overheating when in 4x4 low

[Vozar]

I seem to overheat alot when i am in 4x4 low. Today i was in low for about a minute or two and the temp went up. I shut the truck off and let it cool for 5 minutes and it went back down. My question is that is there anything like a electric fan that can just bolt up to my radiator and i can flip a switch when it starts to overheat to cool it down. I need to flush my radiator and all my coolant but what else can i do to keep me cooler when i wheel. I also have a tranny cooler and i am looking for something that will cool my tranny better also. I heard good stuff about B&M.

 

[jimbo74]

dont really know what to tell you... when i used to go mudding, my temp hoped up rapidly... the reason is this... you are using very low gears and probably using a lot of gas in the mud and such.... this is probably keeping your rpms up arouind 4000 constantly thus creating a lot of friction which is heat. as far is the tranny is concerned, try adding an aux filter and aux cooler, maybe a deepere pan, it will give you increased fluid capacity and will take longer to heat it up... heat is more easily dispersed over a large surface area than a smaller one......

 

[trixie]

Take my observation with a grain of salt: How much were you overheating? Could you hear the engine complaining, or did you rely on the gauge? 5 minutes might not be long enough to cool down that motor; esp. with it shut off. I had a similar experience (several times) with bad temp gauges sending the wrong message to the gauge. Again, I don't know what I'm talking about though.

 

[blue_97_v8]

my 94 nor my son's 96 over heat when in 4x4 low..there somthing wrong!!..that should not be happening

 

[jimbo74]

depends on the situation..... i went bogging in mud where i was just doing donuts and sliding and such for about 10 minutes in 4x4 low with te tach constantly pegged about 4000 rpm.... thats a lot, never does the vehicle normally be subjected to that abuse..... also mud insulates and hinders airflow to cool things off

 

[blue_97_v8]

yeah we have our share of playing to(IE sliding around in snow/mud..ect) an still never had this happen..and yes we both had the tach's pretty far up there..seem like somthing's wrong

 

[trixie]

Even if that were the case, would 5 minutes be enough for the thing to cool of?

 

[jimbo74]

5 minutes would not be enough to cool off....

 

[trixie]

I agree. Someone thought I was too stupid to respond to a guy trying to take a supercharger from a T-Bird, and stick it on his X. I got deleted or something, though my point I feel was sound. Esp. since the parts don't fit together. Maybe I missed some point of the 200- 4000 dollar challenge.
Maybe I'm old, but I know the sound of oil being turned into mayo. (That may make no sense to some.)
Michael.

 

[trixie]

I just realized that I wasn't deleted. I'm stupid, and also that I'm an old curmudgen. I apologize. Anyway, when cars were simpler, I would always check the gauge first (unless it was obvious that something was wrong). A loose wire or one with a broken insulation, especially one that's gotten hot, can easilly ground itself on something unintended, and spike a gauge. At least check that first. If it was the gauge that signaled a warning, and then after 5 minutes, a reprieve, it must (maybe) be the gauge that is at fault. Rumours about voltage regulators also come to mind.

 

[Vozar]

Im going to flush my coolant and radiator and see if it does it any more. It didnt take 5 minutes for the whole truck to cool down it took it about 5 minutes to get back to normal running temp. Its only done it twice and the first time i was pinned to the throttle. The first time it was really bad and my check gauge lite was on(thats pretty damn hot) and radiator fluid was bubbling. Second time it wasnt that bad. I probably just need to flush the coolant system. I try that and get back to you guys. IM probavly going wheeling this weekend. I think also my 4.56's would make the low range really low i think. Im not sure exactly.

 

[JDraper]

Several things can cause that type of overheating:

1: Radiator is partially clogged internally. Time for a flush or a new radiator.

2: Radiator is clogged externally, i.e. it's full of mud/debris that is blocking the airflow.

3: Fan clutch is shot.

4: Thermostat sticking. Least likely since the problem is only in 4lo.

5: Water pump is on the way out. Again, not as likely since it only happens in 4lo.

6: Wrong Antifreeze/water mix.

 

[loboga]

Yeah, I agree. along with the flush/refill I would check out the fan clutch.

 

[Vozar]

Whats the best way to clean the radiator externally and internally? How can you tell if your fan clutch is bad?

 

[JDraper]

Externally, clean it with a garden hose or pressure washer, but be careful not to get too close if you use a pressure washer. You can damage the fins. It would be better to spray it from the backside to push the crud back out the front. To clean it internally, you can use one of the radiator flush fluids available if it's not too bad, or take it to a radiator shop and have it cooked out. If you take it to a shop, it will be cleaned inside and out.

The fan clutch should pretty much spin freely when the motor is cold, and there should be some resistance to spin when it's hot. The idea of the clutch is to let the fan spin lower when the motor is cold so it comes up to operating temperature quicker. Once it's hot, it spins faster so that the motor doesn't overheat.

 

[Dannyboy]

On this note does a KKM increase engine heat? On my 94 it gets very hot when wheeling. Prior to installing my KKM my temp gauge never moved, now it gets hot quick.

 

[Nicaraguense]

Don't know if you have tried it or not

Don't know if you have tried this or not but ¿Have you gone to a Synth? This could greatly help reduce friction and thus heat.