2015 Jeep Wrangler Overheating Issue

JamesLaBrada said:
I'm having the same issues now. I replaced the thermostat 2 times. Replaced the radiator (the coolant was dirty in the radiator), cleaned out the hoses, replaced with new coolant, and replaced the reservoir tank (the reservoir tank was leaking when the engine was running). I bleed the system using a spill free funnel and with the jeep on an incline. I then take the jeep for a test drive; the engine runs up to 240 most of the coolant runs into the reservoir tank. almost filling it up past the "max" level. The engine runs up to 240 for about a few seconds and then dropped to 208-210 and stayed there the rest of the drive. The next day I noticed the reservoir tank still had the coolant from last night's test drive. I drive the jeep again and it overheats up to 240 and stays there with the radiator fan running loud.
There is no milky oil and there's no white exhaust smoke, and there are no leaks when its running and when it's not running.
And the coolant is not boiling in the spill free funnel when I bleed it. Also, the radiator came with a new cap.

For the past couple of years, the Jeep would run hot around 215 to 230 on and off but has gotten worse in the past couple of weeks. The first time we replaced the thermostat, we had to replace the radiator fan as well (that was about 2 and half months ago)

This Jeep has been in off road parks some and some mud puddles (we stopped driving in mud puddles the 2nd time once we knew how much work we to do to clean it..) It seemed like the radiator fan kicked on more since those mud puddle adventures..

Right now, I'm thinking I need to replace the thermostat again, because the thermostat won't open until 215 (its labeled at 203)
AND why isn't the coolant not going back into the radiator? Why does it stay in the reservoir tank?

Please let me know if I'm missing something. Any help is greatly appreciated!

2015 Jeep JK Wrangler
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I revived this thread last fall. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong.

An update on things done since my last post:


Replaced thermostat 2 more times. MotoRad. Can't find Genuine ANYWHERE. If a dealer says they have Genuine in stock, they are lying or misinformed. They have MotoRad also,but want to charge you almost triple what Advance Auto charges.

Oil cooler housing upgraded to Dorman aluminum. I did have an intake gasket that was shredded, so even though it didn't fix my coolant leak, it needed to be done.

Bubble test for radiator. Bought a kit from Harbor Freight. The dye went blue to yellow, indicating head gasket issues. That was done in February.

-----------------

I am now at a point where the Jeep is essentially undrivable. I am refilling my radiator sometimes 3x a day, with the overflow coolant. The bottle is nearly full every time, to the point of spilling over. The radiator is nearly empty. When I transfer the fluid from bottle to radiator, it is almost exactly the amount needed....but sometimes I'll need to top off the radiator with a few more ounces of fresh fluid. This is from cold/overnight start and throughout the day after driving.

The temps start off normal when warming up or idling without having driven far. After sometimes only 10 miles from a cold start, the temps skyrocket to the 250s and stay between 258 and 280!! 2-8-0!!!!

I have not replaced radiator or water pump yet. Was just quoted $1200 to even get down in the engine to verify for sure head or block issues.


And I can't sell or trade the damn thing because I'm upside down on the loan.


Any input after all of this new info?
 
NineLives said:
I revived this thread last fall. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong.

An update on things done since my last post:


Replaced thermostat 2 more times. MotoRad. Can't find Genuine ANYWHERE. If a dealer says they have Genuine in stock, they are lying or misinformed. They have MotoRad also,but want to charge you almost triple what Advance Auto charges.

Oil cooler housing upgraded to Dorman aluminum. I did have an intake gasket that was shredded, so even though it didn't fix my coolant leak, it needed to be done.

Bubble test for radiator. Bought a kit from Harbor Freight. The dye went blue to yellow, indicating head gasket issues. That was done in February.

-----------------

I am now at a point where the Jeep is essentially undrivable. I am refilling my radiator sometimes 3x a day, with the overflow coolant. The bottle is nearly full every time, to the point of spilling over. The radiator is nearly empty. When I transfer the fluid from bottle to radiator, it is almost exactly the amount needed....but sometimes I'll need to top off the radiator with a few more ounces of fresh fluid. This is from cold/overnight start and throughout the day after driving.

The temps start off normal when warming up or idling without having driven far. After sometimes only 10 miles from a cold start, the temps skyrocket to the 250s and stay between 258 and 280!! 2-8-0!!!!

I have not replaced radiator or water pump yet. Was just quoted $1200 to even get down in the engine to verify for sure head or block issues.


And I can't sell or trade the damn thing because I'm upside down on the loan.


Any input after all of this new info?
Click to expand...


Who did the head gasket replacement? Were the heads checked for cracks and warpage?
 
In all honesty if the engine is hitting 280 I’d think the engine is probably past repair. That is just too hot.
 
NineLives said:
I revived this thread last fall. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong.

An update on things done since my last post:


Replaced thermostat 2 more times. MotoRad. Can't find Genuine ANYWHERE. If a dealer says they have Genuine in stock, they are lying or misinformed. They have MotoRad also,but want to charge you almost triple what Advance Auto charges.

Oil cooler housing upgraded to Dorman aluminum. I did have an intake gasket that was shredded, so even though it didn't fix my coolant leak, it needed to be done.

Bubble test for radiator. Bought a kit from Harbor Freight. The dye went blue to yellow, indicating head gasket issues. That was done in February.

-----------------

I am now at a point where the Jeep is essentially undrivable. I am refilling my radiator sometimes 3x a day, with the overflow coolant. The bottle is nearly full every time, to the point of spilling over. The radiator is nearly empty. When I transfer the fluid from bottle to radiator, it is almost exactly the amount needed....but sometimes I'll need to top off the radiator with a few more ounces of fresh fluid. This is from cold/overnight start and throughout the day after driving.

The temps start off normal when warming up or idling without having driven far. After sometimes only 10 miles from a cold start, the temps skyrocket to the 250s and stay between 258 and 280!! 2-8-0!!!!

I have not replaced radiator or water pump yet. Was just quoted $1200 to even get down in the engine to verify for sure head or block issues.


And I can't sell or trade the damn thing because I'm upside down on the loan.


Any input after all of this new info?
Click to expand...
The dye test is kind of forboding for sure. Id really think about replacing the radiator and the water pump.
 
NineLives said:
I revived this thread last fall. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong.

An update on things done since my last post:


Replaced thermostat 2 more times. MotoRad. Can't find Genuine ANYWHERE. If a dealer says they have Genuine in stock, they are lying or misinformed. They have MotoRad also,but want to charge you almost triple what Advance Auto charges.

Oil cooler housing upgraded to Dorman aluminum. I did have an intake gasket that was shredded, so even though it didn't fix my coolant leak, it needed to be done.

Bubble test for radiator. Bought a kit from Harbor Freight. The dye went blue to yellow, indicating head gasket issues. That was done in February.

-----------------

I am now at a point where the Jeep is essentially undrivable. I am refilling my radiator sometimes 3x a day, with the overflow coolant. The bottle is nearly full every time, to the point of spilling over. The radiator is nearly empty. When I transfer the fluid from bottle to radiator, it is almost exactly the amount needed....but sometimes I'll need to top off the radiator with a few more ounces of fresh fluid. This is from cold/overnight start and throughout the day after driving.

The temps start off normal when warming up or idling without having driven far. After sometimes only 10 miles from a cold start, the temps skyrocket to the 250s and stay between 258 and 280!! 2-8-0!!!!

I have not replaced radiator or water pump yet. Was just quoted $1200 to even get down in the engine to verify for sure head or block issues.


And I can't sell or trade the damn thing because I'm upside down on the loan.


Any input after all of this new info?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, you have to make a few difficult decisions, and each of them are going to cost you a lot of money. If I were faced with your situation, I'd go to the best mechanic around and ask for every test known to man that can really pinpoint the issue. Get all of your options and costs together and have a difficult conversation about the future of your Jeep.

Jeeps have decent resale value if they're in good shape and run. Not so much if the engine is shot.

For what it's worth, I had a head gasket issue years ago and $4k later it was good to go. But I drove that vehicle for about 3-4 months and never trusted it again. Every time I drove somewhere I found myself checking the temp gauge more than anything else. I sold it very quickly and never looked back.
 
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Anybodyhome said:
Unfortunately, you have to make a few difficult decisions, and each of them are going to cost you a lot of money. If I were faced with your situation, I'd go to the best mechanic around and ask for every test known to man that can really pinpoint the issue. Get all of your options and costs together and have a difficult conversation about the future of your Jeep.

Jeeps have decent resale value if they're in good shape and run. Not so much if the engine is shot.

For what it's worth, I had a head gasket issue years ago and $4k later it was good to go. But I drove that vehicle for about 3-4 months and never trusted it again. Every time I drove somewhere I found myself checking the temp gauge more than anything else. I sold it very quickly and never looked back.
Click to expand...
I have been working with a good mechanic. He lets me ask all the questions and explains things in ways I can understand. Dropping off Jeep on Monday (today is Thursday). Should have some kind of a direction to go in by Tuesday.
 
I am having the same issue where my coolant is not coming back in to the radiator from the reservoir once it keeps up. Have you found any solution to what the problem is?
 
Rockie Cruiser said:
I am having the same issue where my coolant is not coming back in to the radiator from the reservoir once it keeps up. Have you found any solution to what the problem is?
Click to expand...
So mine WAS both heads needed resurfacing. They did the head repairs, timing chain kit, 2 cams and rockers, new water pump, new thermostat, radiator flush, refill system with OAT (I specified it, I was tired of using the "All Vehicles" coolant).

Coolant is returning to radiator. Running a little warm for what all I had done.


I have had crap experiences with "OEM" Motorad thermostats. They are junk. My Jeep was STILL running way too warm. Finally found a Genuine Mopar and stamped Chrysler thermostat at a local dealer. Picked up a rad cap as well. I think I'm done with auto store "OEM" parts. I keep putting that in quotes because I'm not happy with the offerings. Anyways those Motorad therms were all opening way too late. Consistently. Every time I changed one out....they all opened at 221. The Mopar opens as stamped, at 203. My new rad cap from the dealer is 17#, the OEMs at stores are 18#. Every pound of pressure upwards adds so many degrees the system allows the temp to get up to.


Sorry for long reply. Get your rad tested for combustion gasses. The kit and dye (sold separately) were very inexpensive.
 
NineLives said:
So mine WAS both heads needed resurfacing. They did the head repairs, timing chain kit, 2 cams and rockers, new water pump, new thermostat, radiator flush, refill system with OAT (I specified it, I was tired of using the "All Vehicles" coolant).

Coolant is returning to radiator. Running a little warm for what all I had done.


I have had crap experiences with "OEM" Motorad thermostats. They are junk. My Jeep was STILL running way too warm. Finally found a Genuine Mopar and stamped Chrysler thermostat at a local dealer. Picked up a rad cap as well. I think I'm done with auto store "OEM" parts. I keep putting that in quotes because I'm not happy with the offerings. Anyways those Motorad therms were all opening way too late. Consistently. Every time I changed one out....they all opened at 221. The Mopar opens as stamped, at 203. My new rad cap from the dealer is 17#, the OEMs at stores are 18#. Every pound of pressure upwards adds so many degrees the system allows the temp to get up to.


Sorry for long reply. Get your rad tested for combustion gasses. The kit and dye (sold separately) were very inexpensive.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the long reply hopefully it will help someone else, perfect reason we say to buy OEM for these picky Jeeps.
 
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