Anyone have luck finding a copper/brass heater core??
Crown is very deceptive, they show a picture of a copper core, but read the fine print, they are selling an Alum one.
Beside durability, the Alum would need MORE surface area to transfer the same amount of heat, yet the Alum XJ cores have LESS surface area.

I did find one at Superior -
https://www.superiorcooling.co/48740...-wrangler.html

Anyone use one?? The XJ has become a classic car, and we are now paying classic car prices.

 

Question, has anyone ever considered the thought that maybe their coolant is extremely corrosive due to current flowing through via bad ground from engine to body or alike?

I am wondering if this maybe isn't the cause of some coolants becoming highly corrosive or maybe it is just poor quality heater cores?

 

I *thought* stray voltage turned coolant black, gives the appearance of oil floating on top of the coolant? Had that happen on a Cordoba with a slant six, and did not know the cause until well after I traded it.

 

You need to adjust your coolant's Ph. It should be between 9.8 and 10.2. If it goes below 9.0, it's the same as having a battery in the block! Extreme acidity will eat up aluminum quickly.

 

There are a couple thoughts running through my mind. I find it odd that there are this many poorly manufactured aluminum heater cores from different brands. I think it would be important that anyone that replaces their first heater core and then have to again shortly after should test their coolant (maybe they do regularly and why they don't feel that is the issue). When I get home tonight, I plan on testing the ph level. If my ph level isn't safe, then that may explain the heater core failure, not sure on the color change with electrolysis. If not in the desired range, why? How often does this happen and no one looks at their coolant condition? Just curious.

If mine is below desired range, then I can think of several things that may cause this, especially with my Jeep.

 

[Story nobody probably cares about:]

I used to do high-dollar boiler jobs for various companies, factories and institutions. Nearly every industry uses hot water in production of some sort. Boiler mfgrs have for years toyed with using aluminum heat exchangers in boilers. It seems like a 'sexy' solution to sell more boilers. Ultimately manufacturers got away from aluminum heat exchangers a long time ago, a few euro companies still make them. But sometimes a company would get a cheap deal buy and install an aluminum boiler and put it in with their other copper boilers. I would always advise against it b/c the pH safety factor for each metal had a VERY narrow overlap. In theory, if you kept the pH correct they'd be in good shape. The fact is, most companies struggle to keep their hot water pH at the right level as it is. They have a lot of other issues to deal with. But with copper and steel, and cast iron, the range is very wide and they the metal can withstand oversight. Ultimately it's well known in industry that the aluminum quickly becomes the anode (sacrificial metal) and I've personally seen brand new aluminum boiler heat exchangers get 'eaten out' in a couple years. Then the 'good deal' ended up costing them a lot more $$.

The metal is so thin in a heater core (copper or aluminum), and the solder is easily eaten away too. But if you maintain the right pH it'll be ok. I use a simple pH tester. Add a little Sodium hydroxide crystals or Lemon Juice to tweak the pH as needed (up or down). It only takes a micro-pinch of NaOH crystals (drain cleaner - Lye) to bump it up in the size of a Jeep's cooling system. I've posted all this before, so it may be redundant. Below is the tester i use. Mine is accurate. The Chinese to the rescue, man! Any American company would sell that handy little item for at least $50! (ha ha!!). I use the 3-pack calibration solution to get the accuracy to .01. The tester below only includes the 2-pack calibration solution. Just read up on it. You can buy the dry calibration power separate, or a different kit with 3 powder solutions. I keep the solutions in a tupperware container once mixed, for re-checking. Don't let the water evaporate or it'll throw off yer perspective of calibration. Just a few tips there.

Or just buy a replacement heat exchanger made from Copper in the first place - ha ha!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Ele...n/332853004722

 

That statement is not entirely true. Car part contracts are awarded to low bidders of trusted manufacturers and are produced to the Manufacturer's specifications that the auto mfgr engineers wrote or approved. Every car part is made to a specification (or 'should' be) and is tested or has been used successfully for many years. Car companies rarely take chances on some new fly-by-night company which may not be able to deliver on time, run into shortages, can't guarantee consistent quality, etc. And they certainly don't let parts producers drive their specficatons -- unless the independent parts mfgr can clearly show the car mfgr (with extensive test data) they have come up with a new or better way or part (and car companies do in fact work hand-in-hand with Auto company engineers). Independent companies are not making heater cores however they 'feel' like it with whatever metal or solder they can walk down and buy at Lowes ....ha ha!!

I've worked closely on large construction projects with several auto part factories for many years. Had business relationships with parts' plant guys for more than 20 yrs in some cases ....walked assembly lines, such as Borg Warner, worked with the plant managers. They'd frequently vent their problems ...tell me their stories (b/c I'm not a competitor). Believe me when I say, the car mfgrs have significant buying power and independent car part manufacturers have every incentive to NOT screw the auto mfgrs. They will surely get penalized financially if they do, and lose potentially million$ in business. The margins on car parts is razor thin as it is, auto companies beat them down to the last penny. But they make it up on volume (hopefully). Now that's not to say, some mfgr specs weren't as good as they could have been in the first place (then the car company tweaks them as needed), or unusual quality control issues cropped up, those things do happen from time to time, but it's not common. The part's companies try hard to win and keep contracts and shudder at the thought of losing them. In the end, the heater core in my vehicle lasted about 30 years. Would have probably lasted a lot longer if I'd and the PO managed my coolant water-treatment better. That's probably true for a lot of guys.

In case anyone cares, the way car companies purchase parts is they work out a price and unlike most industries which add something like a +3% (example) yearly cost-of-goods increase, the car companies EXPECT cost reductions every year due to efficiencies of scale or production efficiencies (that's the parts mfgr responsibility -- why some parts companies go out of business). The part's producer will likely lose money on the first years of production but level out over time. That kind of boxes out small start-ups. It take some pocket$ to get into large-scale parts manufacturing. I always thought that was interesting.

 

I just replaced mine with an aluminum one... if it starts leaking in 8 months, I will literally cry.

 

Probably true. But I'm leery what guys on Facebook or shaky Youtube videos claim. Without knowing the details about their installation, water treatment ...quality of parts (was it a $24 ebay special?). Did he follow all known 'best practices'? Who knows? I suspect not.

We've all known self-proclaimed 'mechanics' who ya wouldn't let polish yer hubcaps. Guy I know pretty well rebuilds engines for people. He's also a consummate corner-cutter, and that's his achilies heel. Seems like half the jobs fail due to simple things that were skipped due to laziness, not following best-practices steps. Lot of people that way. Only a small percentage are real masters and don't let crap slip past their attention. I've worked with some pretty sharp guys who'd catch small details all the time, others want to just 'Git-er-dun' with a BFH and leave a trail of destruction in their wake. It's true for doctors and other professions. We all know guys like that. I certainly don't know it all ...that's why it's good to get feedback from guys on forums like this. Pool the info, tease out the best, toss the rest!

Now back to JEEPS!!! ha, ha

 

Coolant out of lower radiator hose is between 8 and 9, which from ones standard, that it too acidic. Why did this become this acidic in 2 months? Bad ground issues? Check the coolant I had on the shelf and it was even lower. Maybe poor water quality? Lots of variables, ordered a copper/brass from a local who claims it to come from Thermal Solutions. I will be flushing the coolant with pre mixed and checking grounds, about all I can do.

 

I don't have a factory service manual for my yr XJ. I wonder if they address the ideal pH in there?

Anyone know??

 

What is odd is I tested 2 coolants that were premixed. One was from Prestones and the other was CAT ELC, neither of them tested in that range, closer to 7-8. What manufacture's pre mixed are at that PH level? I wonder if it would be necessary to add something to raise the alkalinity like mentioned by Jeepwalker.

 

There is a MOPAR brand coolant out there. Don't remember seeing it at Walmart along with the MOPAR filters. Guessing the dealer will charge a lot for it. But testing that would give some indication of what Chrysler wants in the systems.

 

A lot of small-town dealers will sell fluids out of their bulk barrels. Lot cheaper that way. The FCA dealer here does. I bought ATF +4 for 25% less than the cheapest place online. The local small-town Chevy dealer nearby does it too. I didn't have to ask, they suggested it to me! I think they charged me $4 or $5 bucks/gal for Dexcool. I needed a bunch of expensive synthetic fluids for a newer vehicle so it really worked out well. Plus I got the exact 'right' OEM fluids. Bring your own clean milk jugs.

I've noticed they don't want to sell a quart at a time, for obvious reasons. It's not worth their while to walk all the way over and get oily and go back and bill out a quart of, say, trans fluid you could get down the street at a parts store, so don't abuse their nice gesture. But if you're back there buying a couple gallons of coolant, my guys around here don't mind reaching over and pulling a couple quarts out of another barrel of this or that fluid since they're already back there. Take a magic-marker so you can write down what's what on the jugs if you get different fluids. Best if you go on a Sat morning when they're not as busy. Big dealerships will just laugh if you ask.

 

I think the major reason premixed coolant is not consistent in Ph is because of the water it's mixed with. Not everybody has the time or inclination to buy full strength coolant and mix it with distilled water, but that's probably the best way to go. I'm thinking about the years I've used hard wellwater in my engines without a thought! Luckily those were old Chevy trucks with brass radiators! I also remember when Corvette first started using aluminum radiators they had problems with constant leaks and early failures probably for this reason, lack of proper Ph balance. GM came up with pills that you were supposed to put in the radiators of Corvettes and Cadillacs to help with this problem. I have no idea what they were made of.

It all comes down to science, doesn't it? Just like the lead-free solder that is an electrical nightmare! Then there were engineering failures like the year Harley-Davidson decided to use aluminum wiring in their handlebar harnesses. Aluminum doesn't do constant flexing well!