1/2 Ton trucks and cooling sytem performance
- Thread starter skrypj
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That's a good idea and likely easy to test by unplugging the motor and hitting the road.
Mine does not have them.
My 2019 Ecoboost Raptor has coolant temps that fluctuate like crazy in the digital readout display. Even not towing they climb to 225+ and then drop back to low 200s. I’m not sure where the sensor is on mine but I’m not concerned.
Edit-it says cylinder head temp on my gauge not coolant temp. Not sure where the sender is.
Edit-it says cylinder head temp on my gauge not coolant temp. Not sure where the sender is.
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Electric fans and limited radiator are my first lean. Fuel burned = power = heat load, and those numbers will be the main factors, not intake type. Small possibility that reduced metal-coolant surface area could possibky limit cooling capacity from the cylinder but I don’t know if its anywhere near the tipping point. These trucks have gobs of hp and ability to produce power and make heat compared to yesteryear’s. Frankly, as a RV family tow-er, safety margin just comes to pieces at these higher speeds. I slow down and tuck in with traffic on the long climbs unless they get toooo slow, then pass when convenient.
I know a lot of guys who feel it’s their birthright to tow 7500lbs up an incline at 75mph and insist on buying a lot of truck to do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. Trailer tires probably max out at 65.
I know a lot of guys who feel it’s their birthright to tow 7500lbs up an incline at 75mph and insist on buying a lot of truck to do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. Trailer tires probably max out at 65.
I tow exactly in the states you mentioned with my 2018 Silverado w/the 5.3 and cooling is a non-issue. As it has been with my previous two Silverados with the same motor. My trailer weights about the same as yours.If you are considering the Titan it uses premium fuel to achieve maximum horse-power, which would be needed when towing. The guys on the Titan boards say the motor does not do well-at all on regular fuel.
I am currently in Portland having just towed through Utah and Idaho and the Columbia Gorge. No issues what so ever.
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I tow a 6900 gvwr, 32’ travel trailer with my 6.2l GMC and have been to all the western states and provinces. Only once that I can remember that my coolant gauge showed a little more than 200 degrees F. Otherwise it’s always at 200. I tow at 62 on the flats and don’t push it on the hills. I don’t care if some one beats me to a summit.
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Agree'd,
Lol. 200F would be great, but that will never happen since the Ecoboost at a 192* thermostat. Its not even fully open until ~212. Even just around town its in the low 200's.
62mph on flats starts to get a little dicey. Then you are just a rolling road block for the 18 wheelers around here. And then when they are slowly passing you, the people in the car who wanna be doing 80-85 are getting mad and start doing dumb things like swerving in front of me and passing the 18 wheeler on the right. In my experience, slower is not always safer.
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Yep-but so will a newer F-150. He is not towing a lot of weight-at all.
I know you were actually asking about other trucks - I tow with a either an 06 Sierra Denali 6.0 or my 16 Ram Limited Hemi. Never had any high temps while towing my car hauler with a vehicle on it or my RV which is 26" maybe 6000lbs....but I am in flat Texas.
I noticed you are running 60% water to 40% coolant - you need to reverse that because water boils lower then properly mixed coolant. You can go as high as 70/30 according to antifreeze bottle directions - I would really consider you trying a traditional 50/50 or 60/40 (coolant/water) mix to raise your protection level.
I noticed you are running 60% water to 40% coolant - you need to reverse that because water boils lower then properly mixed coolant. You can go as high as 70/30 according to antifreeze bottle directions - I would really consider you trying a traditional 50/50 or 60/40 (coolant/water) mix to raise your protection level.
coolant accepts half the calories to gain 1F, compared to water. So going higher in water content increases the heat capacity of the mix. The boiling point is only of interest if you go over it. Heat capacity is important if there's a bottleneck in the system that's not at the radiator end.
I am not aware of other half ton trucks having the same cooling issues....but I am also not aware of any other half-ton trucks that maintain that amount of hp/tq at low rpms & high altitudes. The Ecoboost is pretty unique in that regard, and seems to have a unique cooling issue as a result.
What gear are you running when encountering the high coolant temps? The Ecoboost will pull a lot at a fairly low RPM, which generates more heat in the transmission. Try shifting down to a lower gear and keeping the engine above 3000 rpms. Other than that about all you can do is reduce speed.
What gear are you running when encountering the high coolant temps? The Ecoboost will pull a lot at a fairly low RPM, which generates more heat in the transmission. Try shifting down to a lower gear and keeping the engine above 3000 rpms. Other than that about all you can do is reduce speed.
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Transmission should have its torque convertor locked, I would hope. Kicking down a gear might do something, not sure what: the trans might make more heat (due to its own pump), but the engine would have more air flow through it, which may or may not lead to a cooling effect? Lower boost, lower torque generation (using mechanical advantage in the trans), but more firing events so...?
IMO it's just asking too much of the setup. Sounds like Ford simply underdid the radiator. The water temp is going up, which means the block is shedding the heat properly into the coolant--but the fact that it just keeps going up means it's not getting out.
When the coolant is hitting 240, is it indicating that it's overheating? 240 sounds too hot to me, but these days "old" recommendations seem to be turned on their head.
IMO it's just asking too much of the setup. Sounds like Ford simply underdid the radiator. The water temp is going up, which means the block is shedding the heat properly into the coolant--but the fact that it just keeps going up means it's not getting out.
When the coolant is hitting 240, is it indicating that it's overheating? 240 sounds too hot to me, but these days "old" recommendations seem to be turned on their head.
I've been dropping it down to 3rd at 4000 rpm usually on the big climbs. I do that preemptively. It would probably pull the hills in 4th if I let it. It won't drop to 2nd.
The truck goes into thermal protection mode in the 250's somewhere. 240 is fine and is just where I set the limit for myself. If I let the truck do its thing it could hit 250 no problem.
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