Warm Weather Driving

[55 Fargo]

Hey all, in a lot of areas in Canada and the USA warm/hot weather is now upon us. Yesterday it was around 85f or so, not wicked hot, but good and warm. I had the Fargo out late in the day, went for about a 20 mile drive with my 12 YO son. Truck ran well, engine temps going against wind, was 170, while driving with wind 175-177, I have a 160 t/stat. In cooler weather, she runs about 165-170, so in hotter weather on the highway doing 60 mph, thing are getting warmer. I still have a heatriser stuck, allowing hot exhaust to circulate under the carb before exiting, this I am sure doe not help things. Engine will restart fairly easy, I have a 12 volt set-up, but does appear to have some gas boil out of carb symptoms, but not surprising with heatriser being stuck. I have a nice donor manifold set, but have been dreading the swap. Oil pressure, is good 35-40 psi idle, 50-55 psi while driving down highway, once oil is hot, might drop back to 30 psi at idle, but goes right to 50 psi once driving, using Castrol 10W40 oil, gonna switch back to Rotella T 15W40, next oil change. Happy motoring and good luck all in the hot weather, let us know how that is working out for you this summer.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Fargos-Go-Far

[55 Fargo]

Seems like to no "hot weather" concerns yet this year. This may have been an acute issue, and isolated to a smaller group at times.

[Jeff Balazs]

Well it was 104 here last week so yes there are concerns in my neck of the woods. A few weeks back I re-fitted the mechanical fan that I had ditched last year. That made a significant difference as it flows way more air than the pusher electric I thought I was going to be able to get by with. I need more time to be certain but I think the old fan is going to stay. I left the electric fan in place as a emergency back up if stuck in traffic.

 

Jeff

[55 Fargo]

Went for a highway drive today, outside ambient temp 82 f and humid. On the highway engine temps 175-180 f, with a 160 t/stat, cooler weather it runs at about 165-170.

My heatriser is seized in the wrong position allowing exhaust gas to be restricted, this has an extra hot effect on the carb and intake. I would venture to guess this would allow engine coolant temps to possibly rise too.

For those running 160 t/stats, what temps are your engines running at in hot weather at highway speeds?

I hope to fix all issues related to hot weather driving, I love hot summer weather, and do not want my old truck parked in the shade just because it's hot outside..

[TodFitch]

. . .

For those running 160 t/stats, what temps are your engines running at in hot weather at highway speeds?

I hope to fix all issues related to hot weather driving, I love hot summer weather, and do not want my old truck parked in the shade just because it's hot outside..

At ambient temperatures of up to 80°F or so, my temperature gauge usually reads about 140° to 150°F at 60 MPH on level roads. It will climb a bit on long up hills.

 

At ambient temperatures of 100°F or so (thankfully rare in my location), the gauge will be at about 180°.

 

I can't say for sure that my gauge is accurate over its full range but I did check the bulb in boiling water (a bit below 212°F as I did it at a house located at about 1300 ft. elevation) and the needle showed 212 on the gauge. So it is close at the high end.

 

One of these days I'll replace the 160 thermostat with a 180. But that will be after I am sure I've conquered the heat related fuel delivery issue that I have when it is around 100°F outside.

[55 Fargo]

At ambient temperatures of up to 80°F or so, my temperature gauge usually reads about 140° to 150°F at 60 MPH on level roads. It will climb a bit on long up hills.

 

At ambient temperatures of 100°F or so (thankfully rare in my location), the gauge will be at about 180°.

 

I can't say for sure that my gauge is accurate over its full range but I did check the bulb in boiling water (a bit below 212°F as I did it at a house located at about 1300 ft. elevation) and the needle showed 212 on the gauge. So it is close at the high end.

 

One of these days I'll replace the 160 thermostat with a 180. But that will be after I am sure I've conquered the heat related fuel delivery issue that I have when it is around 100°F outside.

Is this a case of the design of your 33 Tod, rad out in front and easy to dissipate heat and for air flow on the highway?

[TodFitch]

Is this a case of the design of your 33 Tod, rad out in front and easy to dissipate heat and for air flow on the highway?

Might be. There is little in front of the radiator to block air flow and you can certainly feel the warm air coming out of the louvers on the sides of the hood. Kind of interesting to have your hand out the window and raise and lower it. Once your hand is down low where the air exiting the hood louvers is mixed with ambient air it is definitely warmer.

[wallytoo]

At ambient temperatures of up to 80°F or so, my temperature gauge usually reads about 140° to 150°F at 60 MPH on level roads. It will climb a bit on long up hills.

At ambient temperatures of 100°F or so (thankfully rare in my location), the gauge will be at about 180°.

that's significantly lower than what my 1.5 ton runs at with the 160-degree t-stat. for ambient temps in the 70s, the temp gauge is usually just above 200. with ambient temps in the high 80s, temp gauge is closer to 220. i'm sure it's related to vehicles - the truck is a box, and weighs plenty, so the engine is working hard just to move it at 40 mph, probably nowhere near as aerodynamic as your car.

[Desotodav]

For those running 160 t/stats, what temps are your engines running at in hot weather at highway speeds?

 

I installed a 160° thermostat a while back Fred and my truck runs at around 180° on the highway on a hot day. It seemed to run a bit hotter than that when I ran no thermostat at all - I was told that was because the water was circulating too quickly and not having time to be cooled in the radiator.

[Dave72dt]

You've got to remember that thermostats do nothing to limit how high the temps can go. They are designed to help bring the engine temp quickly up to and maintain an optimum minimum operating temp. After that, the temps depend on the efficiency of the rest of the cooling system.

[55 Fargo]

You've got to remember that thermostats do nothing to limit how high the temps can go. They are designed to help bring the engine temp quickly up to and maintain an optimum minimum operating temp. After that, the temps depend on the efficiency of the rest of the cooling system.

Yes you are 100% correct Dave. A 160 t/stat will oepn around 155, and be fully open at 175-180 degrees, as per most specs.

I was just wondering how some of you more southerly members were doing in this department.

Engine temps has a lot to do with load, rpm etc. Driving at 3000 rpm on hot days with a load, is going to elevate temps a lot more than driving at 45 mph and 2000 rpm.

I was driving tonight, ambient temps low 70s, engine ran at 165 the entire time.....

[Jerry Roberts]

...

For those running 160 t/stats, what temps are your engines running at in hot weather at highway speeds? ...

 

160 degrees for me . I also have the air vents on the sides of the hood , and a very large , thick , new radiator .  

[NiftyFifty]

Have you tried some Water Wetter, or other coolant additive that lowers your overall temperature? I run it in my truck and I'm not sure if it helps, but I've heard a lot of good things. I have to get more now that I lost a bunch of coolant with my heater core removal. I stated in another post, I don't run a t-stat after a head gasket issue, and I only ever run 180, even on hot days in traffic. No hard starting issues at all...I wish my 67 Monaco ran as good as my truck. Even after having a 7 month nap it starts and runs like a champ.

I'm still installing an electric fan to be sure in traffic, in case I get caught somewhere on a hot day, but I think the first thing you need to do is fix the heat riser

[55 Fargo]

Have you tried some Water Wetter, or other coolant additive that lowers your overall temperature? I run it in my truck and I'm not sure if it helps, but I've heard a lot of good things. I have to get more now that I lost a bunch of coolant with my heater core removal. I stated in another post, I don't run a t-stat after a head gasket issue, and I only ever run 180, even on hot days in traffic. No hard starting issues at all...I wish my 67 Monaco ran as good as my truck. Even after having a 7 month nap it starts and runs like a champ.

I'm still installing an electric fan to be sure in traffic, in case I get caught somewhere on a hot day, but I think the first thing you need to do is fix the heat riser

My manifolds will get swapped, my truck does not overheat. It of course will run hotter with heat riser in wrong position, making the carb hot.

Water Wetter, is best with water, I run 50-50 antifreeze/water.

Today around Winnipeg its over 90f, traffic was heavy in the city, lots of road construction, do not make the ole girl drive through that....

[NiftyFifty]

Ya I got in my 13 F150 and it read 33 Celsius.... I'm glad I wasn't in my dodge, but parts of it were in the box off to sandblasting ...so it kinda made the ride. Seriously considering taking the whole truck in now...my blaster at home uses sand like its $2.00/bag... Not the $14.00 I'm paying

[55 Fargo]

Ya I got in my 13 F150 and it read 33 Celsius.... I'm glad I wasn't in my dodge, but parts of it were in the box off to sandblasting ...so it kinda made the ride. Seriously considering taking the whole truck in now...my blaster at home uses sand like its $2.00/bag... Not the $14.00 I'm paying

Places that do "tombstones", often do custom sandblasting. The guy around Selkirk charges a $1.00 a minute, and gets a lot done in that minute.

Very hot for our standards, another home burnt to the ground right nearby, 2nd in less than a week..