| Driving in the heat - different this year - a trip report [message #137918] |
Sun, 07 August 2011 17:41  |
armandminnie
Messages: 864
Registered: May 2009
Location: Marana, AZ
Karma:
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We are on our way to Montana and points beyond and we had to drive from Marana, AZ to Lakeside, AZ in the past two days. This is about a 5000 foot climb. The air temperatures ranged from the low 90's to low 100's and the engine temps ranged from 205 to 230. I am towing a 2000 4WD Tracker that weights about 3000 pounds. Most of the time I ran the chassis A/C but did shut it off on some of the longer hills. My fan clutch is a medium duty AutoZone 922747. The engine temperatures were very steady and could be easily attributed to the current conditions - grade and air temperature. There were no sudden changes in anything - fan noise or engine temperature. On level ground the engine ran at 205 which is normal for my engine.
The aspect of this that I think is worth reporting is that last year, under the same circumstances but with one notable exception, my engine temperatures were oscillating between 190 and 225 degrees at a pretty rapid pace. On level roads, never mind any climbing, the fan would come on at about 225 or so and cool the engine down to about 190 and then turn off. As soon as it turned off the temp gauge (a calibrated mechanical gauge) would show it climbing again and the fan would be on again very quickly. The fan, as measured with a stop watch, was on 70 to 90 percent of the time and making a racket.
The main difference between these two scenarios is that this year I have air deflectors on each side of the radiator and an air dam under the radiator. This has made a world of difference in driving in the heat for me. I'd bet that those of us who have pre-77 coaches would see benefits from installing those items too.
Armand Minnie
Marana, AZ
'76 Eleganza II TZE166V103202
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