Climbing steep grades...
I have a 30’ 2003 Four Winds class C with the 6L, 8cyl Vortec engine. I’m planning on pulling a 2003 Jeep TJ (4cyl, straight drive) and had a question or two. I’ve noticed that when I’m climbing st...
Forum Discussion
FunTwoDrv wrote:
For reference, we pull a 4500# Wrangler with a 6.0, 6sp, 32' C. running up Black Mountain on I40, our temp creeps up as you mentioned. I run with the "Tow/Haul" mode turned on and the trans does it's thing with downshifting. We are around 25mph when we reach the top. The Scangage shows water temp a touch lower than the instrument cluster by 5 or so degrees. I added another external trans cooler to aid in controlling those temperatures as we travel the Rockies as well with this setup.
Gary
I would wonder if you were running full throttle (or were able to) with those slow speeds on a 5-6% grade. I used to have an older, less powerful (just 265 hp) Ford E450 running about 1500 less GCW than your rig, and I could maintain a solid 45 mph on a 6% grade regardless of outside temperatures. I could run said 6% grade in high-90 degree temperatures at full throttle without overheating. If you are forced to back off the throttle to avoid overheating I would submit that you have issues with your cooling system. Then again, it could be just the drivetrain, my 2005 Chevy 2500HD would heat up when pulling hard in hot weather.
