Anyone had a radiator failure on a Jeep?

Question

My 2006 Wrangler's radiator failed after only 7,000 miles. Have any of you 6 cylinder Jeep owners (especially '06 Wrangler owners) experienced a failure of this type?

Answer 1

If you are having failures this often then they are caused by "electrolysis" in the cooling system. You need to have this checked as what happens is voltage actually builds up in the cooling system due to the differences in the metals of the engine and radiator and heater core, etc. This voltage causes corrosion which eats out the radiators and can do the heater cores as well. Can be tested for electrolysis with an ordinary volt ohm meter right out of the radiator cap opening. Several things can cause this including wrong or not enough coolant, but usually is caused by bad of missing grounds on engine or transmission causing more electricity to build up than normal. If the grounds are doing their job then the voltage usually does not build up enough. This voltage is actually created by the coolant itself making contact with all the different metals and is well known in modern cars. Chevy and Ford have terrible troubles with this once they switched to the Dexcool or extended life antifreeze. They now let folks switch back without voiding their warranty. Many new radiators now come with instructions on testing for this as they get so many comebacks due to electrolysis. The older cars with fewer electronics and also thicker and better metals did not have as much trouble with this as modern ones due. To test for this put the positive end of a volt ohm meter into the water/coolant mixture through the radiator cap hole with cap removed and the negative end to the negative on the battery. On a very low scale you will see up to one volt of current. Your dealer or radiator supplier can tell you the level that this should not go over and I think it is actually less than one tenth of a volt that is the threshold. ONe of our customers had a Dodge truck that ran 0.5 volts and he ate up heater cores regularly until he discovered a loose ground on the intake manifold that was a common point for several electric grounds. Hope this helps you!

Answer 2

I truthfully have a 2000 Cherokee game and that i've got not had the themes you're experiencing including your radiator. yet then my Cherokee would not would desire to go through the as quickly as a year salt attack while to snow flies. First question i've got have been given is: have you ever used a similar shop to interchange all 3 radiators? if so, then i could try a different shop if and while your rad fails lower back ... observe that the different OEM radiators (to not be perplexed with a manufacturing facility radiator) are made lots much less ruggedly than the unique. I replaced the manufacturing facility radiator in my Jeep with one made via waiting-Rad ...a subsidiary of Modine radiators. The waiting Rad I put in in my Jeep became made in Mexico and easily made to a value factor. whilst the alternative radiator is all brass shape, the brass is of *very* skinny gauge. i don't comprehend the kind you employ your Jeep or the way it somewhat is modified (or not) however the potential of a weakened physique (the Cherokee makes use of "unibody" shape vs the physique on physique of a CJ), extremely with the line salt used up there, is mostly a threat. And in case you're huge into wheeling, nicely , you basically may well be putting some torsional rigidity on the physique and inflicting the rad to crack. changing out the radiator is likely one in each and every of the better activity on the Cherokee. i could recommend, in case you will desire to substitute the radiator lower back, that *you* do it. Drop a sprint extra advantageous coin and get a sturdy heavy accountability unit made interior the US and shop your self the hard artwork and set up it your self. it somewhat is an difficulty-free "drop-in" interest; the annoying area is removing each and all of the encircling "stuff" ....and that's somewhat not that annoying.

Answer 3

I have a 2005 Liberty, everything but the radiator has failed....i hope this isnt the next thing to fail on this piece of junk.