Coolant flow

[Turtleturtle28]

My heat on my 02 liberty blows cold after a few seconds of blowing. I tried to flush the coolant system and I noticed that there was no coolant in the radiator but the reservoir is full. I emptied reservoir and flushed heater core forward and backward and reassembled. I refilled reservoir and started the jeep but water won't move to the radiator. The jeep never runs over normal operating temperature but I don't think there has been water in the radiator for a while. I just bought the jeep so I'm pretty much in the dark as far as the past maintenance. How can I fix the coolant flow issue?

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Squeeze the upper and lower radiator hoses and see if it moves the fluid in the reservoir. If they feel hard, you've got a problem.. they should squeeze decently easy and you should hear a slosh from the rest of the system whether it's running or not..

Also, when you say you flushed and refilled the cooling system.. you used HOAT coolant from a dealer right? There's a zerex equivalent which you can get basically anywhere that sells coolant, but it's gotta be Zerex g 05.
Only 2 coolants that can be used. Nothing else, or you're gunna jell up every component of that cooling system..

P.S. no weeping coming from your water pump and it's in good working order?

 

[Turtleturtle28]

I heard the sloshing sound when I squeezed the larger hose but the smaller hose just sounds like a small amount of air moving when squeezed.

 

[Turtleturtle28]

I haven't finished the coolant flush since the water won't flow to the radiator. I'm not really auto savvy so I'm not sure what kind of coolant I bought. I just know it's a universal 50/50 mix. I just connected a water hose to the heater core to flush it out (saw that on YouTube) and I couldn't go further in my process because I was stumped by the water not moving through the radiator. Not sure about the pump. If the pump was bad would it run hot?

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Probably from trying to suck coolant from the radiator that's not there... so if you can hear coolant in the top hose of the radiator, and nothing is coming out of the bottom, sounds like you might have a gunked inlet area on your radiator..

I know you said the Jeep is new to you, so just wanted to stress the importance of HOAT coolant being the only thing you use.
Anything else is going to clog things.. like a radiator lol

Me personally, I'd remove the bottom radiator hose completely and take the upper radiator hose half off. Take the side off the thermostat housing, but leave it connected to the radiator.
Pour coolant in the upper radiator hose and see if it runs out the bottom.
But you could try filling up your radiator with coolant, and next time it's run, see if it pulls the coolant through from the radiator without allowing it to fill back up

 

[Turtleturtle28]

Ok, I'll give that a try in the morning and I'll let you know of the result

 

[GunnerSchenck]

I haven't finished the coolant flush since the water won't flow to the radiator. I'm not really auto savvy so I'm not sure what kind of coolant I bought. I just know it's a universal 50/50 mix. I just connected a water hose to the heater core to flush it out (saw that on YouTube) and I couldn't go further in my process because I was stumped by the water not moving through the radiator. Not sure about the pump. If the pump was bad would it run hot?

A bad pump usually would show fluctuation in the temp gauge.. but then again, a dry radiator usually would too

You can find plenty of horror stories on here and elsewhere about using the incorrect coolant in a HOAT system. If the coolant wasn't pink, orange, or yellow when you got it.. then it was already wrong.
No matter the case, you need to get ALL of that coolant out ASAP and only put in HOAT. I'd get a gallon of concentrate HOAT coolant from the dealer. You'll have to dilute it yourself, but this way you basically get 2 gallons of coolant for $16. Which is the cost of the incorrect universal coolant anyways.
Believe me, much cheaper to buy the correct coolant than to burn through heater cores, water pumps, and radiators.

 

[Turtleturtle28]

Will do. Thanks

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Yessir

 

[rjkj2005]

HOAT or OAT. Oat is the newer coolant and is backward compatible with HOAT. Just as these to are backwards compatible with the older green stuff. The green stuff won't clog and mixing won't clog just the green doesn't protect the aluminum heads. There is just so much bs out there when it comes to coolant. It sounds to me that your system has rust build up. And your thermostat is not opening and the little bypass is clogged. These engines pull coolant from the bottom. If the thermostat is stuck closed. The system can't push coolant up and out to the radiator. Because there is a port at the top that will send coolant back down towards the thermostat to be recirculating back through the engine. Change thermostat. Remove radiator. Turn upside down and run a water from a hose so water flows out the top hole. Look for contaminants. If flow seams slower than what's going in. Replace radiator or have it professionally cleaned at a radiator shop.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Turtleturtle28]

Ok. Thanks

 

[Turtleturtle28]

HOAT or OAT. Oat is the newer coolant and is backward compatible with HOAT. Just as these to are backwards compatible with the older green stuff. The green stuff won't clog and mixing won't clog just the green doesn't protect the aluminum heads. There is just so much bs out there when it comes to coolant. It sounds to me that your system has rust build up. And your thermostat is not opening and the little bypass is clogged. These engines pull coolant from the bottom. If the thermostat is stuck closed. The system can't push coolant up and out to the radiator. Because there is a port at the top that will send coolant back down towards the thermostat to be recirculating back through the engine. Change thermostat. Remove radiator. Turn upside down and run a water from a hose so water flows out the top hole. Look for contaminants. If flow seams slower than what's going in. Replace radiator or have it professionally cleaned at a radiator shop.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Once I replace these things will I uncover deeper problems? I fear that replacing the thermostat will cause the engine to overheat. Right now the only problem I have is no heat and I'm kind of thinking maybe I should leave things the way they are for the time being. What would be the consequences of leaving it the way it is? I bought this jeep dirt cheap so I'm sure there are other underlying issues. There is an oil leak of unknown origin which leads me to believe that perhaps I may have some head problems that would show up after replacing the thermostat. What would you do in this situation?

 

[rjkj2005]

Why would you have head problems if you replace the thermostat? If it gets hot. You will have head problems. If its getting over halfway on the gauge. It's already getting to hot.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Turtleturtle28]

It never runs over normal right now but I'm afraid it would once I replace the thermostat. Like I said earlier I'm not really an auto guy so I don't know much about all of this. I'm just trying to ensure that I don't run into something bigger and more expensive right now.

 

[Myke]

It never runs over normal right now but I'm afraid it would once I replace the thermostat. Like I said earlier I'm not really an auto guy so I don't know much about all of this. I'm just trying to ensure that I don't run into something bigger and more expensive right now.

This makes no sense unless you plan on putting in a broken thermostat.

If you're coolant isn't flowing you already have a big issue that needs to be resolved. I had a leak on the plastic tank on my radiator and when I replaced it I also replaced the thermostat (only use mopar parts for both).

 

[GunnerSchenck]

It never runs over normal right now but I'm afraid it would once I replace the thermostat. Like I said earlier I'm not really an auto guy so I don't know much about all of this. I'm just trying to ensure that I don't run into something bigger and more expensive right now.

It's alright, you shouldn't have to be auto savvy to use this site. It's a forum for every liberty owner, even those who need the input from the auto savvy people.

That being said, replacing your thermostat with the correct Mopar replacement, will not cause you to run into bigger issues (whether your current thermostat is good or bad). BUT only get a Mopar replacement.
As for the radiator if it ends up being in need of replacement, you can search recommendations on this site for them.
You'll see that 99% of the people on here will be Mopar-or-Die when it comes to the radiator, but there are testimonials of people like myself who have used some aftermarket rads, and remans.
That being said, I'll definitely recommend the Mopar radiator, but being that it's double the price, I'm not sure how your budget for the project would look.
Just remember, you'll get what you pay for in peace-of-mind by going OEM.

 

[JeepinJarhead03]

yeaaa there was this one fella... went through 8 or 9 spectra (napa) radiators in like.. 2 yrs heh

he ended up getting a mopar radiator too.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

My reman radiator worked well, until it started to leak... but that could've been the tree I ran it into :happy175:
For some reason they don't hold up so well to that!!

Go mopar, unless the budget simply won't allow it... then find a dead jeep with a good rad!
But.. I've only heard bad things about the napa versions.
I think it was HJ, if I remember correctly, who also had an aftermarket version that's still doing its job.
Might wanna search the radiator recommendation threads and take a look-see and ask those with success with non-oem rads

 

[JeepinJarhead03]

i hate that napa lets their name be associated with the kj model of that spectra radiator, theyre smaller, thinner, less well built, just cheap, some spectras are good radiators, some, simply arent, my local napa store has like a 70% return rate for warranty on the 02-07s on the spectra to the point where they start whispering to the customer about it might be quicker to go across the streettttt.. to Dodge....

 

[GunnerSchenck]

You think they'd just quit selling them, or find a better replacement model that they can sell and not risk their reputation each time they do.. I used to go to Napa for EVERYTHING, but lately they've turned into just as big a guessing game as the rest of them... but as sad as it sounds.. I've been having MUCH better luck with Auto Zone over the years.. their workers are beyond incompetent, but the parts seem to hold up well.. you just have to do your homework before, because they will be of NO help.

When I did my U-joints on my driveshaft, the guy asked me how I would get them out? I replied that I'd use my ball joint press to push them out, and a socket/extension and a hammer to put them in..
He replied with... "ball joint presses can't be used for u-joints"
If you read any ball joint press case, it will typically say ball joint/u-joint press..
Then I received my u-joints.. got home, dropped my driveshaft, took the old ones out.. and when I opened the package, my new moog u joints had already been opened, taken apart, and beat incorrectly into someone's driveshaft.. they weren't just old, half the roller bearings were snapped and there was NO grease left in them...

So I show that I have more knowledge than him, just to get incorrect parts and have to run back before I can put my driveshaft back on... as I said, incompetent workers.. but at least they sell moog ujoints.

I'm not sure what radiators that AZ would sell, but I'm sure it can't be any worse than the Spectra models!!