Right along with y’all man. Same exact spot. Did this fix the overheating issue? I noticed you had a cut in the top of the radiator. It was vertical. Is that supposed to be like that? I went to autozone to pick mine up and it had two cuts like that so I didn’t buy it.
4.7 ... put a new serpentine belt on. See that hex head plug with the orange sealer surrounding it? That is the plug I unscrew to burp the cooling system. I screw in a small plastic funnel after draining the cooling system for a change. I always jack the front of the Commander up so the engine is tilted just a tiny little bit. [My Commander has a natural lower rake look to it, high in the back] 1~Fill the radiator. 2~Test the radiator cap. Will the cap hold 20 lb? 3~Put the cap back on. 4~Fill the overflow bottle at least halfway to the factory paint mark. 5~Keep filling coolant until the funnel is full. 6~Start the engine. Immediately the coolant will be sucked down into the engine, water pump, and hoses. 7~Keep adding coolant as the engine and thermostat warm. Don't allow air to go down the funnel. 8~Wait, keep filling if necessary. But keep the funnel full. A full funnel is the 'foot-head' and is the highest point in the cooling system. Watch the overflow bottle, it may go up. It may not. But it is there to keep any air out. 9~Once the engine is up to normal temperature and the funnel is still full, have a friend increase the engine rpm from idle to about 1,200 rpm ... the coolant will again be sucked down into the engine. Add more coolant. 10~When no more coolant will go down the funnel and still holding the 1,200 rpm steady ... remove the funnel and screw in the threaded hex plug. 11~at this point the cooling system is full and burped with no air pockets. You can't do better than that. Now can you?
Thanks man. Its so much easier when you have a visual reference. The wife's '07 cracked on the side (plastic). I ordered a new one from JC Whitney and got it put in this afternoon. I barely avoided having to go in a padded room while getting the shroud out. Funny thing that it basically fell right back into place on its own. It was my first radiator job on a late model vehicle. I miss my '74 Chevy! Great video!
I need to do this to my commander. The last time I changed a radiator was in my jeep Cherokee about 10 years ago and I destroyed my AC condenser, no AC for the summer. So this time no rush go slow. Great video Thank You
This was very helpful! I am 80% thru the process and wanted to get a "sanity check" on my approach to this. As you have shown this is pretty straight forward. Thanks for taking the time to do this and share on TH-cam!
Just replaced a radiator on the same car. The leak was in the exact same spot. seen some comments saying the same thing. Good video. oddly enough it was easier putting the new one in then it was to take it out.
Thanks for the video. I have the same model and plan on doing the replacement when I receive the radiator this weekend. Hope it's as easy as you make it look.
The 5.7 L have hydraulic radiator fan and is a pain in the ass to deal with! Electric ones are easy. Think the hydraulic ones are more intended for those who plan on towing trailers etc . The 4.7 looks really easy to do compared to 5.7 set up
Amazing, why do they always bust right there? Im about to replace my second radiator in on year leaks at the same point where the endcaps begin to leak at the same part of the radiator as yours. I can tell you changing the radiator on the hemi makes this looks like childs play
Great video Trey! Thanks a million! Oddly enough, my Commander had a hairline fracture in the exact same location that you pointed to in this video... Coincidence maybe? I highly doubt it. Perhaps it's a minor oversight from the manufacturer. Probably a recall needed that has not been properly evaluated or looked into. It is my opinion that the plastic or polycarbonate material used has flaws or maybe even the casting. But that's just my gut instinct. Thank you for uploading this video it was very helpful. I'm sure it will come in handy as time passes (hint hint).
Mischievous Kurt I'm glad the video was useful. The one great thing about TH-cam is that most of our problems are not unique, even though they feel looks like it most of the time, so we can share the solutions!
Good video man. I just found a small crack in the same place on my 07/4.7 w/ 112k miles. This should be a recall imo. It looked like a pretty straight forward job but I always look for videos of others who have done a job to see the lil things that drive you nuts like the washing fluid container rivet. I bought this Jeep about 4 months ago. So far I like it and this leak has been the only big issue. I think the switch that runs auto lights, fog lights on the column is bad but again those 2 things aren't that important to me. Btw, every once in a great while I'll turn a corner from a stop light and I'll smell burning oil. Like its drioping on the exhaust. I've looked and can't find it. There is no oil leaking in the driveway either. Any ideas?
Thanks for the video! I'm curious, I seen somebody say that you can pop the rivet that attaches the washer reservoir to the panel. Is this true? And worst case scenario, if I have to end up leaving it undone, would that be ok? Thanks a bunch!
Does anyone know when you change the water pump do you take off the black plastic cap on it it’s small. On my old water pump it does not have it and I can see right into the water pump
Anyone know the proper way to bleed the system? I changed my water pump and my radiator. No more leaks. I can’t seem to get all the air out of the system. After driving for couple days the check engine light will come on for code p0303 and than there will be bubbles in the overflow tank and the car will start to overheat. Anyone know what the problem could be? I didn’t have this problem prior the car would just leak a little bit of coolant every week.
AO&JO Photography I hate to bear bad news, but those are classic signs of a blown head gasket or cracked head. It sounds like water is getting into cylinder 3 causing a misfire. In turn this makes the coolant level drop. What you are seeing in the tank is most likely exhaust gases. If you loosen the top of the overflow when it’s bubbling does it smell like exhaust fumes? Something to check. You said that you changed the water pump and the radiator. Did the engine overheat before you replaced these parts? If so, that’s when the head gasket blew or the head cracked. Overheating today’s engines with aluminum heads on steel blocks is problematic.
This guy is wrong, all you have to do is take that Allen screw off attached to the radiator hose put a funnel in it fill it with Antifreeze that has HOAT in some G05 stuff and mopar are the only models I know o reilly's and Auto Zone or Advance has the G 05 stuff. Fill it til it streams out fill your overflow up turn your jeep on heat on lowest blower setting wait til temperature reaches midway turn it off fill overflow back up or take off radiator cap and fill there. Make sure you put Allen screw back on after you fill it with the funnel and antifreeze rated with HOAT you'll see it on back.
AO&JO Photography That is the correct procedure for bleeding the coolant system, but low coolant or vapor locked cooling system does not generate a P0303 code. Please bleed the system and let us know what happens. I hope your issues are minimal! Please let us know what you find out, so we can all benefit from your experience. Thanks
Trey Clanton when the radiator was leaking it didn’t overheat I just had to add coolant like once a month. Now there are no leaks but I can’t get the air out of the system and it will rub hot when sitting in car pool line like a day or so later of driving
+Ashley Long The only special tool that I used was a radiator pressure tester to find the source of the leak. If you're sure there is a leak on the radiator, then that's not really necessary. Good luck with the job.
I took my fan shroud out from the bottom and not the top on my 4.7.. Is this a Dorman Radiator? Nope it's a Koyorayod ?? One could cut and tape a corrugated protective cover over both front and back of the fins. So the power steering rad is separate from the engine radiator? ... check good deal. The automatic transmission fluid radiator is also separate? ... check good deal. The leaky Radiator ... did someone try to fix the leak with a leak sealer? The Radiator cap should be tested ... mine held 4 lb but not 19 lb [psig]. It is most important to bleed the air out of the cooling system, you don't want to drop any valve seats in the head with one over heating episode.
Stacy Salaberrios Sorry I don't have a picture of it. If you check the first video in the 4.7l rebuild playlist, you will see it poking out the top of the block.
I'M HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM !!, WITH MY JEEP COMMANDER !!, I JUST ORDERED A NEW RADIATOR !! , OFF OF EBAY FOR A $100 DOLLARS NEW !!, BECAUSE THEY COST TOO MUCH AT THE AUTOMOTIVE STORES !!, $200 DOLLARS + !! , NOW THERE MIGHT JUST BE A PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATOR SELES AFTER 100.000 MILES + ESPECIALLY AROUND THE ENDS OF THE CONNECTING SEEMS !!, BECAUSE MY RADIATOR IS LEAKING ON THE SAME SIDE !!, AT THE TOP CORNER JUST LIKE YOURS !! . NO ?
Dude, 8 years later and you have saved me so much money and trouble. Thank you for making this video.
My 2006 Jeep commander radiator cracked at the same spot. Going to replace it soon. I couldn’t do it without you. Thanks for the informational video.
Hey Travis. I'm glad the video was useful!
Right along with y’all man. Same exact spot. Did this fix the overheating issue? I noticed you had a cut in the top of the radiator. It was vertical. Is that supposed to be like that? I went to autozone to pick mine up and it had two cuts like that so I didn’t buy it.
4.7 ... put a new serpentine belt on. See that hex head plug with the orange sealer surrounding it? That is the plug I unscrew to burp the cooling system. I screw in a small plastic funnel after draining the cooling system for a change. I always jack the front of the Commander up so the engine is tilted just a tiny little bit. [My Commander has a natural lower rake look to it, high in the back] 1~Fill the radiator. 2~Test the radiator cap. Will the cap hold 20 lb? 3~Put the cap back on. 4~Fill the overflow bottle at least halfway to the factory paint mark. 5~Keep filling coolant until the funnel is full. 6~Start the engine. Immediately the coolant will be sucked down into the engine, water pump, and hoses. 7~Keep adding coolant as the engine and thermostat warm. Don't allow air to go down the funnel. 8~Wait, keep filling if necessary. But keep the funnel full. A full funnel is the 'foot-head' and is the highest point in the cooling system. Watch the overflow bottle, it may go up. It may not. But it is there to keep any air out. 9~Once the engine is up to normal temperature and the funnel is still full, have a friend increase the engine rpm from idle to about 1,200 rpm ... the coolant will again be sucked down into the engine. Add more coolant. 10~When no more coolant will go down the funnel and still holding the 1,200 rpm steady ... remove the funnel and screw in the threaded hex plug. 11~at this point the cooling system is full and burped with no air pockets. You can't do better than that. Now can you?
Thanks man. Its so much easier when you have a visual reference. The wife's '07 cracked on the side (plastic). I ordered a new one from JC Whitney and got it put in this afternoon. I barely avoided having to go in a padded room while getting the shroud out. Funny thing that it basically fell right back into place on its own. It was my first radiator job on a late model vehicle. I miss my '74 Chevy! Great video!
I need to do this to my commander. The last time I changed a radiator was in my jeep Cherokee about 10 years ago and I destroyed my AC condenser, no AC for the summer. So this time no rush go slow. Great video Thank You
This was very helpful! I am 80% thru the process and wanted to get a "sanity check" on my approach to this. As you have shown this is pretty straight forward. Thanks for taking the time to do this and share on TH-cam!
Glad it was useful! Good luck on the remaining 20%!!
Just replaced a radiator on the same car. The leak was in the exact same spot. seen some comments saying the same thing. Good video. oddly enough it was easier putting the new one in then it was to take it out.
same leak location same challenge! thank you for posting. i was worried it was a major job! thank you thank you!!!!
Mine has the same crack. Changing it right now after seeing your video. Thanks.
Thank you for the video and your time sir, it helps me change my own radiator.
Thanks for the video. I have the same model and plan on doing the replacement when I receive the radiator this weekend. Hope it's as easy as you make it look.
Great video, I appreciate you taking the time to make it
This setup is very similar to my 05 grand Cherokee 4.7. Thanks for doing this video. Really came in handy. God bless.
Thanx a lot for this video. Realy is helpful. I did this on my 06 jeep commander . Took me bout 4 hours for my first time. Thank u
I'm glad it was helpful!
The 5.7 L have hydraulic radiator fan and is a pain in the ass to deal with! Electric ones are easy. Think the hydraulic ones are more intended for those who plan on towing trailers etc . The 4.7 looks really easy to do compared to 5.7 set up
Amazing, why do they always bust right there? Im about to replace my second radiator in on year leaks at the same point where the endcaps begin to leak at the same part of the radiator as yours. I can tell you changing the radiator on the hemi makes this looks like childs play
Great video Trey! Thanks a million! Oddly enough, my Commander had a hairline fracture in the exact same location that you pointed to in this video... Coincidence maybe? I highly doubt it. Perhaps it's a minor oversight from the manufacturer. Probably a recall needed that has not been properly evaluated or looked into. It is my opinion that the plastic or polycarbonate material used has flaws or maybe even the casting. But that's just my gut instinct. Thank you for uploading this video it was very helpful. I'm sure it will come in handy as time passes (hint hint).
Mischievous Kurt I'm glad the video was useful. The one great thing about TH-cam is that most of our problems are not unique, even though they feel looks like it most of the time, so we can share the solutions!
Yep my mother in law's has a crack in the same spot. Thanks for the video trey!
Nice video and very helpful. Getting ready to do mine tomorrow.
Extremely helpful thank you sir .
Good video man. I just found a small crack in the same place on my 07/4.7 w/ 112k miles. This should be a recall imo. It looked like a pretty straight forward job but I always look for videos of others who have done a job to see the lil things that drive you nuts like the washing fluid container rivet.
I bought this Jeep about 4 months ago. So far I like it and this leak has been the only big issue. I think the switch that runs auto lights, fog lights on the column is bad but again those 2 things aren't that important to me.
Btw, every once in a great while I'll turn a corner from a stop light and I'll smell burning oil. Like its drioping on the exhaust. I've looked and can't find it. There is no oil leaking in the driveway either. Any ideas?
Thanks for the tips , verry helpful!👍
thank you I have an 05 Cherokee I could not find any videos this 06 commander is really really similar to Cherokee more than the 04 Cherokee
I'm glad it was useful! I love TH-cam for all of the help I've gotten over the years!
My 06 is in the same place good video
Those Hood latch nuts are huge!!! Lol. Great vid. Always enjoy your explainations...thx!
Had mine changed. Needle won’t go past the C and now it over heats
Thanks for the video! I'm curious, I seen somebody say that you can pop the rivet that attaches the washer reservoir to the panel. Is this true? And worst case scenario, if I have to end up leaving it undone, would that be ok? Thanks a bunch!
I would suggest drilling out the rivet and then using a bolt through the rivet hole to reattach the reservoir.
Does anyone know when you change the water pump do you take off the black plastic cap on it it’s small. On my old water pump it does not have it and I can see right into the water pump
How many quarts did it take? To refill
Do you take the fan out before you pull the rad out ? Or after
should I change my thermostat as well when I changed my radiator it still over heated
It's a fairly easy thing to do. Be sure and check the fan as well.
+Trey Clanton ok thank you I give an update
Where did you get the parts from? Great 👍🏼 video
Cesar Coria Honestly, I don’t remember. Most likely at my local O’Reillys or on-line at Rock Auto.
Anyone know the proper way to bleed the system? I changed my water pump and my radiator. No more leaks. I can’t seem to get all the air out of the system. After driving for couple days the check engine light will come on for code p0303 and than there will be bubbles in the overflow tank and the car will start to overheat. Anyone know what the problem could be? I didn’t have this problem prior the car would just leak a little bit of coolant every week.
AO&JO Photography I hate to bear bad news, but those are classic signs of a blown head gasket or cracked head. It sounds like water is getting into cylinder 3 causing a misfire. In turn this makes the coolant level drop. What you are seeing in the tank is most likely exhaust gases. If you loosen the top of the overflow when it’s bubbling does it smell like exhaust fumes? Something to check. You said that you changed the water pump and the radiator. Did the engine overheat before you replaced these parts? If so, that’s when the head gasket blew or the head cracked. Overheating today’s engines with aluminum heads on steel blocks is problematic.
This guy is wrong, all you have to do is take that Allen screw off attached to the radiator hose put a funnel in it fill it with Antifreeze that has HOAT in some G05 stuff and mopar are the only models I know o reilly's and Auto Zone or Advance has the G 05 stuff. Fill it til it streams out fill your overflow up turn your jeep on heat on lowest blower setting wait til temperature reaches midway turn it off fill overflow back up or take off radiator cap and fill there. Make sure you put Allen screw back on after you fill it with the funnel and antifreeze rated with HOAT you'll see it on back.
AO&JO Photography That is the correct procedure for bleeding the coolant system, but low coolant or vapor locked cooling system does not generate a P0303 code. Please bleed the system and let us know what happens. I hope your issues are minimal! Please let us know what you find out, so we can all benefit from your experience. Thanks
Trey Clanton when the radiator was leaking it didn’t overheat I just had to add coolant like once a month. Now there are no leaks but I can’t get the air out of the system and it will rub hot when sitting in car pool line like a day or so later of driving
Trey Clanton never threw codes or overheated until after I changed the water pump & radiator
Trey, any tools out of the ordinary you had to have for this? I am going to attempt tonight.
+Ashley Long The only special tool that I used was a radiator pressure tester to find the source of the leak. If you're sure there is a leak on the radiator, then that's not really necessary. Good luck with the job.
My leak was in the exact same place on the seam
Do you take the plug out of the return line when the car is running when bleeding the system? Thank you
Hello. No I did not drain it while running. I just drained the radiator while it was cold.
+Trey Clanton no the return Allen bleeder. Did you loosen it when the car was running to get the air out of the system. Thank You
+akaredcrossbow I opened the bleeder while filling the system. I closed it back off after filling.
+Trey Clanton thank you!
akaredcrossbow what are the steps to get the air out of the system with this screw ?
I took my fan shroud out from the bottom and not the top on my 4.7..
Is this a Dorman Radiator? Nope it's a Koyorayod ??
One could cut and tape a corrugated protective cover over both front and back of the fins.
So the power steering rad is separate from the engine radiator? ... check good deal.
The automatic transmission fluid radiator is also separate? ... check good deal.
The leaky Radiator ... did someone try to fix the leak with a leak sealer?
The Radiator cap should be tested ... mine held 4 lb but not 19 lb [psig].
It is most important to bleed the air out of the cooling system, you don't want to drop any valve seats in the head with one over heating episode.
Is this the same process for a 06 3.7?
I'm not certain in the 3.7 L, but I would think that it will pretty much be the same. Let us know when you get through.
do you know where the coolant temp sensor is located in jeep commander
If you have a 3.7 or a 4.7L motor, it is on the top / front of the block between and behind the AC and the alternator.
Trey Clanton do you happen to have a picture of where you are talking about?
Stacy Salaberrios Sorry I don't have a picture of it. If you check the first video in the 4.7l rebuild playlist, you will see it poking out the top of the block.
Ok. Thank you. I will look at the video now. I appreciate your help.
Thanks for not showing how you took it out 🤦🏾♂️. Top or bottom
3:12 holy fuck I hope you mean 13mm, I dont know where to get a 13 inch socket
I'M HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM !!, WITH MY JEEP COMMANDER !!, I JUST ORDERED A NEW RADIATOR !! , OFF OF EBAY FOR A $100 DOLLARS NEW !!, BECAUSE THEY COST TOO MUCH AT THE AUTOMOTIVE STORES !!, $200 DOLLARS + !! , NOW THERE MIGHT JUST BE A PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATOR SELES AFTER 100.000 MILES + ESPECIALLY AROUND THE ENDS OF THE CONNECTING SEEMS !!, BECAUSE MY RADIATOR IS LEAKING ON THE SAME SIDE !!, AT THE TOP CORNER JUST LIKE YOURS !! . NO ?
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