What did you do to your rig today?

[dapope]

Martin, if that the temp comes back quick with no load then there is most likely not much wrong with it, just not designed for AU heat.
Mine was built to run 2 up Perth to Sydney with 50 pax. It was doing 500,0000 ks a year when new.

Its been tootling around Aus since 1996....however its on its 3rd Pilbara summer.. my other option may be to sort up a water spray that aims on the radiator fan..windscreen washer pump and 5l container should almost sort it. I have a water supply down the back, may not even need much of a pump..

[Dot]

The temp gauge on our bus nearly always sits on the half way mark, how do you tell when the temp is to high other than in the red zone? (remember to be gentle after all I am only female)

[Busman]

You dare not get a Detroit hot, that is the end of the head seals if you do, usually end up cracking the heads.
As I run thermatics off the solar I run 2 radiators, but the cfm into the engine bay is much the same.
That is enough to keep it cool on all but somewhere like Cunninghams Gap (long, long climb for those that don't know)
The original fan at full song moved 7000 ltrs of air a second, that is a huge amount, and we are close with the thermatics, all pumping into the engine bay and having to "escape" somehow. It also used between 10 and 16% of the engine horsepower to drive the bloody thing !
My rationale is that anything that allows that hot air to move away is a bonus, the worst case scenario is that on a real hot day the bedroom above will not get as hot. Any additional bonus in engine cooling will be accepted though we can sit on 100 kph all day now with no problems, even with the 4.5 tonne trailer on.
Yes, with the trailer on engine is working harder and does run a bit hotter.
Thermatic banks are set to com on at 60, 65 and 70 deg which usually sees us travelling at 80 deg C, right where you want it.
If going up CG (above) for instance and temp gets above 85 the radiator on the trailer gets brought into the equation, usually only runs for a couple of minutes then drops out.
I will also muck around with some shrouds while I am stuck at the farm training the buyers, the second radiator is no doubt sucking a fair percentage of already hot air.

[Peter and Sandra]

Dot most vehicle manufacturers set the system up to avoid driver/customer complaints, unfortunately that has led to the demise of many an engine.
I know from personal experience that Toyota is one example, Toyota gauges tend to just stay in the normal zone unless something catastrophic happens and then move rapidly to hot and then as the coolant departs for one reason or another go to the cold zone! This is done to stop customer complaints about the vehicle running hot which most do when temps are in the 40's with the added load of the aircon keeping the occupants cool!
The best advice is to become familiar with what is normal with engine temps and oil pressure (which quite often drops when temps are up) then you will know how your engine is going.
The temp gauge in the Oka is similar in that when it was mounted in the original Perkins engine it was very stable but the good thing was that the temperature gauge sender had a second terminal that turned a big red light on when things got to the "too hot" range.
The same gauge and sender is now fitted to the Cummins engine and does the same job.

[jon_d]

Dot,

another thing you can fit is a low/no coolant alarm. Would be esp' good with your rear engine bus.


If a radiator hose blows, the temp gauge spikes high and then drops back to 'normal'. Unless you see the spike, or the steam, the engine will be a goner.

jd

[Wilbor]

I fitted a scan gauge to give me accurate temp levels, works perfectly and gives me heaps of other info as well. I have a 6.4l V8 turbo air charge cooled Maxforce 7 (International). Two thermostats, one starts to open at 85c and the bypass thermo fully open at 92c. I had overheating issues, big time. Replaced the sucker fan with a pusher fan, fitted two 16” thermo fans to get hot air out of the engine room, fitted a secondary radiator with a thermo fan and an electric water pump, replaced the thermostats. Now it runs mostly ok but still gets hot on big pulls like Cunningham Gap type hills although with a cold start in Cairns and not towing the car went up Kuranda Range and the temp stayed in the normal operating range. The downside of my mods is when in cold climates my operating temp is a bit low

From the ScanGauge website
With the ScanGaugeD, you can monitor the most vital systems of your large diesel powered vehicle and provide the kind of real time information you’ve been missing. Features include more than 15 built-in digital gauges, 5 Trip Computers and an easy-to-use ScanTool that shows trouble codes — all in a compact design that installs in minutes.

Compatible with the both J1939 & J1708 protocols
More than 15 Built-in Digital Gauges
Check & Clear Trouble Codes
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X-Gauge programmable gauge system
Performance Monitor

[El Gringo]

Can I ask those with a second radiator how you plumbed them please? Parallel or serial?
If you did it parallel how did you ensure it flowed correctly/evenly?

I have an aluminium desert cooler rad out of a V8 commodore I want to fit up - has a nice shroud and thermo's and will fit in a good area with fresh air supply, just can't decide how to plumb it up.

Cheers,

[Wilbor]

Can I ask those with a second radiator how you plumbed them please? Parallel or serial?
If you did it parallel how did you ensure it flowed correctly/evenly?

I have an aluminium desert cooler rad out of a V8 commodore I want to fit up - has a nice shroud and thermo's and will fit in a good area with fresh air supply, just can't decide how to plumb it up.

Cheers,

I took mine from the heater outlet on the engine and back into the return water from the main radiator

[El Gringo]

Thanx Rob.
Do you have a tap on it to isolate it as well?

[Wilbor]

Yes I put taps on both hoses to and from the aux radiator, and while I was doing it I also put taps on the hoses to and from the heater, just in case I got a leak anywhere