the professionals, but it is diy possible.

[LuluBelle]

yes Alex please tell me all about the pressure test ...
thanks fishframe I will look into it I believe the wood pattern is some sort or burlwood I like the honeywood burl so far
1 the 96 has always run hotter than normal
2 I have replaced everything the head was resurfaced and the liquid intelligence flush
3 when I did the flush I noticed the hose that runs between the rad and bottle was worn had been rubbing on the electric fan hence had a hole I couldn't get the hose in town only clear crap from the hardware or fuel line grade so I trimmed it got some bigger hose and with a shitload of tape made a sleeve join ! "DUH!" while typing this I think I have answered my own question ............
No wonder the bottle level never changes it's not sucking I will open the rad cap tomorrow .. measure the hose and see if I can het some online that could be the loss of pressure?
in the mean time I will steal the 99's hose ..... fingers crossed fixed
_____ooooo
/__l_l_,\____\,___
l_---l_l__l---[ ]llllll[ ]
_.(o)_)__(o)_)--o-)_) ...... the 99 has been reduced to a parts car

[Fishframe]

Are you running the OEM 195-F (90°C) thermostat? My 4.0L TJ has OEM spec radiator, original mechanical fan, full house of spots and winch box in front of the grille and keeps under 100°C in all conditions. Yours should be just as good as mine.

[Fishframe]

I pulled this off a TJ site in the US -

“If the gauge is accurate and if your Jeep's cooling system is full and "burped", with no sign of low coolant (overflow reservoir filled to the correct line and radiator full when cold), the low temperature reading is likely a thermostat issue. This could be: 1) a defective or upside down thermostat, 2) a stuck open thermostat, 3) a thermostat that is cocked or for some reason allows coolant to bypass when below opening temperature, or 4) a lack of circulating coolant at the thermostat area/housing.

Also, I'm sure you're aware that the water pump for an XJ Cherokee and the Wrangler are different, they rotate in opposite directions. When you installed the new pump, was the impeller facing in the correct direction? This could affect coolant circulation. At the least, confirm from the part number that you have a Wrangler 4.0L pump and not the reverse rotation pump for an XJ Cherokee.”

[alexbrown64]

OK Mark,

To check your cooling system, you need to pressure it up to about 15 psi.
Usually, folk take it to a shop and get charged a fortune and then ripped for repairs.

Thats not the XJ community. We do it ourselves and save a fortune.
So, to do it ourselves, we need to collect a few basics. I used shit laying around the house, plus a few Ebay cheap items and one Rockauto cheap item.

I still have this Stant Lever Vent radiator cap on my Jeep and love it. Its cheap (less than $10), you can blow off steam if you want, and you can also perform a pressure check with it! The reason is because it blows off steam, you can also pump pressure back the other way with the lever in the up position.

How you do this is keep the Lever Vent radiator cap on tight, but have the lever up. Then get your hose that goes to the plastic overflow bottle. At the bottle, take the hose off. Use an old bicycle inner tube valve cut to size and jam in into the hose and use a small hose clip to get it nice and tight. Also make sure you have a hose clip on the other end. We dont want any air leaks.

Next, buy, or use a bicycle pump that has a pressure gauge on it.
Pump it up to about 15 psi. It should hold pressure.
I do it at night and use a $7 Ebay black light. These make things glow. Believe it or not, coolant glows under a black light.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/UV-Ultra...frcectupt=true

So do it at night and sneak around with your black light looking for eerie green leaks.

Worked for me and i found a few weeps around my heater hoses, and that would of meant i was also loosing pressure and cooling efficiency!





Once you have this setup, you can use it on all your vehicles and perform the task regularly to check the condition and function of your entire cooling system.

Here is the 16 psi Stant cap on Rockauto. Only $6.95 Aud.. Great cap...
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...180314&jsn=517


Hope this helps.

[Fishframe]

Axel, is it true you are related to McGyver?

[LuluBelle]

Thanks Alex great write up and easy to do in your black light pic where do the hoses off the "T" pieces go? on my 96 the heater hoses go to the "T" pieces split off to the gas converter the main hose then runs through the heater tap.
That will be where I am loosing pressure and this will be 3rd tap broken plastic crap I have another one but it is plastic and wont last it only leaks a little bit when the heater is on the problem is the heater hoses sag the hoses going down to the gas converter help either. I currently have a bit of wire tied off on the throttle cable bracket trying to take the sag out.
The sagging hoses crack the plastic heater taps I might be better off by passing the heater all together than wasting my time fitting another plastic crap heater tap.
It don't get that cold up here and if it does .. we can always take the 99
Don't worry Fishframe the water pump is the right pump
_____ooooo
/__l_l_,\____\,___
l_---l_l__l---[ ]llllll[ ]
_.(o)_)__(o)_)--o-)_)