Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee Overheating

abdgabdg Member Posts: 1
edited June 2015 in Jeep
I recently went to the mechanic to get my engine belt replaced. The next day I took it out to discover that the car has begun to overheat. I dont know what the issue could be. There is no coolant leaking either. Any thought as to what the problem could be and what I can do to fix it?

See Also
Engine Overheating? - 9 Steps To Solve (YouTube)
«1

Comments

  • roofiemtlroofiemtl Member Posts: 2
    My 2002 Laredo I6 has just started to overheat. I purchased a new thermostat. Installed it and replaced the coolant. But I am not that lucky. I even changed the oil to full synthetic MOBIL 1 and added SYN. Slick 50. Nope, still gets there. The fan is working with air on or off. I see it spinning. At idle is where it starts to take a crap. driving no problem. Can it be maybe the fan isnt spinning fast enough.....
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    Replace fan clutch round thing with fins right behinde the fan blades blades both to it
  • roofiemtlroofiemtl Member Posts: 2
    It is a plastic electric fan. Do these have a fan clutch?
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    nope i was thinking you had tow package dont have fan hooked to water pump

    if over heating when stoped would think that elect fan not running right or up to speed if me would replace elect fan
  • dawn16dawn16 Member Posts: 4
    just bought this from a dealer , drove it home on fri and i cant' drive it. first the coolant fan keeps running, so replaced that and now works fine. still overheating so replaced the thermostat still overheating. did notice a light on the dashboard that looks like a camera to me ( for engine,emission,etc) also displayed is low coolant. filled the radiator completely.. it over heats with in a few minutes,even in idle. did notice when it is idling the overflow fills up to the top , when you shut the vehicle down it goes down as fast as it came up. any ideas.. I hoping nothing big i just got this and can't even drive it.
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    same as other reply bad head gasket

    dealer should be able to check if have exaust gases in colent sure sounds as if have bad head gasket

    have they checked raddiator flow so as to see if raddiator is pluged?
  • dawn16dawn16 Member Posts: 4
    yep jgc needs head gasket how much are they and the labor part?
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    don,t realy know as i do my own work
  • 5213252132 Member Posts: 62
    Did you replace the water pump yet? The lives of water pumps, on these engines, are short lived.
  • komo_lwfkomo_lwf Member Posts: 1
    Ok bought the vehicle for 500 bucks cant beat it.vehicle was overheating. first the water pump was replaced due to the shaft being broken and the pulley kept throwing the belt off. next i replaced the thermostat was replaced. looked a little smaller then the one that was in there but it was the oem recommended. next the electric fan stopped working. It was shot so i replaced it and still didnt work then replaced the relay no luck and finally coolant temp sensor which the one they gave me did not match up to the connector and one from a 97 worked. fan still wont kick on and the vehicle constantly overheats still. Can someone please help me??
  • 30583058 Member Posts: 3
    i have a 2003 ,overheated. solution: change the fan motor. faulty fan motors due to faulty windings from factory.
  • jeep4life0604jeep4life0604 Member Posts: 9
    LISTEN TO THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    For anyone having overheating problems with their Jeep Grand Cherokees take these necessary steps before taking your vehicle to a dealership..........

    1. If your vehicle is equipped with a fan clutch, take your hand with the vehicle turned off of course and spin the fan by hand... you should feel resistance, if there is no resistance you will need to replace the fan clutch.

    2. If the fan clutch has resistance, turn the air conditioning on... look at the electric fan motors.. both should be spinning if they are not spinning there are two possibilities... there is a relay that is known to fry for the electric motors... verifiy it is working correctly... if it is then you need to replace the electric motor for the fan....

    **** another quick and easy way to check the clutch fan is while the engine is running find a focused flashlight of laser pointer and shine it onto the fan blades.. you should see a consistent circles of light if it is spinning properly... if your seeing the laser pointer or flash light hit on blade at a time than you can gurantee that it is the fan clutch.

    ******* Never take your vehicle to the DEALERSHIP until you have ruled out all simple causes************ The fact that the vehicle is not overheating when your on the highway tells me that the vehicle in fact does not have a HEAD GASKET issue... and the problem at hand is probably an external cooling device... the Fan cluctch or Electric Motor fan...
  • badmamajamabadmamajama Member Posts: 2
    omg...my jeep is so evil. ever since i bought the damn thing...it's been giving me problems. so far i've replaced the barrings, water pump, starter, ignition switch, radiator, battery, fan clutch, 1 tail light (the whole assembly) (twice!!)...and now...worst of all i have to replace the rear diff!! i can't take it anymore LOL. i feel your pain. :P
  • badmamajamabadmamajama Member Posts: 2
    i want to change the color of the speedometer etc...my question is, is it easy to change?? could a 24 old woman do it?? lol :blush:
  • sean8564sean8564 Member Posts: 2
    Last week I was pulling a trailer with my 2001 Jeep Cherokee and the radiator gave up and developed a hole on the side. so I replaced the radiator. Now the Jeep will not cool its self down. I replaced the thermostat cause the upper radiator hose was not getting warm. so now it is warm and still wants to overheat and push all the fluid from the radiator to the overflow bottle. The motor refuses to cool down the upper hose is now getting warm. I need help asap please. I do not want to loose my job cause I can not get back and forth to work. the thermostat is a OEM 180 degree
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    what engine you have?
  • sean8564sean8564 Member Posts: 2
    it is the 4.0L inline 6 automatic tranny
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    could have a bad fan clutch to check run engine till wharm sut off turn fan should have resistance .
    could also ruened the water pump as think i read that some of the water pumps had plastic impellers
  • KirksjohnsonKirksjohnson Member Posts: 11
    Hello Sean If the coolant is going to the over flow tank that means there is more pressure in the cooling system then the radiator cap can hold back. First thing I would do is check the cap pressure rating then see if there is any resistance to the spring that feels to match the cap rating if not bad radiator cap. How long did you pull the load when the radiator was leaking? Did it warm up on you then cool back down. Coolant temp sensors don't measure air temp. If there was no coolant in your engine the gauge will read cool when acualy the engine will be turning itself in to a molten pile of steel. Sounds to me like your head gasket blew out, or wore you cracked a head. There is a easy way to tell. Go to any parts store and ask for a head gasket leak detector kit. (about 20 dollars) Just follow the instructions on the bottle. If the blue fluid turns yellow that is bad. It has never lied to me yet. Sorry for the bad news but I have seen that exact same problem on 4 or 5 4.0 I6 before.
  • smithedsmithed Member Posts: 444
    100 to 1 Kirksjohnson is right: you blew the head gasket when it overheated when the radiator blew out. Good luck.
  • iriahiriah Member Posts: 1
    There was a leak in the radiator of our 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport, so my son replaced it. He also replaced the upper and lower rad hoses as "insurance." The upper one was clogged with rust. Now he needs to know the location of the bleeder screw to finish up. This is an in-line six, with Auto transmission.
    Many thanks
  • cbrandon1118cbrandon1118 Member Posts: 1
    I hope someone here can give me some advice. I know NOTHING about car mechanics and I'm sick of car repairmen (and salesmen) cheating me.

    I bought a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport with 45k mile (yes, that's right) three days ago. Had them change the timing belt at the dealer before I took it. Have driven it 200 miles. Pulled in the driveway just now and fluid (I think it is coolant) pouring out from under the front.

    Of course, dealer now closed and I'm without a car until Monday or Tuesday.

    Any ideas would be helpful. I've read on other sites that the water pump should have been changed when they changed the timing belt. Would that cause all the fluids to pour out?

    HELP! :cry:
  • KirksjohnsonKirksjohnson Member Posts: 11
    The best thing to do is call the dealer that installed the timing chain maybe they damaged the raditor when the were working on the front of the engine. Either way it sounds like a dealer screw up and they should take care of it for you.
  • ja4haja4ha Member Posts: 1
    Never overheated before replacing with new radiator (old was leaking) and new thermostat. I was told about air pockets so I install Prestone Reverse Flush Kit. Did not work. Changed the cap to higher pressure but it still filled the tank.

    Don't know what else to do besides the water pump. But either it works or don't...doesn't it? I don't want to remove the pump only to find nothing's wrong with it. Should I replace the pump or should I donate the truck.
  • daddy28daddy28 Member Posts: 7
    Not sure if you'll recieve this as it is an older post, but the only info i have for you is not much i'm in the same boat, my 2002 jeep GC laredo does the EXACTTT same thing, there was a recall on the radiator fan because they were basically chit, but once it blows out, your radiator fan relays blows out as well, this has happened to me the past 4 yrs all in june or july, and every year they replace the fan for free since it was an inital recall but it costs me 340 out of pocket for the relay that it blows out, alos i get the exact same message about coolant low and yadda yadda, i have no idea about that, i keep a full bottle of coolant in the jeep along with a jug of water at all times because honestly i have no idea when its going to happen so i take no chances, however if you do get this and have any other further knowledge on this problem let me know would ya, thanks.
  • gr3foxgr3fox Member Posts: 1
    :confuse: my jeep has started overheating about two weeks ago, the cooling fan is running, i have canged the thermostat and flush the cooling system, it only overheats when i sit for long periods,while im driving its fine.Whats wrong
  • cinderella18cinderella18 Member Posts: 1
    Ok So far I still can't figure it out. I changed the relay behind the headlight to find out the one I bought is bad. So I put my old one back in (because the over heating problem is intermittent most of the time until recently)and of course the fan is spinning. But the temp is still going past 210. Tried the laser idea ,and If I point it at the fan it will hold a continuous dot form the laser in a still position(if that makes sense) so what else can I do or need to resolve the over heating problem?
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    if over heating is intermitant the fan could still be bad and not running up to speed could still turn but not fast enought to cool raddiator
  • daddy28daddy28 Member Posts: 7
    I wish i had more info for you, it took me 3 weeks just to get an appointment at the jeep dealership to have my radiator fan and relay replaced (for the 4th continuous yr in a row) and when i got there i told them to come up with a legit reason why this happens every year but then they told me they needed to keep the jeep for 3 days to do a 4 hr job because they were backed up so i just said screw it and left as the jeep is my only vehicle but i swear if i find out why jeeps are so [non-permissible content removed] and constantly have these over heating problems i will post the solution as soon as possible
  • jeepsrgreatjeepsrgreat Member Posts: 2
    Sounds like my jeep had a leak in the radiator,changed water pump,changed radiator, changed thermostat, and had radaitor cap checked. Bleed cooling system. Still ran hot. Removed thermostat still ran hot, The temp sensor was not completely bad, but it was reading off. My jeep was running 212. Changed senor runs 204 now. Also check and make sure your cooling system holds the correct pressure. If it was ran low on fluid it could of damaged your water pump.
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    has probly installed the belt wrong as the water pump turns bacword on the l 6 engine take it back and have them make sure that the belt is installed right
  • staz8235staz8235 Member Posts: 2
    I had my cooling fan on my 2000 JGC Laredo 3 times and it just went out again. It is fine when I drive, but when sit idle too long it over heats. What gives? got any suggestions for the underlying problem and how to fix t.
  • daddy28daddy28 Member Posts: 7
    Hey there starz8235 I have a solution but i'm not going to guarantee you 100 percent this is the correct answer but i will tell you it's what happened in my situation. I live in las vegas and the for the past 4 yrs my radiator fan has blown out and in return so has my radiator fan relay in my 02 JGC laredo. Every yr i bring it into the same jeep dealership and every yr they replace the fan for free but i pay 340 out of pocket for the relay since the fan itself was originally a recall but not the relay so i get stuck there. I consider myself lucky when it happened this past june. I brought it into the shop but they were so backed up they said they needed to keep the jeep for 3 days and i said screw that, so i went to some rinky dink auto shop and found AN HONEST MECHANIC if you can believe that.

    He told me the fan was perfectly fine as well as the relay, (which the jeep dealership would never tell me, and it was the exact same problem for the past 4 yrs with my jeep overheating.) He said the problem was in my electrical motherboard or something like that. He said it the electrical system just wasn't working properly which made it to where my fan wouldn't run right. For 100.00 he connected my fan to the battery (i believe) so that the second my jeep turned on the fan started right away. I've never had an issue with the overheating ONCE since he did that. Now i'm not stating it's the perfect solution for the long run, but if your short on money i'd suggest looking into it as a short time fix. Down here in vegas it will stay hot until mid to late oct so this was the perfect solution for me until i can get the money to fix the main problem. Personal opinion i love my jeep but i think i heard it best from 1 person, with a jeep you either get a real winner or you get a lemon. As i've stated i've had issues with the radiator fan, which i now feel was unjust. All of the window regulators have went out and i've had to replace them all, the power seat on the driver side has had issues with 2 of the buttons, Check ignition light comes on for no reason when it wants to, sometimes it stays on for days, to weeks and then for no reason like putting 5 dollars in gas in it when its 3/4 filled already it goes away all of a sudden lol, it shutters when your stopped at a stop light like it wants to die, and like most jeeps once you get it up to 60 or higher mph it vibrates and hums like crazy. Sorry for long response, i hope this may have helped in some way.... Doug
  • daddy28daddy28 Member Posts: 7
    I guess i honestly couldn't tell you the reason jeeps seem to have this problem, either its just coincidence amongst millions of us, or i'd seriously ask someone to look at the electrical situation and see if that's not the real problem as it seems to be in my situation.
  • staz8235staz8235 Member Posts: 2
    it is kind of strange because there is just a ground and power wire going to the fan. Thinking it may be the fan motor itself. Jeeps are nice, but now after seeing all these problems I am thinking it may be time to get rid of it
  • daddy28daddy28 Member Posts: 7
    You and me both brother... as much as i like my jeep as well, it just has way to many problems, and last night while driving home from the store i noticed something for the 1st time i've never noticed... the interior on the roof is supposed to be a grayish / cream color, and when i looked up it has brown spots and large brown circles all over it ????? It has never been smoked in or had any water damage at all, so i'm really intrigued by this new situation. Yeah but about the fan problem i really have no idea what the mechanic did, i'm not a "mechanical person" all i know is he rigged up my fan to where the second my jeep turns on the fan turns on automatically?
  • tooltimetooltime Member Posts: 2
    Wondering if there's a way to access the fan relay without dropping the entire front bumper? Can you cut a hole somewhere behind the headlight area? I have the fan jumpered right now. Its always on... I'd really like to do it right but last time the relay died it cost me $600/labor the part is only about $28.... Any tips about getting to that relay? Thanks
  • fuller2193fuller2193 Member Posts: 2
    hi how does the joins come apart on the condenser pipes can any body help so i can replce the condenser and rad.thanks
  • dontknowcars2dontknowcars2 Member Posts: 2
    I don't know anything about cars so please help!

    My 01' JC has 82,000 miles. All winter the heat would not work and it was leaking coolant and the check engine light would go on and off.

    Two weeks ago I had a new radiator and thermostat installed and a new belt (something to do with the alternator) installed. When I picked up the car, I drove it around for about 30 minutes and the heat worked fine and the check engine light did not come back on. The next morning, it had leaked reddish fluid and when I started the engine there was a loud screeching noise. I went back to the shop and they suggested I drive it for a few days and see what happens. The leak stopped that day. But, the screeching got worst... now, I hear it every time I start the engine, when I turn on the heat/air, when making turns and even sitting at stop lights! I never had this problem before.

    I'm taking it back tomorrow so any suggestions would be helpful because I don't trust the mechanic! :sick:

    Thanks!
  • muse1muse1 Member Posts: 2
    May be completely unrelated problem. I had the same issue(s) with mine. Turned out to be low power steering fluid. Will make you engine sound like a jet when it is cold outside. May not be your problem but it is an easy thing to rule out.
  • muse1muse1 Member Posts: 2
    Recently had problems with low coolant on my 01 Jeep GC. Had it pressure checked and they couldn't find anything. Couple days later I noticed that the overfill tank was spilling over after I shut the Jeep down. Next morning I noticed that the temp was rising to 210 when stopped, but would go back to 185 when driving. Dropped it off immediately at the shop. Asked them to flush radiator, check the cap and check to see if the fan was working. They called to let me know they found a lot of scale but that the Jeep was ready to go. By the time I get there, I notice the hood is popped open and the engine is running extremely rough. Mech says, You Got a Real Problem Now. The engine was knocking extremely hard, I had to run over and turn it off. Was running smooth when I took it in. They think flushing the scale caused a leak to develop in the head gasket and that I should buy a new engine. Anyone think I have an argument here? I just had the coolant system flushed 4 months ago cause my heater stopped working. I know it wasn't that bad.
  • dontknowcars2dontknowcars2 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks Muse, I haven't made it back to the mech yet so I'll check the fluid first, can't hurt!
  • madsindermadsinder Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2010
    hello i have a question my jeep keeps over heating at first i thought it was the water pump and the thermostat so i replaced both and the thermostat is 195 oem but that did not work either it still kept over heating untill the raidatior cracked so i replaced the raidaitor and the radiator cap with a 16 lbs cap and i also revurse flushed the coolent system before i put the new raidatior on and it flowed fine both fans turn on ex the belt fan and the electric fan at the right temp but when i drive it or let the jeep idle it would idle at 220 then quickly spike to 250 then 260 and then overheat. but when i check the hoses the main radiator hose is overly hot but the radiator cap is not and when i checked the transmission hoses they were just the same. i checked the oil and it dose not look milky and i checked the tail pipe for water and there is no water so i have not blown a head gasket. i have replaced everything i can think of on the coolent system and i am out of options that i know of can any one help me
  • tuggajbtuggajb Member Posts: 646
    did you bleed the system as the manual says
  • madsindermadsinder Member Posts: 2
    yes there were no air pockets
  • woowoowootywoowoowooty Member Posts: 12
    edited August 2010
    My car started overheating and I had someone replace the water pump, thermostat and the radiator. It is still overheating and I don't know what to do. Is it possible that the radiator needs to be bled? Can not bleeding the radiator cause the car to still be overheating? I know if I continue to drive the car when it is overheating, I can blow a head gasket or crack the head. Any suggestions? Also, I spoke to a mechanic who told me there are major problems with the 4.7 engine and that even though it isn't showing any signs, I might have already blown a gasket or cracked the head. The person who replaced the thermostat, water pump and radiator said my clutch fan was fine and didn't need to be replaced. What should I do? I don't want to damage the car more, if it is already damaged.
  • mdr1973mdr1973 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    I really hope someone can help me. I have a long story that I will make short. I was idling in a parking lot and my JGC spiked in temperature. The "check gauges" light came on and I shut the car off and it started pouring out greenish fluid. I had the car towed to the repair shop. They installed a new thermostat and electric fan relays and sent me on my way. As I was transferring all of my gear back into my car in the parking lot of repair shop (car running with air on low), it did it again! Overheated and poured out green stuff. Repair guys came out and were quite embarrassed. They pushed my car back into the bay and got back to work on it.

    Next idea was that the radiator cap was bad. Two hours later they called me and said I could come pick up my car. It must have been a bad radiator cap. Well, 3 minutes later they called back and said never mind, the car had overheated again. It didn't get to the point of pouring out the green stuff, but it was close. They told me they would call me the next day and let me know what they found.

    So, today I was told that I had blown a head gasket. They say it was caused by my car overheating. How do I know that the blown head gasket was caused by me and not them??? And why wasn't that blown head gasket diagnosed earlier? Am I stuck with this huge bill or should I fight it? I feel like they should have caught it before I overheated the car again! For crying out loud, I was still in their parking lot! One last thing, my radiator was replaced 6 weeks ago and prior to that, 10 months ago! Of course,the second one was covered under a warranty!

    Sorry this is so long. I appreciate any feedback or ideas. Thanks!
  • vinney3vinney3 Member Posts: 2
    Hi. Can anybody advise please. Driving along, engine overheated, opened bonnet and oil all over radiator.
    Dealer said oil cooler built in to main radiator, The oil cooler has burst into the water system, needs replacing and flushing out. £3,500. This is far too much money. The water header tank has a lot of oil in it. Can't see any water in the cooling system. Contacted a radiator company they want £470 for a new radiator, Can any body tell me how long it should take a garage to change the radiator and flush the system out please
  • underandoveritunderandoverit Member Posts: 2
    Holy Jesus. I am in hell. I'm right there with you. I have been through $2000 and 2 mechanics. It was overheating when I bought it. We realized the oil and water were mixing. So, we had the head resurfaced, bought the gasket kit and had it all installed. When you put water in it drains right out and runs straight into the engine -just like it was in the beginning. About to have it towed off to determine the problem, hopefully once and for all but if anyone else has an answer before I tow it off to family 200 miles away, that would be great.
  • underandoveritunderandoverit Member Posts: 2
    I have been through $2000 and 2 mechanics. It was overheating when I bought it. We realized the oil and water were mixing. So, we had the head resurfaced, bought the gasket kit and had it all installed. When you put water in it drains right out and runs straight into the engine -just like it was in the beginning. About to have it towed off to determine the problem, hopefully once and for all but if anyone else has an answer before I tow it off to family 200 miles away, that would be great.
    Also, I was warned the heater core was cracked but they had disconnected it and would fix it later. Pshaw.
Sign In or Register to comment.