Driving diesel in very HOT temps - 103+ and long grades

[catkins]

OK - new to me issue of excessive temps in the NW and needing to drive from Seattle to Spokane over Snoqualmie Pass and through the Vantage grade.(lots of long grades up and down) Temps are expected to top out at 105 the day I must drive. Looking for what I need to do to avoid potential overheating. Driving a 36' Tiffin RED with a Cummins engine and Allison transmission.

I am assuming downshift to raise the RPMs to ??? and go slower to avoid overheating if engine temp is climbing. Yes?? Going to NOT pull the TOAD in that heat up those grades as my diesel is only a 340 and doesn't like the pass on a good day with the Toad attached. Any other suggestions/must dos?

Thanks - I know the truckers do it all the time. Just seeking to avoid stressing my equipment unnecessarily.

[wolfe10]

1. Assuming this is a rear radiator, clean the FRONT of the cooling package (the front of the CAC). This needs to be done annually. It is done from the bedroom/closet access door. A clogged front of the CAC WILL overhead!

2. Use the down arrow to select a gear where you are about 200 RPM below governed AND, repeat AND, where you have a little throttle left (are not at WOT). If flooring the throttle makes no difference select a lower gear. Reality is that a loaded 18 wheeler will be slower than you, so no worries about traffic.

What to do as emergency moves if you are overheating:

1. Pull over and with transmission in Neutral, run engine at 1500 RPM or so until it cools down (yes, this assumes that you have not lost your coolant).

2. Turn on the dash heater and fan to high. The dash heater is another "radiator". Better to have you uncomfortable for a few minutes that really uncomfortable paying a large repair bill.

[tiffy2000]

yes , downshift and keep rpms up

[Trackrig]

My 2005 Excursion with a 350 Cat C7 has handled 105F just fine so far, but I clean my radiator and inter-cooler once a year. When was the last time you cleaned yours? Check for any scrap paper, plastic grocery bags or other junk also that could have gotten sucked up in there also.

Also, I really like my Scan Gauge ($150 on Amazon) I have mine set to to the engine temp, oil temp, air intake temp and something else. The SD engine temp is a lot more accurate than your MH's gauge and the MH probably doesn't have an oil temp gauge or air intake gauge. When you see the air intake temps going up, then the engine temp could start going up also.

Bill

[Mr_Mark1]

Catkins,

One thing you might want to consider is run the generator to operate the roof air units. Turn off your dash air to give the engine a little more horsepower.

Safe travels,
MM.