I had a similar problem, my fault, drove my '96 XJ across the desert
w/air conditioning and letting the cruise control determine when the engine
should shift... dumb. So it overheated but letting it fast idle in neutral
brought it back to normal within a minute or two. The most common problem
would be a head gasket, with increased pressure to the radiator and/or water
and oil mixing. Absent that (do the compression check), you probably came
out OK... tough engines. Make sure he's with you when you do the checks and
perform maintenance, best learning experience.
Going to watch my daughter change the oil in her '03 4x4 F150 tonight.
Best lessons my kids ever learned.
--Rocky

"E.L. Lambert" <lambeth65@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:76b045c1.0307281317.87dea3f@posting.google.co m...
> Not having learned from the last time, I let my teenager take the jeep
> out for the weekend. I warned him that it has been overheating and
> not to push it too hard, but he didn't listen... and now I have found
> out that not once, not twice, but three different times, he let the
> engine completely overheat, then just waited for it to cool off,
> restarted, and drove on.
>
> There doesn't APPEAR to be any lasting damage, at least not on the
> surface. But I'm wondering what may lurk in store. What happens when
> an engine overheats? what components are most likely to be damaged
> and in need of attention?
>
> (In case you are wondering what happened last time: He had only a 32
> inch spare along with a jeep that otherwise ran 36 inch tires. He put
> the 32 on when he got a flat, and then drove home. This in and of
> itself might not have been such a disaster, except that he left the
> lockers engaged and drove home 70 miles on paved roads.)

 

> Your kid is probably better off with the Metro, assuming that it is in good
> repair. Don't let him drive your Jeep until you fix it.
>
> Earle


It never ceases to amaze me how people on usenet take every
opportunity to turn a reasonable discussion into an opportunity to
insult and harangue otheres.

The jeep does not overheat as long as it gets some wind and is not
left to idle in one spot. This is something that my son was informed
of and agreed to. And there is nothing wrong with using an offsized
spare for a short distance, as long as you don't leave the lockers
engaged. Detroit makes cares with teeny spares all the time.

Now that I've patiently given you a much more polite response than you
deserve, get your nose out of my business. It's none of your concern
how I raise my kids.