How slow on a 10mi long 6% grade?

[Cubey]

I'm considering taking a scenic route up to a free camping area here in SW Utah this weekend, but it's a 2900ft climb from where I am right now. Most of that is within a single 9.5 mile stretch, and of that, the first 2300ft is within ~7 miles (so about a 6.22% grade)

Here is what Google Maps shows (when I pick bicycle, to show the elevation change) for the scenic state highway:

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I guess I'm gonna be going about 25mph in first gear for those 7-10 miles in my RV? Or should I be able to stay in 2nd, at least? I'm not gonna be in any hurry, and the speed limit in places appears to be 40mph, so at least I won't be going 40 below the limit. I looked on Google satellite/street views and they have a truck lane in a couple of the worst places.

I have water and EGT temp gauges and I know how to juggle the two by manually shifting the C6 to control the temps, and it's not going to be too hot out so I'm not really worried about blowing anything up, as long as I take it easy and watch the gauges like a hawk.

I just want to be prepared for just how slow it's gonna be.

 

[WAID]

I don't know but I'm curious to see what everyone says. I would think watch the gauges and how the rig feels. I usually don't make it much past 4000ft in the truck and my rig is lighter(I assume), manual, and NA so probably can't add much. I really need to get my egt gauge in before too much longer.

 

[Cubey]

I don't know but I'm curious to see what everyone says. I would think watch the gauges and how the rig feels. I usually don't make it much past 4000ft in the truck and my rig is lighter(I assume), manual, and NA so probably can't add much. I really need to get my egt gauge in before too much longer.

I drove my NA F250 to high elevations in 2017. When it got to 10,000+ it didn't want to restart if turned off, even fully warmed up. Once I dropped down to 9,500ft or so again, it was fine. It was slow as all getout on steep grades around Flaming Gorge (UT) and Grand Teton/Yellowstone (WY).

Yeah the RV is turbo but it weights a lot more, it's much taller, and it's pulling a small trailer so it might not be all that much better than my lightly loaded NA F250. I guess I'll just have to try it and see. It's only about 35 miles to the camp from where I am, but I expect it'll be an hour's drive. Not just the hills, but staying slower due to it being a highway I'm unfamilar with, and being a fairly narrow road without any shoulders to really speak of.

A view on a switchback/hair pin turn section, view going uphill:

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[Laine D]

Slow and steady. Gives you time to take in the scenery

 

[Booyah45828]

Do you have a trans temp gauge? I usually recommend getting one when you're pulling heavy with an auto, especially with an auto that doesn't have a lockup torque converter.

 

[chris142]

The short section of hwy 18 near me is 10%-18% and goes up to 8000 ft. I regularly pull a trailer up that. 1st gear on the hair pins but mostly 2nd.

This road. This guy talks too much!

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[Black dawg]

Not sure how much boost your setup makes, but assuming 10psi non intercooled (and non wastegated) and starting at 7k foot elevation.......it will feel broken.

 

[Cubey]

Not sure how much boost your setup makes, but assuming 10psi non intercooled (and non wastegated) and starting at 7k foot elevation.......it will feel broken.

The boost gauge is in a bad spot, mounted down low so the steering wheel blocks my view of it without leaning, but I think 7-8 is about the highest it goes. The tubing is very expensive so I haven't relocated it. I did move the pyrometer up higher since it was down low like that originally too.

Do you have a trans temp gauge? I usually recommend getting one when you're pulling heavy with an auto, especially with an auto that doesn't have a lockup torque converter.

Nope.

 

[hce]

RPM is your friend. The more rpm the more air moves through the cylinders, more air equates to lower egt.
Notice the lack of fuel used in the above.

 

[Cubey]

RPM is your friend. The more rpm the more air moves through the cylinders, more air equates to lower egt.
Notice the lack of fuel used in the above.

91 and older vans never had tachs at all. Afttermarket is the only option, and it doesn't have one. So I have to watch water temperature and EGT.

 

[Cubey]

Can anyone perhaps recommend a transmission temp gauge kit? I would like to install it on the trans output/cooler input line, so it gets the hottest fluid temperature reading, before it gets cooled.

I have already gone up I-15 from Vegas a ways, where it has truck lanes for the climbs. I don't know what grade those hills were, but I did mostly stay in 2nd gear and occasionally passed semis that were going crazy slow.

That one hill east of Las Cruces (SW of White Sands) on US-70 had it in first gear for the last bit of the climb, but there were also a heavy head wind that day. A newer motorhome lost their awning to the wind when driving at probably 70mph. I was doing 55.

I checked the trans fluid color this morning and it's medium dark red, smells a little funny but not bad. So far, so good on steep climbs.

First dipstick pull, it was almost solid black and smelled burned but the subsequent checks were fine, medium red. I posted a thread about that here before and the consensus was that it was normal to see that.

 

[u2slow]

Lots of debate on where you measure the oil temperature. A high outlet temp is quite normal with high load, and isn't necessarily bad so long as the supply of cool oil is available. When in doubt... take more readings (i.e. multiple gauges).

I installed a deep alum pan (with temp bung) on my E4OD in prep for a temp gauge. Also got the inline filter kit, but sold the van before I got any further.

 

[Cubey]

Lots of debate on where you measure the oil temperature. A high outlet temp is quite normal with high load, and isn't necessarily bad so long as the supply of cool oil is available. When in doubt... take more readings (i.e. multiple gauges).

I guess I should wait on that. I stupidly didn't think about putting a bung on the new pan before installing it. It has a drain bolt, but no temp bung. So, at least draining the pan will be easy and not too messy before dropping it. Might be a year or more before I can get to that. If only I knew the typical max output temp, I could go by that since the hottest part (torque converter) probably matters the most.

Unless I do it on the output line to the cooler and leave it at that.

My thought is that if the hottest temp is roughly 220-230*F max on that line, then the rest of the transmission should be cooler and should be ok. It may not be an "accurate" reading of the transmission, but it should be enough to avoid overheating it. I could always go back and relocate the probe later to the pan if I want to someday.

This $70 kit comes with tees for installing it in-line:
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...utomotive-van-1985-ford-e-350-econoline?pos=0

 

[Cubey]

Hm, back to the original topic... it looks like NB I-15 from Vegas into SW Utah was ~6% grade for many miles in some placesI have already gone through. Mostly I was in 2nd gear as I recall, so it's probably not a big deal. That's where I actually passed a semi or two that was going slower than I needed to.

The higher altitude on this future route is the differing factor. I try to keep EGT at ~1,000 max, that way it has a good buffer to go higher in case I somehow don't notice for a minute or so. My NA F250 does fine at 9,000ft (no EGT gauge on it) so I expect the RV will be fine too, since it has turbo to help it a bit.

Edit: I guess I won't worry about it for now. It's most likely the original 36 year old trans, so I don't see much point in doing anything for it fancy right now. I gave it fresh fluid last year and it's doing ok. If it dies and I decide to have it rebuilt (most likely would unless it results in a wreck that totals the RV..) then I'll see about investing in a deep aluminum pan with a bung while the shop has the trans out. That way I can put in a gauge and monitor the new transmission. I doubt temperature is what is gonna kill it, unless the cooler stops working. Seals are more likely to go. It's not like I'm driving in 100*F climates with the pedal to the floor trying to stay at 55mph on 6% grades, so temps are probably ok.

 

[chris142]

Can anyone perhaps recommend a transmission temp gauge kit? I would like to install it on the trans output/cooler input line, so it gets the hottest fluid temperature reading, before it gets cooled.

I have already gone up I-15 from Vegas a ways, where it has truck lanes for the climbs. I don't know what grade those hills were, but I did mostly stay in 2nd gear and occasionally passed semis that were going crazy slow.

my empty truck pulls that about 50. A 470 hp detroit diesel @80 k does about 24.