• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

coolant temp question

OregonHorseTug said:
No, I have an early '96. It has the single t-stat (NAPA thinks it's a dual stat, too). It also works great by the way pulling at 19k combined. The Kennedy super fan clutch sounds like a jet engine coming on when I'm rolling up a hill moving slow on a hot day.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Any problem with disengagment?
 
If your temp goes to 210 then drops drastically the stat is probably goofy.

The temp gauge should rise to running temp as the engine warms up then stabilize.
You should not see wierd or wild swings.

With a bunch of miles on the radiator, flushing will generally not fix a heating issue.

The cores in these trucks are "MARGINAL" at best. When new they will do ok. Once they start to plug up in the lower levels and whereever the crap sticks, they start to lose their ability to dump the heat.

My dually did the same thing.
My suggestion is to get a fresh "Visteon" radiator for your rig and be done with it.

I bought one locally, new in the box for $245
Now beware, there are replacement units that come from overseas. Many of these have the tubes epoxied to the headers.
These will over time (sometimes short time) crack loose and leak

You want a core that is aluminum brazed.
The visteon is such a unit and is OEM quality or better.

Ma General wants near $500 for a fresh radiator.

I bought mine from Mac radiator in Portland Oregon

Unless your pulling the rig hard and in very hot weather, you should have no issue keeping the temps at 180F

My 94 Burb will stay below 190 even on HOT days 90+ F

The fan on these will usually hook up at about 210 if the radiator is clean and can reject the heat into the airstream.

Be sure the little bimetal spring on the front of the fan clutch is not all clogged up with oily residue and dirt

If it nasty gooy with crap the clutch may be toast.

A quick flush of the soring with brakeKleen will do the trick to get the crap out.

This spring is what senses the temp and it turns when it gets hot and activates the valving inside to make the clutch work.

When the fan is hooked up it sounds like an F5 tornado under the hood. No missing out on that one.

These suckers falt haul some air when hooked up.

Hope this helps

MGW
 
STEVE53 said:
Hey there fellas. I just removed and cleaned out my radiator today because I think that my engine is running a bit hot. While cruising about 55 mph, temp will get up to 210f, sometimes a shade over according to my gauge without pulling a load. I flushed out my radiator inside and out and am sure that it is very clean. Ambient temp was around 60f today. I am wondering if maybe my fan is not kicking on when it should, I cannot hear a "whoosh" sound when the fan kicks in. Is there a way to test the thermastatic control on the clutch, or does anyone have any idea why I am running hot? Thanks for any help.

Steve
Click to expand...

How old is the radiator in your '95? Clean on the outside doesn't necessarily mean it's not scaled over on the inside in places you cannot see.
 
As far an I know it is the original radiator. When I flushed it out, I got some tan rusty looking crap out of it and the resevoir tank. I am going to call around to see about getting it opened up and cleaned out real good.

I did clean off the bi-metal spring on the clutch. It had some oil and dirt residue on it but no gooey stuff. I assume by gooey stuff, you are talking about the fluid in the fan clutch.

steve
 
One other thing. I am still wondering if the AC thermastat has "AC" stamped on it or not. I will pick one up from the dealer if I have to, but they want $40.00 for it. Also, just for testing sake, could I run safely with the thermastat removed to see how the truck operates temperaturewise?

steve
 
STEVE53 said:
... Also, just for testing sake, could I run safely with the thermastat removed to see how the truck operates temperaturewise?
Click to expand...

Not really. You need that plunger on the bottom of the T-stat in there to seat over the bypass. Otherwise when it finally gets warm you won't get sufficient flow out of the engine and through the radiator and it will overheat.
 
You're getting some great advice here, Steve - these guys are dead-on with the necessity for a good thermostat. Bill Heath told me AC Delco ONLY - said to compare it side-by-side with any other thermostat and I'd see the difference. I didn't compare it to a Robertshaw, (but if OregonHT is running one, then it works) but to a Stant and it was VERY different in both orfice and in spring/plate length. Don't cheap out here... you won't like the result.

Something else you found makes Missy's advice a winner. Your bimetal spring should not have ANY build-up on it... when it does, it usually means that the fluid is seeping out of the clutch, onto the spring, and gathering dirt. The dirt acts as an insulator, stopping the temp from locking up your fan clutch. Clean it all off with brake clean, as she suggests. If fluid has leaked out, it will happen again, so you're gonna be changing it sooner or later. If too much fluid leaks out, the fan sill no longer engage properly, no matter what the temp is.

The cooling systems on these trucks need every part to be in top working order. It isn't about any one thing; it's about everything.

Good luck!
 
You can't run the truck w/o a thermostat. it will overheat worse as the coolant will flow to fast to absorb heat and most likely into the bypass and not the rad.
 
Yes, I totally agree on the great advice given here, and I appreciate it alot. Alot of things, especially the cooling system, are alot different than the gassers I have/had. I will go pick up the thermastat and see what that does for me. Thanks.

Steve
 
I'm having cooling issues too. I'm afraid I'm going to end up like Aces and never be able to solve them.

I have
brand new radiator
brand new AC condenser
brand new engine oil cooler
clean trans cooler
brand new Heath composite fan and clutch
brand new engine
brand new hoses
brand new GM thermostats
brand new 50/50 Dex Cool

My truck seems to be fine traveling on the freeway or any other road as long as it's flat. When I head up a long hill, the temp slowly creeps up to 210. It hasn't gone over 210 since I threw all the new parts at it. I live up a fairly long hill, and when I climb to the top of it, the temp gauge will slowly go to 210 and I hear the fan kick in. By then, I'm at the crest so I don't know if it'd go higher.

This is with the truck empty. What the $!@(%*! will happen when I hook my 8000 lb camping trailer and head up a 9% grade?

Will an A-team turbo help? I have to keep the cat.
 
I'ev got a '93 with the single thermostat, I'm running a Robertshaw 180F thermostat. When i first got my truck, i took out the radiator and cleaned the crap out of it, also the trans cooler and A/C radiator as well. Unloaded in 95F days with the A/C on i run 185-190F up/down mountains..etc no problem. I have the std flow waterpump, and the SSD DMAX/HD fan clutch. Next time i have the beast apart, i'm going to upgrade to the HO water pump - like the article in MaxxTorque. I've pulled over 9000lbs with my current setup, A/C blasting..etc with no issues runs about 195-200F - so i believe the Robertshaw thermostats work as well as the AC Delco in my application with the single thermostat.
Don
 
Mitchedo if you have access to a scanner hook it up and see what the temp reading actually is. Your gauge may not be reading accurately. My aftermarket temp and factory temp gauge don't read close to each other. The aftermarket is close to what the scanner shows.
 
Mitch,
Time to buy a Dodge...
Just KIDDING!! Seriusoly I had along talk with Bill H and as per that conversation I think you problem is you picked and chose what parts you used rather than do his whole upgrade. Now again this is per him and really you should probably call him rather than my interpretation of what he said but here goes:
His Fan is desgnined to work with his cooling upgrade. His fan alone won't engage properly by itself. Can't remember why but also his cooling upgrade has a better waterpump and also a restrictor for the dual therms. What I think, if I interpreted this right is without the restrictor coolant still bypasses on the dual therm system and the fan doesn't work right ?? Again second hand interpretation. My advice, call him. All I know is I wanted to buy just his fan for my 2000 which is like your and he said it won't work properly unless I do the whole kits. Believe me I'm the king of trying to reinvent the wheel and Heaths system still comes out on top and I ran his part # with GM, NAPA etc. BTW I Have a Heath WMI Kits NIB for sale. 100$ off....:)
 
I finally got to installing a genuine ac delco 195f thermostat the other day. My temp still goes right up to the 210f mark, but doesn't go over like it was, maybe because the ambient temp has been lower. I also did the fan clutch mod, but I still don't notice the fan whooshing away. The only time I think that I hear it is from a dead stop when I first accelerate, then I hear what I think is a whoosh from the fan. I am going to look into a H.O. water pump and see if that helps.
 
Perhaps you should double check that temp gauge with a scanner or a thermal reader. Your CTS in the drivers side head may be on its way out.
 
Acesneights1 said:
Mitch,
Time to buy a Dodge...
Just KIDDING!! Seriusoly I had along talk with Bill H and as per that conversation I think you problem is you picked and chose what parts you used rather than do his whole upgrade. Now again this is per him and really you should probably call him rather than my interpretation of what he said but here goes:
His Fan is desgnined to work with his cooling upgrade. His fan alone won't engage properly by itself. Can't remember why but also his cooling upgrade has a better waterpump and also a restrictor for the dual therms. What I think, if I interpreted this right is without the restrictor coolant still bypasses on the dual therm system and the fan doesn't work right ?? Again second hand interpretation. My advice, call him. All I know is I wanted to buy just his fan for my 2000 which is like your and he said it won't work properly unless I do the whole kits. Believe me I'm the king of trying to reinvent the wheel and Heaths system still comes out on top and I ran his part # with GM, NAPA etc. BTW I Have a Heath WMI Kits NIB for sale. 100$ off....:)
Click to expand...

ARRRGGGHHHH! Had I known I was gonna have all this trouble, I would have bought Heath's kit. I mean, I figure GM would have worked out the kinks after nearly 10 years! As it was, I never even knew he had a cooling kit. I've done nothing but dump wheelbarrows full of money into this thing. As soon as I scrounge up the cash for a brake controller, I'm going to hitch up the trailer and go for a drive. It'd better not overheat -- or I'm going to really whine about it. I need to get my pyrometer and boost gauge hooked up too.

I wanted to buy a Dodge with a Cummins, but the crew cabs were all too new to be in my budget. ...that, and the fact that that wonderful engine is surrounded by Chrysler parts.

I tried to check the thermostats to make sure they weren't defective, but our water boils at about 189-190 degrees, and they hadn't started opening yet. I thought about putting salt in the water to raise the boiling point, but thought salt wouldn't be such a good idea. ...thought about using some DexCool, but didn't have an old pot I could throw away. ...so I installed the brand-new, dealer-bought thermostats and hoped they'd work. I suppose it's possible one of them is stuck shut, but definitely not both of them.

As for the gauge being off, it runs rock-steady right about 190 all day long as long as there's no load on the truck.

...should'a gotten the 454 I reckon.
 
Last edited:
Temperature is temperature with salt or not, water or coolant, or ketch-up. They should open at or around the temperature indicated. Even though it boils at 185, it can stillg et warmer. I would think those t-stats would have opened.
 
I will try that Matt. Does anyone know where I could find the ohm reading chart for the temp sender? Thanks.

Steve
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top