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Radiator Blew UP

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Big-Foot 
#1 ·
Have a 2000 wrangler 4 cyl..... I was having a big problem overheating. This has been on going. Recently on Friday evening I was traveling from the Bay area to Reno and started overheating. I was not using the AC as it has been broke. It was hot out and the gauge started climbing up. I had replaced the water pump in Jan, the thermostat at the same time. So I nursed it the remainder of the trip to Reno. Saturday morning I set off to remedy my problem and ended up at Meineke for a flush and re fill. I also got a do it yourself AC kit and new Radiator cap. An hour later Im heading to Lake Tahoe and the gauge pegged to hot. Before I could pull over the radiator blew up. My question to the forum.....
Did the shop do anything wrong ? I did not witness the tech running it until the t-stat opened then re topping off the antifreeze. he instead drove it around the block and called it good.
Should they have done a pressure check as part of the service ?
I replaced the cap with a new one. Assuming the cap functioned properly why did the pressure not escape past the cap to "vent" this ?
 
#2 ·
My radiator blew also, I was in my friends backyard doing burnouts and driving threw a pit the gauge was normal when it went. Th engine had started knocking and I had stopped with the hood open and the top of the radiator just cracked and blew. I'm not sure what caused it but now I have a new radiator and cap so hopefully it was just the cap and it won't blow again.
 
#3 ·
Aluminum core, plastic tank radiators don't need a lot of reasons to fail.. Once they're more than 5-6 years old they are on borrowed time - particularly if you did not change your coolant periodically..

I'm wondering if maybe you may have cracked the head or blown the headgasket when you pegged the temp? If so, that would put a very large surge of combustion pressure into the cooling system which will really weaken the radiator..

If the engine runs well now, it may have just been the last surge of pressure which might have done it..


Newbie - you deserve to walk a while...
 
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