resharp001

Well, I bit down hard and ordered an AFE Bladerunner GT series. Whatever, it's only money. I don't expect it to cool anymore than a tube and fin design, but maybe it will be a bit more stout. It doesn't seem that a plate & bar design is going to be superior for automotive application, but I'm just willing to try something different. I've been through factory, been through cheap factory replica, been through larger aluminum.....I'm just at the point of "whatever, guess will try it".

Mr.T

Reminds me of something my grandfather said: Sometimes you just have to do something even if it's wrong!

resharp001

It's been a few years....i forgot how much fun it is to install a JK radiator. I curse the designers that put those small bolts for a/c condenser and tranny cooler in inaccessible areas. Spend so long jacking around with those little bolts relative to the rest of the job.

So, this AFE radiator is taller than the Griffin and factory, which then required me to relocate my brake vacuum pump which had already been relocated under the radiator and sway bar. It's now back by the brake MC and the horn. Also relocating the winch control box to right above the ABS system. My engine bay is full.....no more relocating!!

resharp001

Well, I think this project is all wrapped up. New AFE radiator in and in the process I scrapped that 10" light bar that was above my winch fairlead in my avatar, and I relocated the winch control box to the engine bay, hooking up the wireless switch on the control box to my sPOD so that I can activate it from the cab. I don't expect those two changes to make huge difference but I figure removing any airflow obstructions can't be bad.





If I had this all to do over again I would have gone with a simple stubby bumper with no bull bar or anything, and recessed winch, but my jeep was built over time and the focus back then was really technical crawling and clearances were the priority.

I like the functionality of the hose clamps that AFE uses, but I don't like having that long screw exposed when the clamp is cranked down. Also don't like that you crank them down so far that the ending angle of that screw sticking out is a bit different from where it starts, so you have to account for that.

If it matters to anyone, I really like this wireloom I've used in the whole engine bay. I have various sizes and it's a lot better than stuff I've used in the past. Not the cheapest stuff but I like it -

resharp001

Saw other overheating thread and thought I should update this....not that is it some big review of the AFE Bladerunner. Anyhow, I drove the jeep to work several times with afternoon ambient temps up in the 105°+ range. Normally that is plenty enough for me to see spikes up to 230° or higher when driving home. The jeep seems to be handling things better. It still wants to run at 222° but it's seeming to manage any attempt to spike higher much better. I might see 224-226° and then it's down to 215° quickly. Now, I did a few things so I cannot attribute any of this to the radiator or the bar/plate design of it. I tend to think this is more 1) relocating the winch control box and ditching the 10" lightbar that I had mounted right above my fairlead, and 2) completely sealing around the fan shroud so that the fan and airflow are operating at as high efficiency as possible. Either way, it seems to be handling the higher temps a bit better. Is the radiator worth the cost? meh, probably not, but it's not the end of the world for me. I was willing to try a different path. Time will tell. Hitting the aggressive technical trails isn't quite what I do these days so maybe this one will last bit longer just due to that and less frame stress.