Over heating Jeep

[HT_USMC]

Hey gang

I've got a Jeep Grand Cherokee ('02) that is over-heating. It's got coolant and mixed 50/50 with the correct distilled water. However, when I idle for more than 10 minutes (ie rush hour traffic, stuck behind an accident, etc) the temp goes through the roof, I can smell the coolant cooking and if I turn the engine off it starts billowing steam/smoke (I assume due to the fan not sucking it down below the block).

Another thing, today I let it idle in the driveway while looking things over, and the coolant reservoir was just below the "full" line. Once it overheated, the reservoir was filled with the contents of the radiator too (and almost to the reservoir cap).

Any help, tips, ideas would be great. Until then, my internet search and mounting frustration will go on! LOL


HT

 

[DocDrop]

Check your fan clucth, whith the engine off see if you can spin it with ease, if so that would be your problem. It does not get hot while running down the street does it. Another thing while running you can check you upper and lower radiator hoses. If any of the two are cold you have a sticking thermostat. You jeep does not blow smoke does it. i hope this helps

 

[06BUSA]

Termostate may not be opening properly. But it could also be your water pump.
It is also possible that your radiator is plugged.
Best I can do over the net.

 

[pbghost]

it's warm enough this weekend, yank your thermostat to see if that cures your problem. if you have access to a cooking thermometer, you can put the thermostat in a pan of water and see the temp that it opens. should be around the 190-195 mark. at 6 years old, might as well change your radiator cap. it's often overlooked, cheap to replace , and will cause it to overheat. make sure you get the proper one though(14,15,16lb etc) good luck

 

[Procharger]

stuck thermostat, bad fan clutch, or clogged radiator..

 

[SHADiGUY1]

actually i worked on one last week. If the fans are electornic which i believer they are on this vehichle . They are controlled through the PCM. Could indicte the fan relay or the pcm could be bad. disconnect electrical conector from fan should be 2 pins give one power and one ground fan should spin if it does check relay . If relay is working then could be pcm.

 

[HT_USMC]

Thanks for the fast replies.

Update:

It looks like the fan isn't turning on, ever. I just let it idle again to almost over heating and the fan never engaged. Fan clutch?

@pbg : What would yanking the thermostat do/prove? I believe the temp it's reporting is accurate, as I get smoke about the same time the thermostat says I should. lol - If there's something to it, let me know what I'm looking for.

The cap was going to be my first trip to Autozone but thank you for confirming that it wasn't going to be a wasted trip. I thought the spring there might be suspect.

@Procharger : It appears my fan is electric (not belt driven), would I still have a fan clutch?

 

[SHADiGUY1]

it is not a fan clutch if its electronic as i stated before.

 

[HT_USMC]

actually i worked on one last week. If the fans are electornic which i believer they are on this vehichle . They are controlled through the PCM. Could indicte the fan relay or the pcm could be bad. disconnect electrical conector from fan should be 2 pins give one power and one ground fan should spin if it does check relay . If relay is working then could be pcm.

Yep - I just read 3 other posts on the web concerning the same year-model and it was bad relay's.

I guess I'll grab the radiator cap (I'm sure it's due regardless) and start trouble shooting the electrical side of things.

 

[SHADiGUY1]

hehe i know my stuff when it comes to cars its what i do for a libing bro... The radiator relay is in a realy crappy spot behind passnger side headlight you have to pull all sorts of crap it sucks.

 

[pbghost]

yanking the thermostat just allows continous flow of coolant from the get-go, instead of letting the block warm up first, then passing through the radiator. if you yanked it , ran without it, and it didn't overheat, then replace the thermostat before winter.

 

[HT_USMC]

hehe i know my stuff when it comes to cars its what i do for a libing bro... The radiator relay is in a realy crappy spot behind passnger side headlight you have to pull all sorts of crap it sucks.

Yep - but I can't think of a better way to spend Sunday. Saving $$ doing it myself versus taking it in delights me to no end. Sounds like I'll have to loosen the bumper too. Time to get intimate with the front end.

Thanks everyone for the quick help! I'm off to the store.

 

[Trucker Mike]

might want to install a 180 thermo as well. they're easy to swap out.

 

[SHADiGUY1]

if u need some help pm me and i can assist you via phone to some extent.