Over the last week or so the WJ has been having some overheating problems that prevented the car from running correctly (check out our youtube channel for more info). We started with first changing the thermostat assembly including the sensor. This had no effect on it but it was good to change because of the high mileage of the vehicle. Then we noticed the radiator fan wasn’t coming on at all. So we tested it with some wire hooked up to the battery and lo and behold it was broken. If you’ve ever attempted to try and change the radiator fan let me recommend a couple of things. There are four bolts that connect the assembly to the front grille. One, however, is a beast to loosen. We recommend buying this flexible socket extension.
After some debating, we decided because we were going to have the front part of the engine completely exposes we might as well change a couple of other parts as well. Including
- Serpentine Belt
- Water Pump
- Idler Pulley
Click here for video.
These were pretty easy parts you can get from your local auto parts store or buy online depending on the urgency of the fix. We bought ours at Napa because its my daily driver. Once we received the radiator fan we plugged it right in and things got working again.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
In the event, something like this happens to you on your Jeep (fingers crossed it doesn’t) here is how we fixed it.
- First and foremost you should always check and make sure the radiator has coolant. Not in the bottle but actually in the radiator! You would be surprised.
- Second, change the thermostat and sensor. Replacing the housing is optional. The thermostat controls how much coolant enters the system.
- Third change the water pump. Because its an active and moving component of the vehicle the bearing might go bad, you may find your self with a leak or just a malfunction. This will cause your temperature gauge to go off if you treated. (Check out our video on how to install).
All in all a successful weekend of working on the WJ. It definitely wasn’t one of my favorite installs but we got the job done regardless and she runs like a champ.