Jump to content

Overheating while towing

Cascade Venturer
 Share

Recommended Posts

Cascade Venturer Enthusiast

Cascade Venturer

Posted
Posted

06 Silverado 2500hd 6.0

 

My Silverado is getting really hot while towing up hill, to the point that the "Engine Coolant Hot" light is coming on. (Which I stop and let it cool down). This has gradually gotten worse. Truck does not get hot while towing on flat terrain. Any ideas?

davester Senior Enthusiast

davester

Posted
Posted

could be a problem with the thermostat, or radiator fins aren't clean, or you've put some bling up front that reduces airflow through the rad, or some of the ducting up front is missing (that directs air to the radiators), or water pump isn't pushing enough water (problem with the impeller in the pump)

  • Like 1
Formulabruce Enthusiast

Formulabruce

Posted
Posted

Flush the cooling system. Remove the T stat housing and really flush it out. If you tow a lot, you can use a 160 T-stat, which works well, and engine still runs in closed loop.

I would also upgrade the stock transmission cooler to one twice the size ( easy with grill off)

Mikebtte Enthusiast

Mikebtte

Posted
Posted

As talked about above, make sure the radiator is clean. If you are towing in areas with high altitude, you need all the air you can get. Confirm the thermostat is fully opening, and check water pump pressure and radiator cap. If the cap is failing you will not maintain a properly cooling system. 

 

Cascade Venturer Enthusiast

Cascade Venturer

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the responses. No bling added to my truck, its as stock as can be. It doesn't have and issue with temperature unless towing uphill. I took my grill off about a month ago and cleaned off the radiator and condenser with compressed air... didn't make a difference though. I'm having to pull over sooner and sooner to let it cool off. I've reached in and tried spinning the fan and it seems really tight and barely spins. I will test some of the above mentioned and see if that helps.

txab Senior Enthusiast

txab

Posted
Posted

You need to check the fan clutch while hot. You tube has several videos. Basically at idle, take a rolled up newspaper and slowly advance it into the fan. It should resist stopping. I've seen clutches seem to perform correctly until this test

Cascade Venturer Enthusiast

Cascade Venturer

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, txab said:

You need to check the fan clutch while hot. You tube has several videos. Basically at idle, take a rolled up newspaper and slowly advance it into the fan. It should resist stopping. I've seen clutches seem to perform correctly until this test

Ok. I will test it out tomorrow. Thanks

Cascade Venturer Enthusiast

Cascade Venturer

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 7:14 PM, txab said:

You need to check the fan clutch while hot. You tube has several videos. Basically at idle, take a rolled up newspaper and slowly advance it into the fan. It should resist stopping. I've seen clutches seem to perform correctly until this test

I took the truck for a drive and let it heat up to operating temperature. I did the test and had no change in fan speed. The newspaper didn't effect it.

  • 7 months later...
Cascade Venturer Enthusiast

Cascade Venturer

Posted
  • Author
Posted

In the process of replacing radiator, fan clutch, water pump etc. Here is the fan-side of the radiator. Quite a bit of smashed fins. Do you think that is enough to cause my overheating issue? The pics don't really do it justice either.  I'm replacing it anyways, just wanted some reassurance that I'm heading down the right path.

rad 2.jpg

swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, Cascade Venturer said:

In the process of replacing radiator, fan clutch, water pump etc. Here is the fan-side of the radiator. Quite a bit of smashed fins. Do you think that is enough to cause my overheating issue? The pics don't really do it justice either.  I'm replacing it anyways, just wanted some reassurance that I'm heading down the right path.

rad 2.jpg

Sure can.  Probably wore out inside too.  Same with condenser.

  • Like 1
jzaldivar Enthusiast

jzaldivar

Posted
Posted

Mine has the same issue. Plugged radiator...use of wrong coolant will cause it to gel up inside, thus clogging it up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
  • 1 year later...
hiking_mike Enthusiast

hiking_mike

Posted
Posted

I took the stack apart last spring> I noticed the air "holes" in the intercooler are larger the the radiator. This causes debris to pass through the intercooler and get caught in front of the radiator.

After cleaning radiator of gunk and dead bugs, I noticed the transmission a lot cooler when towing a 7,000 pound trailer all the way to Key West in early July.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • BCGM
      Recalls 2024 Chevrolet HD

      By BCGM · Posted

      JW2024 and Others is this site for Oshawa built Trucks as well ? Thank You !
    • BCGM
      Remote Start Noise 2024 2500 HD Gas

      By BCGM · Posted

      Thanks JR that would be great if you could do that !!! Do you have a link to where this was discussed before ? I cant seem to find it  Thank You Again !
    • Another JR
      Remote Start Noise 2024 2500 HD Gas

      By Another JR · Posted

      Oil pump noise was discussed before.  I will try to remember to record a remote start later this morning. 
    • Chuck FB
      MPG at 600 miles

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      There are probably a few threads talking about fuel mileage but this one seemed to fit the stats I have seen based on my typical local driven route but with different outcomes based on different seasons/temperatures. I have a few hundred pounds of items that consistently ride on the truck at all times such as a bak flip cover, rubber bed mat, tools and extra fuel so I would be something over 8100 lb without me in the truck. All these examples are based on a 100 mile round trip to a town plus running around town so maybe 110 to 120 miles in total for a trip. Using regular fuel and I assume it always has some ethanol in it but don't know the percentage they blend in. Also speed wise I am going at 62 mph and non aggressive driving although less speed yet if its crappy winter condition roads. I am going by an initial reset of the computer generated fuel use numbers averaged over a couple of thousand miles or so for each weather/season so they may be more optimistic then actual hand calculated numbers. Basically this is painting a picture of doing the same drive but seasonal conditions and temperature being the major variable to the end result. Oh and although I am in Alberta Canada, I am converting it to miles per US gallon so there is no confusion.    So winter time it gets cold here, no real surprise there and the roads can be clear at times but also often have packed rough snow or are are driving through loose snow ( they do a poor job of plowing the highways ) and yes this includes the extra idle engine time due to trying not to freeze ones butt off. 12.7 mpg is what I was getting during the winter months on average.    Then during the spring when it was around the freezing point and the highways are clear of snow, I was getting around 14.25 mpg.   Summer time, I have been getting around 15.15 on average but certainly some of the trips showed quite a bit better fuel mileage, so much depended on how much or little I had driven around town and number of engine restarts after sitting for a while at each location. But stating a best fuel mileage trip to town pretending that is what the truck gets on average is fooling ones self for sure !.      As I said in a different post, I had driven a 645 mile trip over a couple of days stint to a different destination then these other daily to town examples above, and was done during the summer with nice weather and not bucking a head wind, also keeping at 62 mph and its a rolling landscape type highway drive ( this isn't southern Alberta or Saskatchewan flat lands ) Hand calculated fuel mileage in this case though and it came out to 17.65
    • Chris80s
      Factory front brake rotors...defect?

      By Chris80s · Posted

      On my wife's 2020 Blazer (~69000 miles), we started to notice the brakes pulsating at faster speeds. Typically around town you don't notice anything, but highway/interstate driving you will notice it. I decided to pull of the front tires and look at the brakes. I figured with the milage, the pads should be wearing out to their life span, but they actually looked decent. Still with "meat" on them. One pad has a ridge wearing in it, and that same rotor is showing the ridge too. That's not the concerning part...the other rotor appears to have a raised bump on it!  The picture make it look like a pimple! Very odd and strange! NOTE: These are the factory brakes and rotors.   I'm attaching pictures of the front brakes and what they look like ate ~69000 miles.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...