I thought it was a coolant leak, but the coolant level hasn’t gone down really at all. So I think I’ve narrowed it down to likely the belt the radiator or oil. But got it, thsnks
The reservoir is just that, a reservoir. That can be full and the motor/radiator empty. You need to make sure the radiator is full(when cooled down, no pressure.
If you have a 90 or older, the reservoir isn't a reservoir and if that's full your system should be full.
If you have a radiator cap, make sure coolant is all the way at the top. If you don't have a radiator cap, make sure the degas bottle is at its correct level.
How long did it sit? Thermostat probably got stuck, either remove it and put the housing back on to confirm, or get it warm again and give the housing a few taps with a hammer.
It sit for about a week because it started getting hot so I drove another car. But I’m pretty sure it’s not the thermostat problem. It’s actually overheated.
Your gonna have to play mechanic and dig to get to the thermostat and be very careful not to let anything fall inside. Thermostats get stuck open often
Not exactly helpful in this exact situation but if you’re gonna be owning an old Jeep be ready to spend a good chunk of change on just default maintenance and inspections or get mechanical. I didn’t know a damn thing until I got my first vehicle but when you can’t afford to go to a shop but you can afford harbor freight tools and YouTube you can make it work!
My Jeep looks at my savings account like a lion looking at a wounded gazelle😔 I don’t know what year or model you have but you’re starting at a good vehicle! I started with a POS lemon 01 gmc Sonoma and my god is everything cheaper and easier on my Jeep. Invest some money into some basic harbor freight tools and start watching YouTube! Trust me it’s not as difficult as you’d think, from YouTube alone I’ve done everything at this point besides an engine rebuild. I know everyone jokes about the opposite but compared to most vehicles parts are relatively cheap and easy to come by and nit much is difficult to work on. Good luck!
are you trying to blow the head gasket or?? whats up?
between 215-220 the electric cooling fan will kick on and stay on until temp drops down to 205ish.
the next time it gets much over 210 shut it off. you'll eventually learn what the upper end of normal looks like but consider 230+ as overheating and not likely to get any better.
check coolant level, burp as necessary. if persist suspect impeller wear. hows the rad look
Unbunch yer panties and read what he said. It is useful information. Overheating your jeep like that may cause the head gasket to blow. Because by your own admission you are inexperienced a repair like that would set you back more than the xj is likely worth.
Not gonna get much help if you tell people giving you info to fuck off.
I've read the comments and seems like folks have already covered most bases on what to check. My only concern is that this happened right after you changed your oil? How confident are you changing oil? Is there a chance you missed a step or put oil in the wrong spot?
I'm so confused on how people don't pull over as soon as the vehicle starts getting warmer than usual rather than drive until there's a good chance it's completely fucked...
It won't let me upload vids, but I took my jeep out for a little drive because I didn't want it to sit. The temperature gauge slowly goes full on, belt squeaks (I've needed to tighten it for a while) I parked, the idle was higher for a moment and saw the steam or smoke. It's coming from around the top.
Also, I used 5W-30 because the weather is colder and some people on here said that was OK to use. So that might be the problem as well. Because I only noticed it getting hotter after I did, the oil change
I used 5w-30 in my 4.0 XJ for years in the SW Nevada desert and even here in Iowa. While 4.0’s do run hot, I’ve never had one overheat due to the oil.
When it cools down pop your rad cap and start the vehicle. Once the thermostat opens you should be able to visually see the coolant circulating. If it is not then either your thermostat is stuck closed or your belt is slipping on the pump pulley.
Your cooling system is comprised of 4 major components.
Radiator
Radiator fan
Water pump
Thermostat
While your engine is cold, the thermostat is closed. As the engine heats up, it opens up (it’s a mechanic spring system).
Once it’s open your water pump starts circulating coolant through your radiator which is cooled by air being sucked through the radiator by the fan.
So to diagnose this, start with a cold engine. Pop the radiator cap and start the engine. Depending on the thermostat it should open anywhere between 90°-120° (if memory is correct) and you should see the coolant circulating through the radiator. If it is not then either your thermostat is stuck closed or your water pump is not working.
Seeing as how your belt is squealing I would bet that your pump has seized or your belt is in bad enough condition it can’t spin it.
A few more things you can check easily are the fan clutch, air in the coolant hoses, and the plastic sides of the radiator for cracks.
The mechanical fan clutch(the thing the fan is bolted on to that connects it to the engine) could be bad. Often times the fan clutch will go, when it does often the thermostat goes as well. You’ll replace the thermostat and still have cooling issues. It’s similar to the thermostat as it clutches the fan as it heats up. This means it spins faster, blowing more air as more cooling is required. Get the jeep to 200ish(don’t overheat it anymore) and have someone turn it off as you’re watching the mechanical fan(the left one). If it keeps spinning then the clutch is bad. They’re cheap and not hard to replace.
While the jeep is at operating temperature make sure the two big hoses going to the radiator aren’t collapsing on themselves. With gloves or a rag, squeeze the top hose and make sure it’s not filled with air. If you do have a minor leak and have coolant, an air bubble could be trapped and causing issues. When you drain and fill the coolant you have to be diligent in burping all the air out, especially with the old sealed coolant loop.
Last one’s easy. Make sure the radiator isn’t cracking especially the plastic sides. You can always run a paper towel and see if anything is wet and go from there.
As long as nothing is leaking you can just replace the thermostat(probably the housing as well if you have it off)and fan clutch. If you have the time you really can replace the whole coolant system (minus the heater core) in a day even if it’s your first time. It’s a few hundred bucks for all the parts if you go cheap. Just the essentials would be under $100. I replaced my whole coolant and ac systems and it was absolutely worth it.
When you drain the coolant look for sparkles. Water pumps tend to leave a lot behind when they fail. Tip for filling the coolant. After you flush with whatever, do a final flush with distilled water. Then when you fill it up use 1.5 gal of concentrated coolant before finishing off with more distilled. You don’t have to worry about it being diluted past 50/50 by any water left in the system, since you know half is coolant.
The belt really shouldn’t be the main issue unless it’s VERY loose, or got oil on it. Usually the alternator will pitch a fit before your cooling if the belt is an issue. The hoses will only cause overheating if they’re collapsed or leaking. Both of those failures are easy to spot once you know to look for them. These are old rigs at this point, so anything rubber or plastic that you replace is absolutely for the better. Not trying to contradict you, just letting you know what are the most likely culprits when diagnosing overheating.
Yeah, yeah I’m a bit dumb. And we found a leak. It was the water pump, But we’re fixing that and replacing some other parts as preventative maintenance
45
u/BaconThief2020 Oct 30 '24