A gift horse....

#1
A friend of mine knows I do a lot of off-road riding on my minibikes and I have to tow my trailer to the trail heads using my VW station wagon TDI.
He said to me " I've got something you might want" and took me to his garage and pointed to a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Lorado. He had just bought a new GMC Danali 4x4. He said I could have the Jeep for free. He needed the room for his new SUV. He had just put new tires on the Jeep.
Being a desert Jeep there is no rust. The Jeep has never been in a wreck. Just got 200,000 miles on the clock, 4.0 6-banger engine.
I've been working on it all last and this week and got it running very well ready for the transfer/licensing to me.
Got to love friends.
jeep2.jpg
 
#6
I've done a lot so far to bring it up to safe standards:
New Water pump- no impeller
New T-Stat- missing
Flush cooling system
New heater hoses
New brakes/rotor
Install LED lighting
Repair minor electrical problems with interior lighting / door sensors.
Oil change to High Mileage oil and Lucas additives.
Seafoam fuel system
 

SAS289

Well-Known Member
#10
No thermostat? I guess that would work most of the year in the desert SW. Up north you would have a heck of a time on a half hour highway drive to work when it's 15 degrees out. No heat or defrost. And poor fuel economy from running rich all the time.
 
#11
No thermostat? I guess that would work most of the year in the desert SW. Up north you would have a heck of a time on a half hour highway drive to work when it's 15 degrees out. No heat or defrost. And poor fuel economy from running rich all the time.
Actually, SA, it doesn't always work like that. No thermostat means unregulated coolant flow. It's not uncommon for an engine to overheat, because the coolant flows too fast through the radiator, and isn't able to shed the heat quick enough. This leads to excessive heat buildup and overheating. The thermostat not only gives one warm enough fluid to provide cabin heat, but also slows down coolant flow for proper radiator functioning.

Just some food for thought.....Roger
 
#12
With no impeller in the water pump, the only flow was by convection. Why the head is not warped is beyond me.
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It gets -20F here in the winter.

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The AC works as in Polar Bears and Penguins.
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I went to the UpullitandPay today and brought home a bunch of parts and hardware.
I'm going back in the AM to recover a Class III trailer hitch and trailer wiring harness. With my military discount I can have it for 50 bucks if I pull it. I gots to be able to pull my trailer full of minis to the mountains for a ride!
The parts Jeep was always garaged and was rolled last month and totaled. It looks almost new inside with no rust anywhere. What a shame, but good for me! Ha!
 
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#13
Actually, SA, it doesn't always work like that. No thermostat means unregulated coolant flow. It's not uncommon for an engine to overheat, because the coolant flows too fast through the radiator, and isn't able to shed the heat quick enough. This leads to excessive heat buildup and overheating. The thermostat not only gives one warm enough fluid to provide cabin heat, but also slows down coolant flow for proper radiator functioning.

Just some food for thought.....Roger
Not sure I agree in total with what you said. If the coolant is running faster thru the radiator the exposure time is less as you mentioned, however the exchange rate is more so end sum of reduced kinetic energy(Heat) should be close to the same. That being said, I agree that the thermostat is not there for rider comfort but rather to keep the engine in the optimum heat range for good internal combustion(185-220ish). The heater actually is just a small radiator that is inside the cab and can be used if your car is overheating on a hot day but you better have the windows down.
 
#14
Not sure I agree in total with what you said. If the coolant is running faster thru the radiator the exposure time is less as you mentioned, however the exchange rate is more so end sum of reduced kinetic energy(Heat) should be close to the same. That being said, I agree that the thermostat is not there for rider comfort but rather to keep the engine in the optimum heat range for good internal combustion(185-220ish). The heater actually is just a small radiator that is inside the cab and can be used if your car is overheating on a hot day but you better have the windows down.
@GTS225 is correct in his post. The thermostat is first and foremost responsible for setting the minimum engine operating temperature, and secondly, making sure the coolant has enough “hang time” in the radiator to transfer the heat removed from the engine to the air. Running no thermostat will surely end up in an over heat in any weather Including cold.
@Rapidrob, make sure your viscous fan clutch is operating as should..
I had that same year and model Jeep (same color too!) with the same engine once and had an over heat issue.. turned out the fan clutch was the culprit..
 
#15
I have to agree. No T-stat and the waterflow is faster than the temp transfer both in shedding temp through the radiator and pulling heat out of the engine. Will it function without one? Yes. Just not as efficiently. The T-stat not only controls temperature but it also controls coolant flow by providing a restriction. You can use a sheet metal washer with a small ID to control flow but you have to experiment with the size to get the desired temp. Its an old endurance racing trick as it removes one more part that could fail. On a related note, for years Jack Rousch ran just 1 drop of dish washing detergent in the race car cooling system to promote heat transfer through the increased surface contact. Nothing but straight water is allowed by most sanctioning bodies. Straight water tends to not adhere to a surface. Now a days we have "Water Wetter's" for that purpose.
 
#18
Today I went to UpullitandPay and picked up a like new heavy duty towing hitch. Drove home and bolted it up to my Jeep. I need to run a wiring harness for the trailer lights. My trailers are small and light, just for mini bikes and the like.
 
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