[Shop-talk] '02 Suburban engine cooling

[Ronnie Day]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, folks. I think this was primarily a hot
day/heat soak issue, this time. There are a couple of simple low/no cost
things I'm going to do. Flush the system throughly and add Water Wetter
when I refill. If we do get into some long distance/heavy towing I'll
probably replace the plastic/aluminum rad with an all metal piece from
Be-Cool or Ron Davis and go with double electric fans. I've never liked or
trusted these newer OE plastic tanked radiators.

I would have preferred to have the 6.0 LS, but we didn't have an option in
this truck, and I definitely was not going to drop $45K on a new one.
Besides I like the looks of the GMT800 series much more than the newer
"Tonka" style that they've all gone to.

FYI, it looks like that lighting company is no longer in business. I'll get
on the forum to see if there's an update. Good lighting is critical,
especially when towing. The mechanic that I use here also told me that
these trucks can benefit a lot from swapping the OE brake flex hoses with
stainless braided replacements. Makes sense. He also said the OE PItman and
idler arms wear quickly. IMO, these are pretty easy fixes, and not unusual
for a truck with 116K on it.

Heading to Austin for computer and camera stuff,
Ron

On Sat, Jul 7, 2012 at 8:10 AM, Jeff Scarbrough <fishplate at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sat, Jul 7, 2012 at 8:15 AM, John Niolon <jniolon at att.net> wrote:
> > Transmission fluid ??  what's the practical upper limit ?  In the current
> > weather conditions (100 0 days)I'm seeing 180-190 with no trailer,
> 190-205
> > with a 18' car hauler empty.. probably gonna add a cooler but wondering
> what
> > the range should be when towing ??
>
> The aforementioned F150 has a gauge as well as a readout.  So far, it
> runs about 195 F on a hot day just moving the truck.  At that
> temperature, the needle sits comfortably in the middle of the gauge
> range.  But it's not really a conventional automatic, as I understand
> it.
>
> In my dad's motor home, he would let it idle when the trans temp got over
> 250 F.
>
> I suspect the properties of the ATF you use would give you some
> insight on where you might need to ease off...
>
> Jeff Scarbrough
> Corrosion Acres, Ga.
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