overheating, found problem. now new one!

hey all whats up? This is my first post to this site, seems like a good one :) Im not very familiar with Jeeps, although all my friends have them and 4x4 a lot. I have a 91 Cherokee Laredo with the 4.0L high output engine.
The other day driving to Denver i noticed my temp gauge went up pretty high. then went back down when i got there. I never saw any smoke or any drips at all. Yesterday driving to greeley, only 20 miles or so away my truck went way past the red area (and the white line!). I know engines, ive owned many muscles cars and i know this is not good :P
Anyways, i found out i had a small hole in my upper radiator hose, so over time as i lost fluid, it just got too hot for the little coolant in there to keep it cool. Now..as i went to remove that hose, I was wiggling that other little hose attatched to the thermostat (heater hose) that goes into that conjunction of hoses, near the rear compartment. Right at the conjunction, i broke the nozzle. I need to know what that peice is, part number, so i can buy a new one. I dont have a chiltons although i will get one eventually. Its basically the passenger rear area (in the engine bay lol), where the heater hoses all connect to. That damn thing was the original peice, had to be. it broke into like 10 peices!!
i have to go as im in a hurray, but if anyone can help me, id really appreciate it. a diagram would be helpful too if you have one :) thanks guys and i will check back later today.
`keep it real
Derek

Hey, Derek, I did virtually the same thing. That plastic thing was so brittle that one of the ports snapped when I was working on something else. Anyway, it's called a "heater control valve" and you can find them at most parts stores. example http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=15568063&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=63038922

good luck.

Hey Carlson, thanks for the heads up on the name of the part. Im gonna try to get to the parts store tomorrow and pick one up...Have you replaced your thermostat to a 160 and noticed a helpful difference? I might just pick one of those up too..
Anyways, hopefully after that heater control valve is replaced, and i get that new upper radiator hose on, everything works great..Im hoping that stops her from over heating :(

Oh and i have a problem, my reverse lights dont come on when i put it into reverse (auto), but my bulbs are good. Im thinking i have to take the console apart and maybe something just came undone?? Any advice on this would help :) other than that, this jeep is in mint condition. Just hoping this isnt an on going issue..(repairs).

Thanks again,
Derek

Noticed you were new...Welcome to the stew!
Anyways.. Don't run a 160 thermostat. You will ruin a bulletproof engine!. I run a 195 due to living here in the south, and it still climbs up to around 200-210 in the Florida heat. I would recommend a 185 as the lowest for cold weather climates. These motors are happier in that heat range. Also get the "Fail-safe" variety( the type that will fail only in the open position). Its hard enough to get at and you can limp home from a ways away if necessary.
And about your reverse lights...Check to see if the last yahoo incorrectly spliced the wires for a trailer harness. These Jeeps got a lot of use behind R.V.'s back in the day...Hope this helps.

Derek, remember, a lower temp t-stat will not make your engine run any cooler. It just opens up earlier (at a lower temp) but that's it. Also like bayouwoolf said get the fail safe t-stat and also drill a small hole in the flange near the spring so that when you refil the system you won't have to burp the air out of it.

thanks for the advice guys. the reason i wanted a lower t-stat was to help the engine run cooler sooner, ive heard jeeps are notorious for over heating lol..But I do think im just gonna go with stock, with the fail-safe of course ;)
I fixed the over heating issue, i just replaced the upper radiator hose that had a hole in it, then had to go buy a new Heater Control Valve ($16! for a peice of crap UNIVERSAL one). I had to cut my hoses just to get them to fit fairly decent. The universal parts suck, the nozzles on the HCV were placed at slightly different angles, making the bends in the hoses 'stress' the HCV nozzles. But after that, everything runs right at 210 or so and i havent taken it on a longer trip yet. I also replaced the horribly designed 'vise-clamps' they put on the hoses with 'screw-type' clamps. SO much better. Those vise clamps that you have to use a visegrip to get off..are a pain in the hard to reach areas! First time working on a Jeep im finding its not too bad, but there are some improvements i can make :)
The reverse thing..some guy in my other post suggest pulling all the console stuff out and sanding the copper contacts..but i dunno if i wanna deal with messing with it and breaking it..then having to spend $300 on a new one! Im wondering also, as bayouwolf suggested...if someone just wired something incorrectly. I havent even checked LOL but i dont think i have a tow-hitch. I do know that all my other stuff works, and the bulbs are good (atleast the fuses in the bulbs).
Sorry its long guys, but thanks for your help! Im working on the reverse thing! Ill let ya know
~Derek

For what's it worth, I just got done replacing the radiator on my '92. In the past few months, I've replaced the water pump, heater control valve and one fo them heater hoses, stock 195-degree thermostat (just for good measure while I was at it), serpentene belt, and as mentioned, the radiator. Before all this, the thing was starting to run hotter (around 220), but now it's back to about 200. Nice change. The radiator was overdue to be changed, I guess.

[QUOTE=Carlson327]For what's it worth, I just got done replacing the radiator on my '92. In the past few months, I've replaced the water pump, heater control valve and one fo them heater hoses, stock 195-degree thermostat (just for good measure while I was at it), serpentene belt, and as mentioned, the radiator. QUOTE]

Im trying to avoid as much 'replacement' as possible lol. I just spent 2500 on this Jeep (good deal actually), its got 177k miles, fully loaded options and leather trim (i dont like all leather), body and paint is mint(fresh paint less than a few months and a good job too), interior is like a 9.5/10 (only .5 for the jeep logo on the steering wheel needs adhesive :D).
Its costing me 140/mo on a 18month finance, im trying NOT to dump an equivalent of 2-300/month into it to keep it running. Then id just go buy another muscle car if i planned on spending that much lol. I hate waterpumps and radiators. Not hard, just time consuming and you will probobly break 2 or 3 things that will then also need replacing haha jk ;)
Like i stated, its maybe a few weeks old, i baby it, garage it, clean it in and out, drive her like im a 60 yr old with lots of cash that just bought a vette LOL (for the 'status'). Im hoping shes sufficient in parts for a year or so before i dump more into her, or more!
Thanks for all the advice guys! You've ALREADY been a huge help
Derek