Hi All
In the fall after returning from a cross country trip I had to repair/replace a lot of cooling components. There are threads around with the results of my comparison of Behr and Hayden fan clutches as well as the installation of the PCM transmission fluid cooler.
Replaced: Radiator, water pump, fan clutch, rad hoses and a full flush and fill on the block.
Installed: PCM tranny fluid aux cooler kit.
Unfortunately I re-used an older thermostat. In my defense I did check it in a bowl of boiling water to see if it opened and it did, What I didn't check was if it closed after and it doesn't.
The result is that the cooling system hasn't gone above about 160 all winter. I was going to fix it, I've had the part on my bench for months but then we planned a mini vacation with the trailer and I thought this would be a good experiment. With the thermostat stuck open I wanted to see how hot the coolant would get pulling a fully loaded trailer. I wondered if it would get above the 192 that the thermostat was supposed to regulate at.
The result was that, with new cooling components, the engine can pull the 5000lb trailer without overheating the coolant. I went up some major grades in second gear at 25MPH and the engine never got above about 175-180. I don't mind being slow, I just light a cigar and enjoy the drive!
This is good news, it means that when I install the new thermostat it will raise the operating temp to the desired 192 and towing the trailer won't cause it to go any higher.
I never really thought of the thermostat as a device that raises the operating temperature of the cooling system, I realized it was closed at startup and helped the engine warm up but I never realized it kept the temp up even after the engine was warmed up. I guess I just thought that once the engine warmed up the thermostat would stay open to keep the engine cool, this is not the reality.
I just thought I'd share this as a benchmark for anyone wanting to know how hot the engine should be under full load. If the cooling components are good then it should not rise above the thermostat temp.
JayArr
In the fall after returning from a cross country trip I had to repair/replace a lot of cooling components. There are threads around with the results of my comparison of Behr and Hayden fan clutches as well as the installation of the PCM transmission fluid cooler.
Replaced: Radiator, water pump, fan clutch, rad hoses and a full flush and fill on the block.
Installed: PCM tranny fluid aux cooler kit.
Unfortunately I re-used an older thermostat. In my defense I did check it in a bowl of boiling water to see if it opened and it did, What I didn't check was if it closed after and it doesn't.
The result is that the cooling system hasn't gone above about 160 all winter. I was going to fix it, I've had the part on my bench for months but then we planned a mini vacation with the trailer and I thought this would be a good experiment. With the thermostat stuck open I wanted to see how hot the coolant would get pulling a fully loaded trailer. I wondered if it would get above the 192 that the thermostat was supposed to regulate at.
The result was that, with new cooling components, the engine can pull the 5000lb trailer without overheating the coolant. I went up some major grades in second gear at 25MPH and the engine never got above about 175-180. I don't mind being slow, I just light a cigar and enjoy the drive!
This is good news, it means that when I install the new thermostat it will raise the operating temp to the desired 192 and towing the trailer won't cause it to go any higher.
I never really thought of the thermostat as a device that raises the operating temperature of the cooling system, I realized it was closed at startup and helped the engine warm up but I never realized it kept the temp up even after the engine was warmed up. I guess I just thought that once the engine warmed up the thermostat would stay open to keep the engine cool, this is not the reality.
I just thought I'd share this as a benchmark for anyone wanting to know how hot the engine should be under full load. If the cooling components are good then it should not rise above the thermostat temp.
JayArr