I just got back from the lake again and it was 103F. I did feel a bit of power loss and the fan clutch a'roarin. However, one of the biggest differences still is the shifting. The shifting performace is still quick and strong. I was reading some other posts here about sluggish performance in high ambient air temps. It seems that some trucks get fed a lot of hot engine air. I wonder if this could be part of the problem as well? I still say get the tranny filter changed if its shift slow and sluggish. My definately changed for the better after that.

feel free to email me until we get this thing resloved if you want. We can go back and forth if you want. There are two things I'm NOT planning on doing anytime soon:

1. Spending a fortune on rebuilding my truck

2. Buying a new truck.

my email: ryan at twistthewrist dot kom

 

I'd reccomend to both of you adding an auxillary auto trans cooler, switching to synthetic tranny fluid and adding and electric pusher fan to the front of your radiator to help force more air through especially at idle when rpms are lower remember the fan only spins as fast as the engine but with a good electric fan and relay kit about 80 bucks at a good parts store those fans spin about 2500rpms all the time and with the control box you can control when they come on and when the go off. I use twin electric 12" fans on my mustang with a control box that turns em on at 210 and off at 180. As to the tranny cooler most are about 30 to 40 dollars will take about an hour to put on and will almost triple your tranny cooling capacity(tip install it inline after the fluid comes out of the radiator to get an even better cooling effect. As to the shifting install a B&M transpak shift kit about 50 dollars or so and the shifts will be snappier and will actually extend the life of the tranny. Two things kill auto transmissions: heat and slippage, reduce both and get better performance and longer life. The synthetic fluid will give you better heat disspation, less friction, and will actually increase abit you mpg. i switched in my stang to all synthetic fluids from the motor oil to the trans to the rear axle, Royal Purple is the best and most well known for all of it. B&M makes a really good synthetic tranny fluid. Just a thought.

 

Thanks for the tips!

I've done those things with the exception of the elec. fans and shift kit. I was going to do the shift kit when I had the tranny filter changed but the transmission shop adivsed against it with the amount of miles I have on it. He said at this point, a shift kit may accelerate the wear of some parts. He did however recommend installing one if I had to rebuild it. I also you use Royal Purple for everything. Engine, tranny, and diff.

I read another thread here somewhere about a TSB reguarding ambient air temps over 100 cause sluggish power. Apparently intake air temps over 140F cause the ECM to retard the timing in hopes of reducing detonation. I've ordered an Edge Evo programmer to see if that will change anything. We'll see. Should be here this weekend I hope.

 

I just kinda read some, getting the main topic here, but a way to test the thermostat is wait till the truck gets up to normal temp according to the inside guage and then grab the upper rad hose to see it's temp. If it's really hot, the stat is open. If it is not, more than likely the stat has failed. Usually the thermostat fails and defaults to all open, plus the engine light comes on eventually. It is easy to replace, good to know kind of stuff. T stats are pretty cheap too. Hope this helps.



These help too!!!

 

you need to do the basics. change the thermostat because it is easy to do and if you have a thermometer check the opening temperature of the old one.. if that does not do it pull the radiator and take it to a competent shop for a flow check and boil out is neccessary. most vehicles overheat due to a clogged radiator or low coolant level. a bad fan clutch will overheat at idle but if the rest of the cooling system is good the engine will cool back down at highway speeds. while you have the radiator out if you have access to a compressor blow out the condenser.

a fully locked up fan will give a roaring noise when accelerating. if your engine is overheating your fan clutch may be fully engaged.

 

I received my Edge programmer and flashed the chip. Big change in shift firmness but the lack of power on a hot day is still definitely there.

I pulled my thermostat out this morning, bought a new one (with OEM specs), and did the boil test. Here is how they fared:

OEM:
Started to open at 194F/Wide open @ 204F
Closed when cooled to 186F

Aftermarket:
Started to open at 206F/Wide open @ 208F
Closed when cooled to 197F

According to this, my truck should run cooler with the stock T-stat right? It also seems that the aftermarket (Murray) t-stat has a much smaller tolerance.

Which t-stat would you put back in?

 

Here is what I do to clean the radiator and A/C condensor. I live just outside of Phoenix and when you drive through the desert at night you pick up lots of bugs. Pull the top plastic cover from over the radiator. Take a mild cleaner, like 409, and spray the front of the condensor and the front of the radiator. Get it nice and wet. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Get in with a garden hose and moderate pressure and blow through the radiator from the engine side. Don't use too much pressure or you can bend the fins. Watch all the dirt come out. Then do the same to the condensor, spraying through the space between the condensor and the radiator. The 409 seems to do a good job of helping to dissolve the bugs. I do it a couple times a year.

I also ran a short piece of flexible dryer vent from behind the grill and pointed the other end into the fender where the air intake is. That helped keep down the IAT. I could not believe how fast the IAT climbed even with the stock air box. It still climbs, but it goes down a lot faster since I put in the tube. I want to try to connect the hose to the air cleaner but there just isn't enough room behind the fender to run the hose.

 

methods used on our farm equipmet and tractors and trucks to clean the radiators

choice 1 is compressed air and a blow gun NO NOT THE ONE WITH THE POISONED DARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we use a short lenght of rubber hose from the nozzle of the blow gun with a tip on it. normally the blow gun and compressor hose is hard to work arround the fan, the rubber hose and nozzle are flexible to use arround the fan blades.
blow from the inside out, do not wet it makes the job messy

method 2 is water, we use this for stubborn build, be careful you can bend rafiator fins this way, we have a ssimilar set up as the blow gun except for water

tractor radiators in the field cake up with dirt, grass and bugs real fast

 

Well, I'm STILL trying to tackle this issue. The other day, I put 93 octane in to try and reduce the engines need to retard timing due to hot intake air causing detonation. I think it may have helped a bit, but the problem is still there and this is just a band-aid. Today I took it to the dealer and was successfully able to replicate the sluggish power during high heat from a standstill. He told me that everything was fine and with this heat, that is to be expected.

So, I guess the good thing is there is nothing wrong with my truck. The bad thing is very poor performance during high heat or moderate heat while towing my boat.

As of right now, I have 3 options:

1. Keep everything as it is and just deal.
2. My wife has given me the green to do what it takes to make it how I want it (AF1? efans? supercharger? )
3. I found a 2000 Diesel Excursion in great condition with 130K miles for $20K.

Which would you choose?


PS. Sassy, looks like we may be fighting an up hill battle here.

 

Yesterday, I fixed my engine problem!!

 

Nice Ride!!,

That's one way to fix it.

 

Thank you!!!