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Radiator swap out questions


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I have a 1990 jeep Comanche with the closed system where I have the expansion reservoir up in the corner of the hood by the fire wall.

 

Now then I had the 1991 donor it had the open system. I had a friend take it out for me but I haven't seen how it goes on the conversion for my truck. If I can get any help on it information and advice wise it would be gladly appriated.

 

 

Codymanche

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now here's my other problem it looks like it goes to your ac right? i don't have one!

 

 

Nothing from the coolant system goes to an A/C.... the upper hose goes around the AC from the thermostat housing to the radiator. then the A/C hoses go into the cab where there is an additional exchanger in there.

 

If you're converting to an open system and replacing the radiator to have the filler neck you need only a few pieces.

 

1. radiator from and open system

2. coolant overflow bottle with hose to bottom (your current expansion tank cannot be used)

3. upper and lower radiator hoses (lower is the same, upper i'm not sure)

4. a hose from the thermostat housing to the heater core connection at fire wall

5. a hose from the water pump to the other heater core connection at the fire wall.

 

 

the funny looking j-t is not used and the valve for the heat control can be eliminated ( be sure to plug the vacuum line)

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Old radiator. You need to ask for a 92 radiator. It may or may not have the bung for the temp switch that controls the e-fan.

 

 

Heater valve 91-96 ...97+ just ran the hoses from the t-stat thru the core and back.

 

 

The way it goes in.

 

 

Air Bleeder...ad lib.

 

 

A 16 lb. cap with no lever...and below, the generic overflow bottle.

 

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Thank you that's what I was looking for but the overflow bottle I don't know where I can put it. Also I don't wanna pay 600 bucks like that guy did don't get me wrong it good but too pricey. Looking for no more the 400 max. Any help is again appreciated.

 

Codymanche

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You can really put the overflow bottle just about anywhere. You can put it where the pressure bottle is now, remove the bracket, screw it to the firewall. All you need is more hose. It's actually better than where mine is in that picture..

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Does anyone know where to find one

 

 

Radiatorbarn.com was my source and I was happy with the quality. Also any autoparts store should be able to source one for you, however IIRC the ones from radiatorbarn are 2 or 3 row with metal tanks and alot of them at the parts stores have plastic tanks on the sides. It would also be possible to verify prior to order that the radiator from them has the electric fan bung, if you have or plan to install an oem electric fan, and they may even add one for you.

 

I decided to get a new radiator over a used simply because who knows what else happened over the last 2 years in your own radiator or a donor. As an example my old wasn't working well due to the scale build up, it appeared someone had put radiator fix in, and it also looked as if the internals had started to corrode possibly due to them not using distilled water.

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anywhere else besides radiator barn?

 

I got an aluminum 3-row Advanced Adapter radiator on Ebay. fir just over $100 bucks, and free shipping.

 

Try Rockauto.com, or Amazon.com, sometimes they have really good prices, and free shipping.

 

Ron

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anywhere else besides radiator barn?

 

I got an aluminum 3-row Advanced Adapter radiator on Ebay. fir just over $100 bucks, and free shipping.

 

Try Rockauto.com, or Amazon.com, sometimes they have really good prices, and free shipping.

 

Ron

 

Rock auto doesnt list any 3 rows....save you a few min anyway.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 8 months later...

I just bought a 89 converted to an open system. The CC member I bought it from did not finish the open system swap. There is no bung on the radiator for the electric fan switch. The big round switch is just hanging from the wiring loom.

 

Has anyone just bought the bung and brazed it onto the radiator? Can I buy just the bung? I will have to check if the radiator is metal of plastic? I was thinking this would be the easiest, cheapest and the closest to stock fix.

 

If anyone can share how they did it if you have part numbers it be great. I had read several previous threads still wondering which way I should go with this.

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Some radiators come with the bung already in there, behind a "knockout" like on an electrical box....but some don't.  The best (IMHO) solution is to wire the fan, through the fan relay, to a switch in the cab.  Rigging it to go on at a certain temp like it did when it was stock...is problematic*. It'll go on by itself when you turn on the A/C, just not with temp.

 

Personally I like having the switch, so I can turn it on when I want it on and when I anticipate the temp spiking...like towing or on a long grade with a load on.  Also I can turn it on and LEAVE it on even if it's cooled off below 200. Some do not like the switch, some do.

 

*There are 3 temperature sensitive devices under the hood on a Renix Jeep.  The one in the radiator is a switch...all it does is turn the fan on and off through the fan relay. It does not communicate with the ECU.  The one in the head is a sender.  It only operates the gauge on the dash, nothing more.  The Coolant Temperature Sensor on the lower block is a sensor, it supplies info to the ECU to adjust the air fuel ratio at different temperatures

 

They all work differently and none of them are interchangable.  Some have tried to simulate the switch by putting a later model sensor in a HO t-stat housing...this will not work...because it's a sensor, not a switch.

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Good information... I don't want to have to watch the tempreture all the time. I will forget about it and overheat. It might be a good temporary soloution for me and having an override to turn it on would be nice but Id rather take human error out of my overheating. I may run a temp switch is there a relay for the fan or the power to the fan runs directly through the switch?

 

For now I was just thinking a super cheap way to get the existing switch working would be to braze the bung on the radiator but not sure where i would find it I will have to check the size and thread for it. I need to still get body parts on this truck repainted and get an interior. so I was hoping to fix the electric fan problem with very little coin.

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I can solder the bung onto the radiator now Its just a matter of finding the bung, which might not be so easy. I will sweat it off a closed radiator I find in the junk yard.

 

Found this on NAXJA think I'm gonna try this route.

 

"You do not need to "relocate" the fan switch. Assuming you bought a radiator with brass end tanks, all you need to do is cut a hole in the back of the end tank, right where the hole was in the old RENIX rediator. The factory RENIX radiator has a cast iron threaded bung soldered into the tank. The switch screws into this. I used a MAP gas torch to sweat out the old bung and solder it into the new radiator. You need to be careful cutting the hole, because with an AW4, the ATF cooling reservoir sits inside this end tank about 4/10 of an inch inside the tank. I cleaned the tank and drew the circle with a Sharpie, then drilled a ring of small holes. I connected the holes with a cylinderical bur bit on a die gringer. You do not need to screw with any hoses or adaptors to do this. I used the renix presure bottle as a overflow bottle. I just screwed a small hose fitting into the bottom bottle hose fitting and connected it to the port at the cap. If you go this route and already have the tools, the cost is zero dollars."

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The circuit runs through the relay on the drivers side fender just behind the ballast resistor (Renix).  Same relay operates the fan when the A/C is on.  If you already have the fan/temp switch connector you don't need to do a thing except plug it in (after you've made a space for the switch...ala new bung)

 

IF you ever want to put a fan switch inside, the wire on the relay to tap/splice is the orange or yellow wire (it won't have both). That will power your relay and turn on the fan.

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Look for a GM switch. I've heard of folks who said the switch off a 90's vintage Corvette (think 327) would screw into the Jeep t-stat...but I can't confirm that. If your dead set against a manual switch it's time to think outside the box.

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http://comancheclub.com/topic/38112-dual-2-stage-electric-fans-ftpiercecrackers-easy-way/

 

 

T-stat threads are 3/8 NPT, the temp switch from RodneyDickmans is simply talored made for us. I am still working on finding a suitable switch for the lower/stock electric fan switch. This is the one i probably will be going with, https://www.carquest.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_CARQUEST+Heater+%26+A%2FC+Switches+By+Wells__10151_-1_10651_457854?acesApp=1    Specs: http://ecc.carquest.com/ds_fans.php?switch=53-13713&submit=Submit             Yes i know its as expensive as **** but its the only one with a low enough temp to work.

 

 

I will explain if interested.

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