Mountain Driving Tip June 17, 2015, 06:20:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153384Today I drove, once again, the Teton Pass, pulling my Forester behind me. I watched my scan gauge engine coolant temperature. When it reached 220, I opened the windows, turned the heat to maximum and turned the fan to maximum. Within a minute, the engine coolant was down to 210. The rest of the way up, it stayed around there.So, if you are pulling a long grade in warm weather, and are concerned about engine temperature, remember that there are two heat transfer systems in your rig. One is the radiator. The other is the cab heater. Use them both.Ken F in WY
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #1 – June 17, 2015, 06:44:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153385One is the radiator. The other is the cab heater.--- Good advice, Ken; thanks for the reminder that heater and fan blasting on the uphills sure help to bleed heat off the engine!Teton Pass on WY 22 is a haul, even without a toad; I'm glad I don't tow! Some 10% grades, some curves, and (on the east side of the pass) runaway truck ramps that require crossing the lane of oncoming traffic to get to the upslope "stopper". (The only "side" available with space, as I remember?)A beautiful area, for sure; the Tetons are magical.Joan
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #2 – June 17, 2015, 09:08:11 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153386We had tried this trick in our 1985 TK - and it worked well. We were headed from SE Arizona to Mormon Lake in mid-May - and boy was it hot that day! I had a thermometer at hand and the temperature reading in the cab was 134° right by my face. I can't believe that was accurate, but that is what it said. Pant, pant! When we got to the (no-hook up) campground at 7,000 feet elevation, we were surely sweltering. We just sat outside until the sun went down and the rig cooled off.The campground was almost empty when we got there, but the next day the floodgates were opened and rigs poured in. Seems that this is the road to The Grand Canyon, and the road was opened that very day. Whew! We weren't headed to The Grand Canyon, so don't know how crowded the actual road was.We've used this ploy a few times, but none so memorable as that afternoon !!Virtual hugs,Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #3 – June 18, 2015, 12:18:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 153387If you have a properly maintained cooling system I don't understand why running the heater, etc. is necessary. I have driven through Arizona when it was 114 degrees outside running my A.C. at full blast with no overheating problems. When things get really hot I start the generator and run coach A.C. as well while driving. Never any overheating problems but I do get the cooling system flushed and replenished once a year. The A.C. is there for this. If you have to run the heater, etc. to keep things cool something is wrong.bobmoore14
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #4 – June 18, 2015, 12:30:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 153388Thanks to both you (Ken) & Larry for very useful info--that's why I really appreciate this group!Lynne LDy Lulubelle, '05 30' TB Lilly, 4-legged Alarm
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #5 – June 18, 2015, 10:30:51 am Yahoo Message Number: 153392134 F, Wow! If you can get the temperature just a little higher, at 165 F you can eliminate any nasty bugs or parasites you may be harboring. A meat thermometer can be helpful . . . (g).
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #6 – June 18, 2015, 12:55:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153398"Today I drove, once again, the Teton Pass, pulling my Forester behind me. I watched my scan gauge engine coolant temperature. When it reached 220, I opened the windows, turned the heat to maximum and turned the fan to maximum. Within a minute, the engine coolant was down to 210. The rest of the way up, it stayed around there"KenWhile the heater trick is an old one, you didn't need to do this. 220 degrees may seem hot but with a proper mix of anti-freeze and a 16-lb radiator cap, this is well within the operating range of the V10. 220 is nowhere near the RED, in the Factory coolant temperature gauge.Most engines today run much hotter than what we used to seeing 20-30 years ago. I have seen temps like this several time, usually when towing the Jeep up long, steep grades, in very hot weather (100+ degrees). Hot engines burn cleaner, another reason why todays engine's run hot. Our Jeep's auxiliary cooling fan does not even come on until reaches the Factory set 218-220 degrees. Today's oils can handle very high temperatures without failure. And the absolute coolest thing about the V10 is that it can run without coolant for short distances due to the cylinder cutout feature, nice if you blow a radiator hose. You will notice a near total lack of power but it's enough to get you off to the side of the road.I have noticed out LD running warmer over the last couple of years. This year I removed the stock radiator, in our 2003 LD, and flushed it and cleaned and straightened its cooling fins and the A/C's condenser, plus replacing the hoses and thermostat. It immediately ran several degrees cooler, possibly just the result of a new thermostat. The transmission cooler can be replaced with a much larger one. This one has twice the surface area as the stock cooler, it's a brute. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00803CTDA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 I see a 10-15 degree drop with this cooler, when compared to the stock cooler. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157648794273051/show Thanks Andy for telling me about this cooler.Larry As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #7 – June 18, 2015, 01:35:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153399This one has twice the surface area as the stock cooler, it's a brute.--- It is; when I saw it, I thought you'd pinched a barbecue grill off a group site pit in the park and re-purposed it! ;-)Joan
Re: Mountain Driving Tip Reply #8 – June 20, 2015, 02:42:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 153449Bumper--LOL...LOL...LOL! Re: "...A meat thermometer can be helpful" The cooking shows on Food Network say to put the thermometer in the thickest part of the drumstick...I'm a little leery of that placement--seems like it would interfere with my seatbelt buckle. Alternatives?
Topic: Mountain Driving Tip (Read 11 times)
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Topic: Mountain Driving Tip (Read 11 times)
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