Why would your Jeep cherokee's temperature rise to 260 when driving.?

Answer 1

A few items you can check : Low on water Fan not running when the engine is warm/hot Stuck Thermostat A few items not so easy to check Blown Headgasket Clogged Radiator 260 is for sure at the top end of what I would consider acceptable for your vehicle. You don't state whether you experience this with the AC on or not and if you were running the AC that could explain it. Engines run hotter with the AC operating since your engine is then also driving the AC compressor.

Lets assume that your temp guage is working correctly....a bit of a dubious assumption but....

One of the first things that I would check would be to see if the thermostat is sticking and not opening fully when your engine gets warm. This would be the least expensive thing to look at and you can easily change the thermostat yourself. Here is a link to a site that very simply explains your cars cooling system: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cooling-system8.htm The thermostat is usually located at your engine block at the big hose that goes from the top of your radiator to the engine. Remove the hose and the thermostat will come off easily. Since you'll be taking off the top hose you won't be losing tons of coolant but do this when the engine is cool because a 260 degree bath of hot water will burn the hell out of you. Be prepared with some new coolant (premixed), a new thermostat and maybe a new hose clamp. As the link I included suggests you may be able to put the thing in a pot on the stove and warm up the water and see if it works.

The second thing to do is to have your radiator flushed out. You can do it yourself but all radiator shops and some Jiffy Lube type of places can also do it for you. Old antifreeze will break down over time and cause the little places inside your radiator to plug up resulting in corrosion to the inside of the radiator or at least reduced coolant flow.....it can also gum up your thermostat. If you havent had this done in some years its not a bad idea anyway. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all that ya know.

Beyond that you could be looking at other more expensive issues such as a radiator replacement or water pump replacement. Get it checked out at a local radiator shop to be sure expecially with the season changing and winter coming on. At the risk of irritating the reputable radiator mechanics out in the world I will tell you that its not too hard to sell a new radiator when all you really needed was a thermostat so if they want to charge a LOT think about a second opinion.

Hope this helps and Good luck to you!