Jeep TJ Radiator R/R
Jul 27th, 2009 by C. Alexander Leigh
With the rescheduled Maine Trains trip coming up, it was timely that Betty cracked a radiator. This is a common TJ problem as the radiators consist of plastic uppers and lowers bonded to a metal core. You hear about them cracking as little as 35 and 50k miles although 85 to 100k seems to be the norm.
I replaced it with an all-metal radiator with a lifetime warranty. Like most jobs on the TJ, it is straightforward and easy. I didn’t even spill as much ATF fluid out of the transmission cooler as I had imagined beforehand.
Wow. I’m at 94k on my jeep and havent managed to have my radiator crack yet. Of course now that I’ve said it it will probably happen tomorrow.
From what I hear, the OEM ones basically never make it to 120… with a failure rate that high you might want to just replace it in advance, like a water pump. It’s relatively cheap, and the job is really easy if you do your own labor.