Wolfmark
Orlando, FL
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JFordBronco wrote:The other thing we did - maybe paranoya - when we would stop for potty stops is raise the hood, put the windows down and crank up the heater. It seemed to be a little cooler like that, with two small kids we stopped about every 2 hr or so.
Old school!  I remember my dad doing this when I was a kid.
I've a Durango Hemi that moves the gauge just a smudge under heavy hauling conditions, but never more than halfway. I have heard the hurricane of the fan clutch engagement from time to time, scared the stuff out of me the first time it did it.
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ib516
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I suspect a bad fan clutch (if it not just electric fans on the 4.7L). If it has a belt driven fan, you SHOULD be able to hear it engaging/running at full speed, even when towing and road noise are present. If you don't, it may not be working. It should sound the same as the loud roar you hear after it is first started and you begin driving.
Also, DO NOT change to a cooler thermostat. That may cause the engine to run differently (like using more fuel) to try to warm itself up to operating temp. If the thermostat is a 195*F unit, and the truck is running ~200* or above, both a 180 and a 195* stat would be fully open anyway.
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ve7prt
Ucluelet, BC, Canada
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ib516 wrote:I suspect a bad fan clutch (if it not just electric fans on the 4.7L). If it has a belt driven fan, you SHOULD be able to hear it engaging/running at full speed, even when towing and road noise are present. If you don't, it may not be working. It should sound the same as the loud roar you hear after it is first started and you begin driving.
I don't hear the fan when the engine is running 3k RPM or more, but I do know that at idle, it is moving a ton of air, something akin to a hurricane under the hood. So I suspect the fan is moving lots of air at higher RPMs, I just can't hear it over the engine.
Quote:Also, DO NOT change to a cooler thermostat. That may cause the engine to run differently (like using more fuel) to try to warm itself up to operating temp. If the thermostat is a 195*F unit, and the truck is running ~200* or above, both a 180 and a 195* stat would be fully open anyway.
I would agree on this. The only thing to do with the thermo would be to put a new one in, of the same rating as the old one.
I've run into other issues with my truck now, such as whether I'm getting good mileage or not. I can drive around town one day and the gas gauge stays in one spot; other times I can see the darned thing moving! As an example, I was doing sound tech for a live band on the weekend, and I burned a 1/4 tank of fuel (100L tank) to and from Tofino. The previous show I'd done in Tofino I only burned an 1/8 of a tank but went further during the entire operation. In both cases I was towing an 8x5 single axle trailer with all my gear in it. So I'm not sure what is going on.
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Mike
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ib516
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Buy a ScangagueII and know what the engine temp is - exactly. I have one, and found the temp gauge in my (Dodge) truck is very accurate, as was my previous 2002. It works great.
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ve7prt
Ucluelet, BC, Canada
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I picked up a ScanTool from Innova (through Napa) so I could check on the truck's computer. I did try to grab a snapshot of live data the other morning to see if I can spot anything (the truck hesitates on acceleration for a moment when cold). Alas, while I grabbed the data, it wasn't in the tool when I went to transfer it to the computer. Not sure if I didn't do something right, or if I've only got a short time to make the transfer. RTFM, I guess.
Cheers!
Mike
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siliconjunkie
Buckhannon, WV
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Fan clutch will normally not have any impact on temp at highway speed. The fan is there for when you are idling and don't have 60 MPH air blowing in to the grill. Think about it, with that much wind coming at it, do you really think the fan is going to make any difference? Sure it may engage if the temp is hot enough, but that is just a function of how it works, not that it's needed.
As a general rule:
High speed overheating is a flow problem such as clogged radiator, stuck thermostat or radiator/condensor clogged with bugs or crud.
Low speed overheating is a fan or fan clutch problem, sometimes thermostat.
Also, never replace the thermostat on a modern vehicle with a lower temp one. It will just confuse the computer and throw things out of wack.
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martipr
Haltom City, Texas
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I find that I also overheat under a load or in hot weather. DW claims it's because of fat and age.
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cactuspatch
Texas
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use compressed air and blow from the engine side out on the radiator. You have had 4 yrs of junk build up in the fins, once done blowing, use high pressure water, go from inside out, then from front of radiator to back. Same for A/C condensor if the gasser is set up like a deisel. Thermostat is cheap insurance to replace.
BTW silconjunkie is dead on.
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bigdodgeram
southern Calif.
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siliconjunkie wrote:Fan clutch will normally not have any impact on temp at highway speed. The fan is there for when you are idling and don't have 60 MPH air blowing in to the grill. Think about it, with that much wind coming at it, do you really think the fan is going to make any difference? Sure it may engage if the temp is hot enough, but that is just a function of how it works, not that it's needed.
As a general rule:
High speed overheating is a flow problem such as clogged radiator, stuck thermostat or radiator/condensor clogged with bugs or crud.
Low speed overheating is a fan or fan clutch problem, sometimes thermostat.
Also, never replace the thermostat on a modern vehicle with a lower temp one. It will just confuse the computer and throw things out of wack.
then please explain to me why my fan kicks in going up hill and my temperature goes from 200 back to 180 and I am going 55 mph?
and why when I changed my thermostat from the stock 195 to 180 I got better performance?
maybe you can also explain why my Chrysler 300m came with a 180 thermostat?
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ib516
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The fan in my 2002 Dodge/Cummins 2500 was quite effective at highway speed. The temp could creep up when towing uphill, even with very good airflow through the rad. When the clutch cut in on the cooling fan and I heard the roar, I also saw the temp drop slowly. BTW, I had removed the rad two years earlier and cleaned it with a pressure washer. It was clean as when new.
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