I've swapped the whole drivetrain from an 83 BJ60 into a 73FJ40. I have kept the FJ40 rad. The lower hose reaches across the rad towards the driver's side to fit into the 3B. I had the rad tanked and flushed and it is in good shape. The rad guys seemed to think everything seemed fine but the engine runs quite hot. I thought it felt pretty hot and hooked up the stock temp gauge which drifted quickly to the red line. My question is... will the '40 rad be able to keep the 3B cool? is the stock 3B rad a better choice? it is a bit wider but otherwise roughly the same... thanks for any advice!
Will an FJ40 rad work for my 3B? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter HDS
- Start date
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Hey Stu. Was the rad hot too? Shooting with a thermo gun can tell you quickly if it's got any dead spots. If you've just rodded it I doubt it's the rads fault. Thermostat? Did you burp the air from your system? I'd love to drop by and see your progress.
- Thread starter
- #3
The Rad is too way hot to touch... Not sure how to burp... just squeezing the tubes? For sure drop by!! I could drive your way some evening, too. That would be great.
-stu
Do you have a shroud in place?
Try topping off your radiator through the filler cap a few more times. You’d be surprised how much more water the radiator can take.
- Thread starter
- #7
Great pointers! The shroud is in place, The hoses are definitely solid... I squeezed them and noticed but didn't realize it was a thing to watch for... I'm guessing that if they are hard, the system is moving pressurized coolant around...? I will pull the cap off and keep adding coolant. If the hoses are all hard, does that mean the t-stat is good?
thanks!
Good pressure means its sealed and not leaking. Pressure keeps the boiling point higher which stops steam bubbles forming around the cylinder jackets.
Best way to determine if a t-stat is working is to keep your hand on a radiator hose from a cold start. You should feel the hose change temperature in 5-10 mins.
- Thread starter
- #9
Makes sense! I will try the hand test now! Thanks.
