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Overheating

1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Stu Olson 
#1 ·
After a quick drive tonight (5 minutes tops) in about 50 degree weather my jeep 97 tj 6 cyl. started to overheat, the temp guage was still reading 210 but the radiator was smoking and over heating... whats the deal? Thermostat? This has never happened before and i had been driving it all day prior...
 
#4 ·
If it was only running about 5 minutes when you pulled the cap, the level still could be low. 5 minutes doesn't seem like sufficient time for the motor to warm up all the way and have the thermostat open up.

Odd, that it would overheat so quickly. Do you have any holes in your radiator where coolant is leaking out? Maybe leaky hose connections to and from the block from the radiator?

The only thing I can figure, if it was steaming/smoking so early after a cold start, fluid would be leaking out, as that doesn't seem like enough time to actually warm the motor up, even less to the point of overheating.
 
#6 ·
Fenix85182 said:
If it was only running about 5 minutes when you pulled the cap, the level still could be low. 5 minutes doesn't seem like sufficient time for the motor to warm up all the way and have the thermostat open up.

Odd, that it would overheat so quickly. Do you have any holes in your radiator where coolant is leaking out? Maybe leaky hose connections to and from the block from the radiator?

The only thing I can figure, if it was steaming/smoking so early after a cold start, fluid would be leaking out, as that doesn't seem like enough time to actually warm the motor up, even less to the point of overheating.
As far as i know my radiator is ok. If i remember correctly, I did see some fluid that leaked out when i checked it when overheating, which is obviously why it was smoking, but still why was it so dang hot? How could this of just started out of nowhere? i drove over a half an hour yesterday prior to the over heating incident like i do everyday with no problems... my jeep is a daily driver and this is the first time it has happened...

After a 5 minute or so drive how hot should the radiator be? able to be touched or no? it was definately too hot for me to touch...
 
#7 ·
I would check your catyletic converter. If they go bad, they can cause your engine to overheat.

My dad had one go bad, and changed everything out dealing with cooling and never fixed it.

A mechanic one day under the jeep noticed that his cat was bad. Changed it, and problem solved.

Navy-Jeepster
 
#8 ·
Hard to think it was over heating when your temp gauge indicated it wasn't.

In 50 degree weather, your radiator can leak a bit of coolant onto the external surface of the radiator and it will cause significant steam....maybe giving the impression that it was overheating. I pulled into the car wash the other day, having only drive two miles. I sprayed water onto the radiator and steam came off of it.....air temp was in the mid 50s.

You have a '97.....and unless your radiator was already replaced, you are past due for a radiator. TJ radiators use a metal core and a plastic tank up top. It is NOT at all uncommon for the seams to start leaking. It has happened to thousands of TJ owners over the years (myself included).

My bet....your radiator is leaking and causing steam on the external surface of your radiator. ;)
 
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