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2001 CTD 2500 overheating issue

Mr Stubs

Mr Stubs

Taste my rainbow, bitches
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
101
Messages
2,032
Loc
Land of liquid sunshine
Ran into a interesting situation last fall towing to Utah and wanted to hear some different points of view on my problem.

Almost stock manual 2001 CTD (4” exhaust and air fuel separator) pulling 7k enclosed trailer. Driving I84 and I15 (has 5-7k passes).

Is this enough to overheat a OEM cooling system?
 
Mr Stubs said:
Ran into a interesting situation last fall towing to Utah and wanted to hear some different points of view on my problem.

Almost stock manual 2001 CTD (4” exhaust and air fuel separator) pulling 7k enclosed trailer. Driving I84 and I15 (has 5-7k passes).

Is this enough to overheat a OEM cooling system?
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I have the same truck but with more power 34" tires and 3.55 gears. Mine is a 6 speed so the ho engine. Mine doesn't overheat on those grades with 11-12k load behind it but it used to run warm before I replaced the head gasket. It had a small leak to the outside of the block which I found at 330000 or so miles. It runs cool since replacement
 
Ok... that’s kinda what I believed to be correct. I didn’t think that a OEM system should have any issues doing what I was doing.

I have made this same trip without any issues but I was pulling a flat deck trailer instead.

I changed the thermostat and clutch fan in a auto parts parking lot when I was in Utah, hoping to fix the issue. It did not.

It has been six months and I can’t get the truck to get hot like it was. The only time was on the drive down and back pulling those long grades. Local 3k ones does nothing.

I am thinking now that I may have a partial clogged radiator, but I am open to other ideas.
 
I had to replace my radiator at 275k cause one tank cracked and when I took it out I could tell the radiator was pretty gunky from the draft tube. That could be part of your problem. My truck is overfueled for the turbo and it runs out of egt headroom before the temp comes up much. I've never pulled a big grade longer than 4-5 miles though with a big load at freeway speeds though, it's possible that it would get hot. I've come up cabbage hill out of Pendleton into the blues though with my enclosed trailer and I could go faster than I wanted to through the corners. Egts were in the 1200-1300 range but no coolant trouble.
 
I had to pull over twice to let the ol’ girl cool down between Ontario and Pendleton and had my eye on the gauge the whole time on my way home.

Funny thing was I didn’t have any issues at the beginning of the trip when I pulled up Cabbage, only when I started getting into the long 5k plus rollers of I15
 
^^^^ This. Mine started getting warm on hotter days. Ended up being the radiator being partially plugged from oil and gunk from the blowby hose. I pulled out the radiator and washed it out and also cleaned the ac condenser and the intercooler while I was at it. I also extended the hose down to the frame.
 
Its a real bitch the hose out but you can get the vast majority of it with out and disassembling. Get right up on the intercooler and keep hosing till it come out clear and free flows into the rad. Then repeat.
 
Is it ACTUALLY getting hot? Temp gun it and see. That truck should pull that no problem. Wouldn’t hurt to do a water pump. Cheap and easy on those trucks.
 
Stix said:
Is it ACTUALLY getting hot? Temp gun it and see. That truck should pull that no problem.
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Pegged the temp gauge and had the dash light come on multiple times.

Didn’t have a gun with me and I haven’t been able to recreate the issue locally.
 
The one thing that happend to me 2x was the t-stat broke and would show hot on the gauge but not be over heating. And would fluctuate wildly on and off throttle.

If you cant change a cummins water pump in 30min (88-07) sell the truck and drive kia or some other dumbass jap car you can weld the hood shut on and dispose off like cans from a 6pack.
 
total newb said:
If you cant change a cummins water pump in 30min (88-07) sell the truck and drive kia or some other dumbass jap car you can weld the hood shut on and dispose off like cans from a 6pack.
Click to expand...

I can change the water pump on a 6.7 cummins in under a half hour, but it can take forever to get the new belt on. PITA. It goes faster if I don't have help, but it still sucks.
 
total newb said:
The one thing that happend to me 2x was the t-stat broke and would show hot on the gauge but not be over heating. And would fluctuate wildly on and off throttle.

If you cant change a cummins water pump in 30min (88-07) sell the truck and drive kia or some other dumbass jap car you can weld the hood shut on and dispose off like cans from a 6pack.
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i drive a kia and a cummins so fuck you :flipoff2:

fwiw those aluminum radiators with plastic tanks should be considered a wear item, replace every 150k miles or so like an auto transmission :laughing: i just helped my dad replace the one is his 03 cummins a few months ago took about 2hrs
 
rockyota83 said:
i drive a kia and a cummins so fuck you :flipoff2:

fwiw those aluminum radiators with plastic tanks should be considered a wear item, replace every 150k miles or so like an auto transmission :laughing: i just helped my dad replace the one is his 03 cummins a few months ago took about 2hrs
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I've never seen one go less than 20yr regardless of mileage. Usually they pick a random tube to start leaking at which isn't a failure mode that has anything to do with the plastic.
 
arse_sidewards said:
I've never seen one go less than 20yr regardless of mileage. Usually they pick a random tube to start leaking at which isn't a failure mode that has anything to do with the plastic.
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you must not get out much :laughing: ive replaced half a dozen and pretty much every single one leaked where the plastic tank was crimped to the tubes :homer:
 
rockyota83 said:
you must not get out much :laughing: ive replaced half a dozen and pretty much every single one leaked where the plastic tank was crimped to the tubes :homer:
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Must be a Toyota thing.

Or maybe a California thing.

Either way not groups of people who's woes are anywhere near top of my priority list. :flipoff2:
 
arse_sidewards said:
Must be a Toyota thing.

Or maybe a California thing.

Either way not groups of people who's woes are anywhere near top of my priority list. :flipoff2:
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did you miss the part where i said i replaced the radiator on my dads dodge a few months ago?

i dont even own a toyota anymore, havent for like 8 years :laughing:

actually the last two radiators ive changed were both out of dodge cummins an 03 and an 05

my dodge has an all metal brass/copper radiator :flipoff2:
 
Mvanhelden said:
Take a shop light and try looking through the radiator at dark. These trucks are notorious for plugged up radiators from the blow by tube.
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This, that stupid little plastic bottle usually coats the radiator in oil. When I had my 01' Cummins it needed to be powerwashed to get that thing cleaned
 
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