Help am I overheating

[GREG M]

Ok I’m a freak I over service everything and I like it that way I seem to read a lot about overheating on rear diesel pushers. I would like to know the proper way to clean the rear radiator. I have read to spray it with simple green and then flush but which way to flush back to front or crawl under it and spray that way It’ not over heating yet but runs very warm. My dealer tells me that normal Freightliner tells me that’s not true. My coach runs at 190 to 210 all of the time. Is that right? I also asked my dealer is there anything else I should do as far as extra service but don’t really get any answers. My coach is a 2009 Fleetwood providence 40x with a 360 hp Cummins thanks Greg

[RJay]

Simple Green is an alkali cleaner and can damage metals such as aluminum, lead and zinc. In fact there is a special Simple Green made especially for the aircraft industry called Extreme Simple Green and is safe for aluminum.

An effective cleaner for oil and grime is a 4:1 mixture of Dawn dishwashing detergent and water. Thoroughly wet the area to be cleaned and spray on the mixture, let stand for 10 to 15 minutes then rinse. For real heavy jobs mix 3:1 and repeat if necessary. Dawn is biodegradable and safe for the enviroment.

[RickO]

And remember not to lug your diesel too much on hard pulls on hot days... Keep the revs up a bit more than usual.

[GREG M]

Thanks for the help as you can probably tell this is my first diesel pusher I have owned lots of RV’s but not this type and I would like to keep it in top shape.

[Norm4015]

First, call Cummins and ask what temperature your thermostat is. My 2000 Cummins ISC had a 180 degree thermostat and always ran 180-190 degrees. My 2005 Cummins ISL has a 195 degree thermostat and runs around 200 degrees and goes up to about 212 degrees in mountains. Cummins told me my temperatures are normal for my engine. I use a VMSpc for the temperatures since my dash gauge is hard to read.

When I clean a radiator I like to blow the dirt out the way it came in. My side radiator draws air in from the outside so I blow it out from the inside back to the outside. I soak the radiator with Simple Green and let it set about 10 minutes then blow it out with water from the engine compartment. Then I spray on more Simple Green and let it set then blow it out from the outside.

I do this once a year and have never had a cooling or radiator problem.

[NALSO]

I agree with Norm4015.

Soak the radiator fins from both sides and always clean a radiator against the flow of air at a 90 deg. angle to the coil. Once all the debris is rinsed out, apply some more Simple Green to the outside fins and spray water on a 45 deg. angle in the direction of the fins.

Henry.

[GREG M]

Wow !!! do I feel better just knowing how to is going to help me and as soon as I finish this I will be on the phone to freightliner then out to buy some simple green thanks again Greg

[GREG M]

Hey just an update called freightliner who was very nice and helpful but said that the thermostat was up to Cummins and to call them. They gave me the engine number and their phone number when I called them I was told it has a 180 degree and my temperatures are normal and will climb and fall as the fan and thermostat work to maintain engine temperature thanks Greg

[fgiesen]

I'm experiencing the problem! (Cummings 400hp Spartan chasiss) The original owner says my 1997 Gulf stream climbed the hills without over heating. I was climbing hills as low as 2nd gear to hold 2000 RPM and keep cool. Two shops told me I shouldn't be having problem but keep the RPM at 2000 when I have temp problems in the hills.
My findings: Perplexed and a do it yourselfer I started blowing out the radiator (from both sides) and was getting lots of sand. (I collected 8 oz of sand on my second day from a tarp I'd laid down). The intercooler prevents access to the radiator from the front and the fan and shroud makes it difficult from the rear.
I finally decided to remove the Trans cooler, AC condenser and intercooler.
I went over the radiator at least 5 times with the air hose until the dust and sand volume significantly reduced, then went over it with a water spray nozel. Another pile of sand came out. I had at least a pint of sand in the radiator fins!
Tomorrow I put it back together
I also learned when I first got my motorhome the water temp gauge bounced 30 degrees. Sometimes a tap on the gauge would cause a 20-30 degree jump, I replaced the water temp gauge. The thermostat is a 180 degree, and the alarm starts a 200-210.

[RickO]

Great info fgiesen... that really puts into perspective how much crud can really build up and block air flow. Keep us posted on how you do on the next hard climb.

[Chuck 1935]

To clean all the oil and dirt out of my radiator fins I spray it liberally with paint thinner, not laquer thinner. After it dries it leaves behind a coating of dirt that can be washed away with a hose. This method works very well and is foolproof. I use a syphon gun and air pressure but a garden sprayer will work well. What makes it work so well is that it leaches the oils out of the crud and leaves only dirt and dust that can easily be washed off .

[RickO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935 To clean all the oil and dirt out of my radiator fins I spray it liberally with paint thinner, not laquer thinner. After it dries it leaves behind a coating of dirt that can be washed away with a hose. This method works very well and is foolproof. I use a syphon gun and air pressure but a garden sprayer will work well. What makes it work so well is that it leaches the oils out of the crud and leaves only dirt and dust that can easily be washed off .

Is there a flamability concern there Chuck?

[Chuck 1935]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO Is there a flamability concern there Chuck?

Hi RickO,
There could be a danger of fire, but it would be very low. I have been cleaning greasy stuff this way for years and never had a problem. I started doing it this way to clean Dirt Bikes. More dirt bikes are ruined by washing with water and them putting them away to rust in all the hidden parts. No problem with paint thinner. It dries after gettig the oily dirt off. On bikes I never rinsed with water. Never clean a hot engine this way or spray it on a very hot surface. That only makes sense. If you clean engines this way I don't rinse with water. The crud that gets on your concrete driveway just dries and you hose it off. Now having said all of this I'm sure some dip will manage to burn down his Motorhome trying my method, but I'm shure they could set water on fire.

[RickO]

Wish I had know about this back in the day when I used to clean my 400 Husqvarna with a tooth brush and Q tips!