cooling issues and fixes

[B&J 88]

2006 GMC ccsb Z71 155,000 miles
5.3 auto/od, 4.10 gear
2005 Springdale 242FRL
Pullrite Super Glide hitch

3rd time out with this camper. We love it. It's roomy and comfortable.
The truck I hope to keep for a long while.
On the two other trips the engine temp did go up to about 210 while climbing a couple of hills but came right back down once we leveled out again. I think that is normal. On this most recent trip the temp climbed to 225-230 or so on a bit steeper hill while the outside air temp was low 80s. Once again it did cool right back down once we leveled out. I think in the hotter summer temps it will be a problem. The engine has aluminum heads.
This truck has dual electric fans OE. I'm thinking about maybe adding a pusher fan set to temps above 215 or so for these hard pull times.
I'd appreciate your thoughts.

[sourdough]

What is the condition of the radiator? With that many miles and you wanting to keep it for a long time I'd replace it if it hasn't been. How new is the coolant and what mix is it? Is it the OE water pump? If so, that could be an issue. Again, with those items and that many miles I would replace them. It sounds like you have a problem that's getting about ready to get you and it's trying to let you know. I would also have all new hoses, radiator cap etc.

When all of those items are determined to be up to snuff you might think about a pusher fan, but, on a truck as new as yours that would more likely just be covering up an underlying problem unless something is wrong with the OE dual fan setup.

[jsmith948]

This ^^^^^. PLUS, why let the temp get that high? If your engine is overheating, or just running hotter than normal, why not back out of it a bit and drop a gear. Put your 4-ways on and drive a little easier over the hill?
Maybe you have already done that. If so, then you do have a problem, as stated above, with your cooling system.

[Desert185]

Sometimes debris gets trapped between the AC condenser and the radiator. Check that.

Change coolant, if it is due, and consider going to a cooler thermostat like a 170 or 180. Make sure to burp any air out of the system. If air gets trapped, the cooling system won't cool properly. Also, wire the fan(s) with a switch to turn them on early.

Install a trans fluid cooler in addition to the one in the radiator. A cooler trans is a cooler radiator and engine.

As a last resort, turn off the AC before you begin a long pull up a grade. A cooler condenser is a cooler radiator.

[sourdough]

The replies above point out some additional great thoughts. In AR there are a lot of bugs. If you run much at highway speeds your radiator may be clogged with them...it has to be clean; a pressure washer works great.

If you have a towing package on the truck you may already have an aux transmission cooler; if not you should install one. Not very costly and easy to do. If it does have an OE you may want to just change it out "because".

Changing the radiator cap will usually help, and is cheap, but don't do that until you know all the rest is in good shape. It can still cover up issues. A new cap can't overcome poor circulation or bad coolant. I think your truck, if equipped properly (cooling components) should pull the trailer without big heating issues. I will say that after replacing EVERY cooling component on my Jeep CJ7 (and the engine) that I still had to go to a lower thermostat to deal with 100+ temps. Downside is that I keep it in the mountains and when fall comes I have to pull it out and put the normal 190(195?) degree in.

[B&J 88]

I didn't know if I was expecting too much of the truck or not. But it's not even hot weather yet. I do realize the temp should go up on a hard pull. I am pleased to say it does cool right on down after we level off. I've not had a truck with electric fans only before so I'm learning.
I do not know the grade of those hills I climbed but I did slow down and pull them in 2nd gear. It was maybe 1/4 of a mile on the steeper one.
But towing down the highway at 55 and rpms about 2600 in drive it cools just fine. I do use the tow/haul mode.
This 5er is about twice the weight of the last bumper pull camper so I expected more tug on the truck for sure but this 5er sure pulls nice.
I'll spray the condenser and radiator fins out just in case. The coolant is less than a year old as well as the radiator cap.
So you guys believe my truck should pull this 5er just fine as is without getting too hot? How hot is too hot?

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted by B&J 88

I didn't know if I was expecting too much of the truck or not. But it's not even hot weather yet. I do realize the temp should go up on a hard pull. I am pleased to say it does cool right on down after we level off. I've not had a truck with electric fans only before so I'm learning.
I do not know the grade of those hills I climbed but I did slow down and pull them in 2nd gear. It was maybe 1/4 of a mile on the steeper one.
But towing down the highway at 55 and rpms about 2600 in drive it cools just fine. I do use the tow/haul mode.
This 5er is about twice the weight of the last bumper pull camper so I expected more tug on the truck for sure but this 5er sure pulls nice.
I'll spray the condenser and radiator fins out just in case. The coolant is less than a year old as well as the radiator cap.
So you guys believe my truck should pull this 5er just fine as is without getting too hot? How hot is too hot?

I can't tell you until you put a scanner on it. If you are getting over 240 in an LS based motor, your 5.3, you should back off. Do you have a tranny temp gauge? I would be more concerned about that. 230-235 in an LS motor pulling a hill is no big deal.
What is it about 6000 lbs?

[B&J 88]

Mike I am only able to read the dash gauge. I believe a single fan runs most all the time if the a/c is on. If it sits and idles for long the 2nd fan comes on somewhere just over 210 or so according to the gauge. I guess I need to pay it more attention when I have the hood open and mark when each fan turns on just so I'll know.
These are single speed fans correct?

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted by B&J 88

2006 GMC ccsb Z71 155,000 miles
5.3 auto/od, 4.10 gear
2005 Springdale 242FRL
Pullrite Super Glide hitch

3rd time out with this camper. We love it. It's roomy and comfortable.
The truck I hope to keep for a long while.
On the two other trips the engine temp did go up to about 210 while climbing a couple of hills but came right back down once we leveled out again. I think that is normal. On this most recent trip the temp climbed to 225-230 or so on a bit steeper hill while the outside air temp was low 80s. Once again it did cool right back down once we leveled out. I think in the hotter summer temps it will be a problem. The engine has aluminum heads.
This truck has dual electric fans OE. I'm thinking about maybe adding a pusher fan set to temps above 215 or so for these hard pull times.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

The PCM commands the low speed cooling fans ON under the following conditions:
1. Engine coolant temperature exceeds approximately 94.5°C (202°F).
2. A/C refrigerant pressure exceeds 1447 kPa (210 psi).
3. After the vehicle is shut OFF if the engine coolant temperature at key-off is greater than 101°C (214°F) the low speed fans will run for a minimum of 60 seconds After 60 seconds, if the coolant temperature drops below 101°C (214°F) the fans will shut OFF. The fans will automatically shut OFF after 3 min. regardless of coolant temperature.



The PCM commands the high speed fans ON under the following conditions:
1. Engine coolant temperature exceeds approximately 104.25°C (220°F).
2. A/C refrigerant pressure exceeds approximately 1824 kPa (265 psi).
3. When certain DTCs set.



At idle and very low vehicle speeds the cooling fans are only allowed to increase in speed if required. This insures idle stability by preventing the fans from cycling between high and low speed.

Are you using the dash gauge? You need a scanner, the dash one is not accurate.

C5 Corvettes, the Trans Am and similar cars, which use an all aluminum version of the LS motor in your truck don't come on unit 226 and 235.
If the fans are coming and you are cooling down, no worries. Get a scanner you are probably not over 220.