I have a 2001 24v 4x4 auto with 4:10's.<br>When towing an ~8k travel trailer on back hilly back roads the motor seems to be running hotter than normal well over 190deg and the fan locks up for extra cooling.<br>While towing on the highway from Ct. to Dover for the NASCAR race everything was fine.<br>I already changed the thermostat and tried to clean the radiator.<br><br>What gives?<br>Any help will be appreciated.<br><br>DJ

 

What do the temps of the tranny look like? Hopefully you're not cooking it, thereby transferring all that heat to the radiator. What gear are you running in during those jaunts in the back road hills? You may expect higher temps than running steady state on the superslab.<br><br>Did you clean the radiator, or just try to?

 

If the torque convertor isnt locking up correctly then the tranny will build exesive heat and transmiting it into the radiator. Just a thought. <br>Also what EGT's are you seeing. Hot EGT's will warm up the engine temps, too.

 

Thanks for all of your reply's.<br>Unfortunatly I do not have trans or egt gauges.<br>I don't think it's the transmission as I turn off the OD while towing on the back roads, and the fluid does not smell burnt or looks nasty but I will have it checked out.<br><br>bulabula,<br>BTW, What's the best way to clean the radiator?<br>I went to the car wash and sprayed it down<br><br>Guess the smart thing will be to invest in some gauges to keep an eye on things.<br>Again, thanks everyone for the info.<br><br>DJ

 

To respond to your question about the best way to clean a radiator is not to just hose it down let alone a pressure washer! By doing that you shove all the junk farther in the radiator and push it between the intercooler and radiator. The best way is to push the gunk back out the way it came in.

 

[quote author=dej link=board=4;threadid=15467;start=0#145565 date=1054728504]<br>I don't think it's the transmission as I turn off the OD while towing on the back roads, and the fluid does not smell burnt or looks nasty but I will have it checked out.<br><br>bulabula,<br>BTW, What's the best way to clean the radiator?<br>I went to the car wash and sprayed it down [/quote]<br><br>Last night when I first responded I was thinking about both an external cleaning and internal cleaning of the radiator; but with an '01 I don't think you should have too much crud on the inside. I think a good hosing will clear most of the stuff, and like most filters, its best to push the crud back out from the direction it went in. <br><br>Go back and look at the look at what KATOOM and I said about tranny temps. If you are running around with the TC unlocked, that will create a lot of internal fluid friction and heat. That heat will be deposited in the radiator thru the tranny fluid cooler in it. I don't know about Dodge Auto's, but I think you could run around with the TC locked up but not in OD. That will result in cooler tranny temps. When was the last time the fluid was flushed?<br><br>On a hot day, just sitting at a stoplight with your foot on the brake and the tranny in D will build a lot of heat. I used to slip my F350 into neutral at long light to help keep the temps from building too much.

 

Thanks Guy's for all the info!<br><br>I'll clean the radiator again going in the opposite direction as well as having the transmission serviced. I was going to have a shift kit put in anyways.<br>I thought if you have the o-drive shut off it should lock the torque converter. If I am wrong, how do I get it to lock up while driving?<br>