Overheating

[georgemorley]

I have a 2013 Coachman Pursuit with a 6.8 v-10. When going up grade it will spike to HOT and show reduced engine power on dash. When I slow down gauge will drop to normal. Dose not really seam to be hot. I changed the thermostat. Wondering if it could be the coolant temperature sensor. Thanks

[agpopp]

If it were getting hot the clutch fan would be screaming at least and maybe some coolant bubbling.

Requisite questions,

How much of a grade?
How hard do you run it?
Is the coolant full?
Did the fan run?

[Bob_C]

How dirty is the radiator?

[Nohurry]

If it runs normal otherwise, my take is either your fan isn’t pulling enough air through, or your radiator needs cleaning (inside/outside), or possibly replaced if corroded.

I see this is your first post. Welcome. I see many whose first post is for help with a problem. That’s fine, but I encourage you to come back often. You’ll learn a ton, and may be able to contribute to benefit others as well.

[ga traveler]

Are you shifting down for the grade? When in a hard pull the engine should be around 4500 rpm. If the coolant is not going thru the radiator it will get hot. There is a problem. The V10 is really cooled. It uses 8 gallons of coolant. That is a lot. I went through the Rockies in my 1999 Pace and the engine never got past the center of the needle. This needs to be fixed.

[twinboat]

If its reducing power, its getting hot.

A ScanGauge II will give you actual temps along with other operating conditions, pretty handy and velcros to the dash.

As mentioned, the engine cooling fan should be howling pretty loud before it starts reducing power on a hill.

If the fan is not getting loud, it may be bad. Go out to it after a hot run, and with the engine off, see how much resistance it has by turning it with the fan blades. Shouldn't simply spin. Also look for leaks of the fluid that's in it.