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Need advice: Radiator for hot climate

2K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  nitecop 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

hope you all doing well. i live in Saudi arabia where it goes crazy hot 50+C.

my 2003 TJ started to overheat when not in move which makes me going nuts unless i turn the AC off which is not to be advised in that cool weather.


i am planning to change the OEM rad to an after market with bigger capacity (2 or 3 rows) and will go for a high flow water pump which would solve the problem partially.

would you please share you knowledge of which RAD could be the best? specially from ROCK CRAWLERS who needs maximum torque at low RPM.


please advise guys :wave:
 
#3 ·
Going from 1 to 2 or 3 rows does not mean you are gaining cooling capacity. Many of the very best cooling aluminum radiators meant for extremely hot desert wheeling conditions are 1 row radiators. Jeep went from a 2 row to a 1 row radiator sometime around 2001-2003 to improve its ability to cool.
 
#4 ·
well, thanks for the response in the first place, the problem with east coast is that its much more hot than west coast..

i have already tried the electric fan, FLEX-A-LITE but could not solve the problem..

i heard from couple of friends that using a higher flow pump along with 2-row rad solved the problem..

i will try to figure it out and will update you guys..

the reason i 've asked is that for the time being am at a business trip in Calgary, Canada where i thought it would be possible to have that kind of product in the town..

thanks for the fast response anyway....

Ibraheem..
 
#10 ·
well, thanks for the response in the first place, the problem with east coast is that its much more hot than west coast..

i have already tried the electric fan, FLEX-A-LITE but could not solve the problem..

i heard from couple of friends that using a higher flow pump along with 2-row rad solved the problem..

i will try to figure it out and will update you guys..

the reason i 've asked is that for the time being am at a business trip in Calgary, Canada where i thought it would be possible to have that kind of product in the town..

thanks for the fast response anyway....

Ibraheem..
Same problem over here in Kuwait... I think it's even hotter than KSA :drool:

Anyway this is what I know. First as the guys said your stock cooling system is great but unfortunatley untill JK's came out Jeeps weren't good in extreme hot conditions (50+c). The cooling sytem works great in TJ's untill you turn the A/C on which is when the overheating happens. So this is what you need to do every year before summer.

1- Flush the radiator and replace coolant.
2- Replace the thermostate to the lowest temp you can find. I think Hypertech has the lowest in the market.
3- Check the fan clutch.

The problem is not with the airflow because no matter what fan you use electric or whatever the air itself going through the radiator is hot (which is also why I believe that any cold air intake in these conditions is a waste of money).

Now you can add an extra electric fan infront of the condesor to blow the air and that's al you can do actually... Any thing other than that is a waste of time and money.

However. I am working on something that I think might do the job. I saw this option on an 05' Subaru Impreza STI. It has a cold water spray option for the intercooler.
I'm working on something similar to spray water on the radiator when it over heats. I will post a complete writeup once I finish and if it worked hopefully :shhh:
 
#5 ·
Trust me, the 2-row radiator isn't what cured the overheating problems your couple friends have. Few understand what a 1 vs. 2 vs. 3 row radiator even means and most would just assume a 2 row cools better than a 1 row and a 3 row is better than a 2 row. That isn't necessarily true, it depends on the application. For some cars, a 3 row might be the way to go. For Jeeps wheeling in hot conditions, an aluminum core 1 row radiator will cool better. I wheel in the desert here in Southern California and 1 row aluminum core radiators do well out there where it too gets very hot.

Any number of reasons can be the cause behind an overheating a Jeep but the number of rows in the radiator core won't be one of the reasons. The radiator core might be clogged with hard water deposits, the thermostat might be sticking, or there might be a buildup of crud somewhere in the cooling system. Or the fan clutch could be bad. But that it is a 1 row radiator absolutely is not (!) the cause of it overheating. Really. :)
 
#7 ·
The east coast is hotter than the west coast? I don't think so. It gets hot back there but have you forgotten where the deserts are? It never dips below 100 in the summer where I wheel here in SOCAL. It doesn't get hotter anywhere in the U.S. than it does in parts of Southern California.
I think he's talking about the east & west coast of Saudi Arabia.
 
#6 ·
I bet your stock radiator is big enough. I'd also bet you stock fan clutch is just about wore out.
If it doesn't over heat going down the road the water(coolant) flow is fine as well as the raditor size.
diriveing at speed requires more cooling capisity. It sounds like you allready have enough.
If mine I'd get a new Thermal fan clutch and look for a stock type fan possiblity with more blades.
 
#9 ·
I'll bet airflow is the problem, not water pump or rad.
Make sure the cowling is in place, the fan is working or replaced, and maybe use a lower gear in slow traffic keeping the rpm up = more air through the rad. Might even clean out the bugs and weeds?
 
#12 · (Edited)
summers get stinking hot where I live and this is what I have done

single row radiator that has a slightly deeper core by 4mm with wider tubes of 0.8mm internal width to hold more coolant and enable better flow
a hi low 195 F stat that delivers full and more flow soon after the 195 F degree coolant temp is reached
7 blade fan with an extreme or truck duty clutch that blows air like a hurricane
ditched the HOAT coolant and replaced with Castrol anti freeze anti boil. just make sure you thoroughly flush out the old coolant.

I would say your problem is the radiator seeing it is 7 years old. if like mine it has 55 tubes that have an internal width of 0.5mm. they can plug easily and I found about 50% of the tubes in the centre of the radiator were plugged and therefore heat was not passing thru it to expand the bi metal clock spring on the fan clutch in order to lock the clutch and blow more air.

check you radiator for cold spots by feeling the core with the palm of your hand immediatley after shutting down the engine. if the radiator isnt plugged it should be uniformally hot all over to touch

last summer travelled 2000 miles thru hot (about 50 C) desert country with a/c on and going by the scan gauge engine coolant temps peaked at 105 C (about 220 F)
 
#13 ·
Like the op stated it doesn't over heat while driving but when sitting. at least that is the way I am reading it.
If thats true it tells me its not a radiator problem. If the rad was too small wouldn't it have been too small the day the vehicle was first in 100 degree weather. Something has worn out and by far the most likely culprit is that fan clutch.
my TJ started getting a little warm 2 years ago and it was an air flow problem. Mine was caused by a mud plugged core. Removed the rad, hosed out for 20 min and it was as good as new.
 
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