djb383

I would suggest the 1st gallon of coolant added be straight 100%, not 50/50. It will dilute with the water remaining in the core, block and rad.....then finish off with 50/50. Be sure to let it idle with the rad cap off and keep the rad full. Once coolant/air burp out the rad (motor hot), install a new rad cap and test drive checking for leaks. Next several days, motor COLD, remove rad cap and add coolant if necessary. Make sure the bottle always has some coolant in it.

U say coolant is very nasty.....keep close tabs on the coolant color, it will probably turn from clean/green to not so clean/green fairly quick. Repeat the process, it will stay clean/green longer with each flush.

What about cooling system components (water pump, radiator, fan clutch, t-stat, etc......how old are they?

Mellis67

Actually the coolant wasn't that bad when I was draining it was really bad just under cap and in the overflow tank. Especially the overflow tank, I removed it and cleaned it out. All the parts of the cooling system are original and working fine (knock on wood)..... I got 2.5 gallons of coolant in and I'm running/driving it and toping up after it cools. It is getting rid of air and taking more as room is made...

tjwalker

Doesn't matter how those parts are working now, at the very least you need to replace the radiator cap and thermostat if it's original equipment.

It's about $12.00 in parts. Don't be cheap. Replace the parts BEFORE they fail. Your pocketbook will thank you down the road. Trust me.

Mellis67

Ok... I did replace the rad cap... I'll pick up a t-stat tomorrow... Thanks for the heads up...

djb383

U r on borrowed time.....trust me. Start accumulating the parts, git 'er done, while the parts store are open vs 1:00 AM on the side of the road.....u'll sleep better.

Trust me.....Ooops, sorry tj.

tjwalker

I'm just trying to find somebody in life who will trust me.

It's on my bucket list!

Mellis67

So I should change the tstat and water pump. Got it. Anything else? How long should I expect out of the radiator? It only has 105k on it.

tjwalker

Miles are not the only part of the equation to consider. "Time" is also in play.

So if this were my vehicle and I were digging in and going to replace a water pump and my 12 year old vehicle had the original radiator in there, I'd replace radiator. Easy to do while you have everything torn apart and a new radiator is not that expensive. $100 - $200 depending on what style you buy.

Can't stress this enough; you want to be darn sure that you are doing everything in your power to prevent an overheat, which almost assuredly will crack your factory 0331 cylinder head (if yours is still equipped with one). If that happens, you'd be kicking yourself in the backside awfully hard that you didn't spend the extra $150 when you had the chance.

There are a LOT of things on my XJ that I don't think about touching until they break. All cooling system components do not fall into that category. Preventive. Preventive. Money well spent.