1990 cherokee radiator without a cap Question

[98Chero]

4.0l jeep limited
This jeep did not come out with a radiator cap but has some kind of recovery tank system ? the problem I am having is when you go from high engine speed back to idle the water just spews out of the recovery tank ! im not sure if I have the right cap for the recovery tank but this is a odd kinda of cooling system. I bought this jeep off a car lot just a few weeks ago and I wonder if the heater hoses are hooked up backwards. O and this only happens when I put the thermostat back in the engine.

 

[ramiromtz]

Maybe it spills water because of the heating pressure you should check if the jeep have the rigth quantity of coolant, when is too much it spills, or maybe somenthing is not sealed properly, it would be easy to understand if you attach a picture
Regards

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[extra-medium]

Make sure your thermostat is in the right way

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[98Chero]

Im wondering if this is the right recovery tank because the correct cap for it looks alot taller in the picture at the parts store and the hood barely closes with the cap I have on it now. and Im guessing the correct cap has somekind of pressure relief valve in it also..pretty sure I have the thermostat in correctly. Its hard to go foreward with the other repairs this jeep needs until I restore the cooling system back to original. again any help would be appreciated.

 

[extra-medium]

I'm not sure what it's supposed to look like since I don't have a Cherokee. How does it compare to your other Cherokees? The thermostat should have the pointy side away from the block. Also make sure your hoses aren't clogged up. Other then that I can't think of anything else.

 

[98Chero]

My other jeeps have standard radiator caps that are built onto the radiator and a small hose goes to the overflow tank. this design has no radiator cap on the radiator ( see pic ) and apparently uses the recovery tank to hold pressure in it ..lets say 14 psi.... heater core and hoses are clear.

 

[Jester32]

Could be air in system. Could be head gasket leak or could be faulty cap. Not holding 14 psi could be the point of boil over or not. You could always convert to the newer system. My 92 has the cap at the rad. What temp does it run at.

 

[98Chero]

its running around 210 degrees even after purging all the air out. I will know more about this cooling system tomorrow when the correct cap comes in but I think this might be a bad design and I will probably convert over to the new system.

 

[Jester32]

Ya. My old vw rabbit used this design. It worked well when it worked lol. I haven't had many problems with the newer set up other than trees and a yield sign through the rad.

 

[98Chero]

well I got the cap in and it had a pressure releif valve on it.. its a very ****-poor design because I had to use a hose clap to keep it on the recovery tank... The cooling system passed and I am now on to the other list of things to do and replace on a Jeep that has 206.782 miles on it

 

[extra-medium]

You're not alone. My Grand Cherokee has 202,700 miles and it seems like the list keeps growing every time I cross something off.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

The pre '91 XJ's with the 4.0L engine use a closed cooling system, hence no radiator cap.

Your problem is pretty common and generally due to a faulty overflow bottle that will no longer hold pressure.

 

[54cj3b]

I hate those closed systems , I found a things that help with this issue , first off check lower radiator hose make sure it's not collapsing when eng is running (common problem) I use lower hose with a metal spring thingie in it now to prevent that , next thing is park nose down on a slight incline remove hose off intake pop 2 alka seltzers in put hose back on refill any coolant lost start run with cap off overflow let run till thermostat opens youll see bubbles let them all dissipate before you put cap back on overflow , now system is purged
and should help resolve your purkulater issue , the closed systems are very temperamental if not serviced regularly