Normal engine coolant temps

So today I had to drive up in the foothills on some logging roads, it was in a
convoy to a memorial for a recent passing of a friends little brother, I was in between lugging 3rd and running 2500+rpms at 30mph in 2nd up the roads not too hot out about 75'. Anyway engine temps got to about 225 230 maybe at max. I was unloaded besides a few passengers. Egt guage is currently on the fritz for unknown reasons so hopefully didn't get too hot kept rpms higher so they should have been in check(hopefully) but is this normal for the conditions I was in? Tailgating up the roads probably made airflow terrible through the radiator but I couldn't really pull over at the time or I would have caused a mile long traffic jam and roads were very tight for passing me. Water pump recentish turning on the heater seemed to help and my coolant is new. Maybe fan clutch is worn or the radiator is pretty old and cruddy looking inside but I do have the wide one

pelky350 said:

I was in between lugging 3rd

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Don't do that

pelky350 said:

Anyway engine temps got to about 225 230 maybe at max

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Might as well be concerned when your coolant temp hits 210.....

nothing to worry about, but you might be running a little warmer than normal
of course, my truck runs cool, I gotta work the heck out of it to get over 220

If it got much higher,your fan clutch should of locked up.If you want to know for sure that it will before reaching 240F (the upper safe temp) then stick cardboard in front of your radiator and go for a little drive.You'll hear it when it locks.If it doesn't lock up before 240,you'll need to replace it.
Just go on some back roads so you can pull over easy and quickly to remove the cardboard before you melt her down.

I wasn't wanting to but the group kept speeding up and slowing down on me so I was revving out almost redline 2nd and then having to shift while climbing I didn't want to burn my clutch up

I'da just left it in 2nd

you won't hurt it bouncing it off the governor..... all.... day.... long......

If they would have kept doing this, I think I would have just went a little slower in second and held up the rest of the line. When asked ***? I'd have told them to hold a more constant speed and explain why.

Oh the distant memories of manual transmissions.If you had a 4wd,you could of stopped quickly and shifted into 4lo and gone up the hill much easier.

It is 4 wheel, I did end up keeping it in 2nd mostly and the pack left me behund occaisionally but oh well these logging roads are pretty intense so I didn't want to be going 40mph up there anyway lol I was just seeing if it was off having higher temps not loaded with anything but I guess my temps weren't as high as I wasn't thinking

Well, unloaded, I'd be a little concerned. Check the thermostat; it might not be working right. Or your radiator might be cruddy.

Typically, unloaded, with even a mostly-freely-spinning fan, it'll keep it around the 195F mark if it's working right. To get above 205 or so, I have to be hauling a trailer at good speed, have a camper going over 60 etc. Slow down and it'll drop quickly.

Also, what do you consider 'lugging' in your truck?

I consider it maxing out the engine at any RPM below 1600(peak torque) for more than about 10 seconds.

I'll often drive below that, when conditions are good - I've idled along on flat ground in 5th going barely 1200 rpm before... but I'm not pushing much fuel into it, either.

Of course, converse side to that is that I'll be pushing 2500 RPM hauling heavy up a long grade; downshift and keep it not maxed out and it'll do fine.

Lugging I mean less than 1500 up a 30 degree plus incline up hill. Thermostat is new,coolant and hoses and belts are all new, radiator Is kind bad looking on the inside but it's the wide one and it cost a arm and a leg to replace. I'm not too concerned hopefully it's the first time I've had higher temps but I think it was the the conditions I was in, non stop climbing ******* a gravel road for 30 minutes plus. Speeding up and slowing down at lot too. Sure wish I had the tall radiator then I'd have a aluminium one by now and my intercooler would already be installed lol

I would do the fan test, just to make sure it's working. You don't want to be caught out loaded and then find out it's not working. And they do like to fail. That's why I bolted mine solid for now. I was hauling up the mountain the other day, 90 degree weather, I was in 2nd gear also(no turbo). If I went to 3rd the engine and the fan would slow down and it would start climbing up to 230. If I downshifted to 2nd and brought the rpms up above 2500, I could watch the needle go right back down while still pulling up the hill. It would settle out at about 215-220 till I got to the other side.

jwalterus said:

I'da just left it in 2nd

you won't hurt it bouncing it off the governor..... all.... day.... long......

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Mine seems to be governed pretty high. Like 3900 rpm.

chris142 said:

Mine seems to be governed pretty high. Like 3900 rpm.

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Free-revving, or driving with a load on the engine?

I know that free-reving, my IDI and 6.0 will both bounce up close to 4000, even with the 6.0 being highly computer controlled. But both trucks, which are automatics, when drivng they will just sneak past 3200-3300 and start to fall fast..... It's been a while since I've towed anything really heavy, but the truck itself being almost 8000 lbs, a foot to the floor, hard acceleration the tach get close to 3500 but that is the instant before a shift.....

snicklas said:

Free-revving, or driving with a load on the engine?

I know that free-reving, my IDI and 6.0 will both bounce up close to 4000, even with the 6.0 being highly computer controlled. But both trucks, which are automatics, when drivng they will just sneak past 3200-3300 and start to fall fast..... It's been a while since I've towed anything really heavy, but the truck itself being almost 8000 lbs, a foot to the floor, hard acceleration the tach get close to 3500 but that is the instant before a shift.....

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Driving with a load

chris142 said:

Driving with a load

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One of two options here - at one point, your IP might have had the governor shimmed a little to keep the fueling longer, OR... your tachometer is simply reading off.

The tach is easy to check as you have a stick; you can calculate speed-to-actual-RPM.
Here are some handy charts - https://www.gearvendors.com/fdrive.html
One number I use a lot for 'guestimating' is that a final drive ratio of 2.43 will give you 60 MPH at 1600 RPM, with stock tires(235 85 R16)
You have a T19 with 3.55, for a final drive ratio of 3.55, netting you either 2337 RPM at 60MPH or 41 MPH at 1600 RPM
Rough calculation that in second, 3900 RPM would net you 41.5MPH... something attainable if you are trying to test the governor/tachometer.

If it turns out you *are* able to hit that, beyond perhaps 3800 with a load... it might be worth checking if someone shimmed the pump. I do know that you can run an IDI above 4k, but it's definitely ******* it(especially if it hasn't been rebuilt and balanced) - Stuff can rattle loose, like rocker bolts.