The same thing happens with brass radiators too you know.Cheapthrills wrote:Food for thought.... if I where putting a plastic tank radiator in mine I would bypass the intank trans cooler and put a bigger auxiliary trans cooler..... as it is a common issue in many newer vehicles the radiator fails internally and dumps coolant into the transmission and then the transmission is cooked...
But that's just me. I've seen it many times in the shop I tend to hang out at...
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Thanks for the information, I'm going to proceed as you advised. The thermostat is a cheap part, but being new at this, where is the thermostat on the J20?derf wrote:Once you have it all back together, fire it up and go through the proper procedure to check the fluid level in the transmission. (If you don't have it, the Haynes manual is actually useful for the FSJ). Swapping out the coolers loses you a quart or more.
I also forgot, it's never a bad idea to replace the thermostat. They're cheap and readily available at most parts stores. No better time than when the system is already drained. Some people will drill a 1/8" hole in the thermostat (the flat sheet metal part) to aid in getting air out of the system. I do it, but others don't and don't have any problems.
To purge air from the coolant, leave the radiator cap off and run the engine once it's all back together. Parking nose uphill is a good idea if it's convenient but avoid being nose down. Let it get up to temperature. You'll know when it does because the thermostat will open, water will start moving in the radiator and the level will drop (because of the air coming out of the block to the radiator). Pour in more coolant (which should all be a 50/50 mix) but don't keep it 100% full. Let it run for a bit and keep adding as the level drops, until you get no more noticeable drop. Shouldn't take more than a handful of minutes. Then shut it off, let it cool down, top off the radiator, and put the cap back on. Fill the overflow bottle to the correct level. After you drive it around for a week or two, double check the radiator and overflow bottle. Add as necessary.
Follow the upper radiator hose back to this part on the top front of the engine:jstephens2 wrote:Thanks for the information, I'm going to proceed as you advised. The thermostat is a cheap part, but being new at this, where is the thermostat on the J20?