Overheating Issues – Same Song/Different Verse

[tuckerd1]

Hello Guys, long time no post.

I am having overheating issues towing my horse trailers while pulling long steep grades. When the factory temp gauge gets to H, I have to pull over to keep from boiling. It has not boiled over yet but with hot weather here, it is only a matter of time. Also, my highway temps are up to the MA area while running 60-70 on the flats.

As you can see in my sig, I have a turbo w/intercooler. I have water pump with ~25K on it, new thermostat, new radiator and new fan clutch. I have ~5”x24” cut out in the front bumper and have installed a wind deflector on rad support to pull air between IC and rad.

I assume there is so much heat through the IC that my rad cannot handle the additional heat. Should I go to new alum rad? New MS Tech fan clutch or both?

Anyone here tried lengthened the spring on the fan clutch?

How much can engine timing affect the water temp?

 

[hesutton]

Don, glad to see you posting. It's has been a while. Gary has a nice aluminium radiator that he is very happy with. I'd suspect he'd be along here shortly with some more infomation. The MS Tech Fan clutch is also supposed to help as well.

My personal suggestion is to get an Autometer, IssPro, VDO, or other brand water temp and oil pressure gauges. The Ford Factory are not real handy and just tell you the water is hot once it's too late. Plus, it'd be nice to know exactly what temperatures you are seening.

Heath

 

[tuckerd1]

Heath,
Thanks, gauges are on the list. I know the factory gauges are basically IDIOT sticks. Thinking of how I could mount them into the original instrument cluster. I saw the gauge install that 6point9diesel did the the rectangular cluster. The 93 is round on top and would be a little different.

 

[icanfixall]

My first question is what radiator do you have. Is it a 3 row or 4 row. Secondly what thermostat do you have thats new... We all understand many stats will fit but only the factory original will flow enough coolant to cool these motors. The MSTech fan clutch is really just a spring modification to the factory fan clutch. Its cut and set to fully engage the clutch at 210 degrees. The oem factory clutch can open as late as 240 degrees.... Not a good place to be ... Look closely at the radiator side of the clutch. If any wetness or oily dirt is found then its shot. Hope this helps.

 

[tuckerd1]

3 row rad.

Fan clutch is dry and will engage with heat applied. Just don't know at what temp. seemed as good as any aftermarket I could find week before last, so I kept my old one. It is an aftermarket Hayden, but I don't hear it kick in like the factory clutch did. Of course I have more firewal noise with the insulation removed for the turbo.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

3 row rad.

Fan clutch is dry and will engage with heat applied. Just don't know at what temp. seemed as good as any aftermarket I could find week before last, so I kept my old one. It is an aftermarket Hayden, but I don't hear it kick in like the factory clutch did. Of course I have more firewal noise with the insulation removed for the turbo.

I don't think the I/C is much of a factor in your issues.


With the huge original factory radiator and old worn-out original fan-clutch, I never ever had a cooling issue with the IDI pulling heavy loads of cattle, regardless of grade or outside temperature.


If you have the big factory radiator, unless it is full of crud, I don't see it being your problem.

For what it's worth, a couple summers ago, we went through about four Hayden fan-clutches from NAPA and didn't get one good one; I ended up "pinning" her old one such that it is always engaged direct-drive.


Do you still have the old fan-clutch that you replaced ??


An old diesel mechanic recently told me that to permanently lock up a failed fan-clutch, pull off the thermostat coil and pull out the little pin.

This permanently locks the clutch and the fix cannot be reversed, so I would only experiment with a known bad clutch.

I have not yet had opportunity to try this myself; your truck would be a good guinea-pig to try it on.

 

[tuckerd1]

Midnight-Rider,
It is a new (NOT remanufactured) original style radiator.

I'm off tomorrow and I'm going to try lengthing the coil spring. I've read of it being done successfully. I'll report back the results. If that doesn't work I'll pull the coil until I can get an MS Tech fan clutch.

If that doesn't do it , then a 4 row aluminum rad may go on it next.

BTW, I'm towing 36' 4H with 12 LQ. Big sucker! Never weighed it but probably >12,000# with horses.

 

[RLDSL]

Hayden fan clutch, that's a non starter right there. Those things are junk out of the box. There's a reason you aren't hearing it kick in, it's not
Get an MS tech fan clutch , you won't be sorry. Next call the guy at Rodney Red and order up a new aluminum radiator and fill that puppy with Evans Coolant and throw a zero pressure cap on it and you will be ALL set

 

[1994IDI]

I'm with Heath, and betting on the gauge being incorrect. I have not been dissapointed with the autometer. Money well spent. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Fozz]

His rad isn't doing him any favors either. The factory Ford rad is a 4-core. Aftermarket rads claim dimpled 3-core is just as efficient, but they're not when pulling heavy uphill in the summer with the A/C on. The factory Ford rad isn't cheap (about $400), but it will keep you cool. I went back to it......

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

This is an identicle replacement to the original :

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...y-Rad_3897745-P_31_R|GRPCOOLAMS_1366489634___

Although I hadn't had any cooling issues whatsoever, the summer after I swapped in the Cummins, I replaced my old original with one of these; I have had a few old radiators blow the ends out and otherwise catastrophically fail out on the road, and there was always a lingering fear in my mind that my old twenty-plus-year-old radiator could let me down at any time.

Sitting side by side in the floor, I could see no difference in manufacture whatsoever, and the core count is the same.

Since the new radiator, I have pulled countless heavy loads for long hot distances in hill country and it performs as well as, if not better than, the original.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

For what it's worth, the factory gauges in my 1985 have always been very consistent.

The only fault they have is the lack of number graduations.

I have a full compliment of mechanical gauges that give me the real story and the factory gauges are consistent with their readings.

On my truck, with 180* thermostat, when the mechanical gauge shows 180*, the factory gauge-needle points along the high side of "N" ( NORMAL ).

I have never seen either gauge read higher, so I can't help with the bigger numbers.

 

[dmaxjoe]

http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/showthread.php?t=12265 I did this to my 91 and it really made a difference. I will probably do the 84 soon.

 

[tuckerd1]

This is an identicle replacement to the original :

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...y-Rad_3897745-P_31_R|GRPCOOLAMS_1366489634___

Although I hadn't had any cooling issues whatsoever, the summer after I swapped in the Cummins, I replaced my old original with one of these; I have had a few old radiators blow the ends out and otherwise catastrophically fail out on the road, and there was always a lingering fear in my mind that my old twenty-plus-year-old radiator could let me down at any time.

Sitting side by side in the floor, I could see no difference in manufacture whatsoever, and the core count is the same.

Since the new radiator, I have pulled countless heavy loads for long hot distances in hill country and it performs as well as, if not better than, the original.

That is the rad in my truck now. I'm getting ready to mod the fan clutch coil today and see what happens pulling the 3 mile steep (up to 13 %) grade at my house.

 

[Agnem]

Good to hear from you! One mod I've started recommending is to take that silly 140 degree temp sender out of the overtemp location, and replace it with a 220 one. You really don't need to be alerted after it is too late. Get some warning, and heed it.