Engine operating temperature.

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Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Engine operating temperature.

Post by Dallas Baillio »

Some time ago I asked this question in a different way. I got good answers. Now I want to approach it from a different angle. I have a Scan Gauge on my BF and have it set to monitor engine operating temperature. It consistently registers in a 190 to 200 degree range and in extremely hot weather will exceed 220 degrees when the conditions are right — up hill on a hot day. When this happens I reduce speed, shift to a lower gear and sometimes even turn on the heat to move the circulating coolant through the heater core. I don’t know if this really helps with the new technology. It was a recommendation in the 40’s and 50’s.

My question is really simple. What is the safe temperature operating range for a Ford E-450 10 cyclinder? As additional information I have had the cooling system flushed less than 700 miles ago. One additional concern I have is that the coolant overflow tank in really corroded with a bunch of black junk along the sides. Mechanics have told me this normal and does not effect the operating temperature.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
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whemme
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Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by whemme »

Dallas,

I have some experience with this. My 2002 26' RSB coach is also equipped with a Scan Gauge. Like yours, my engine coolant temperatures normally run in the 190 to 200 degrees range. Since I travel out to the Phoenix area from Iowa every year I have experience pulling up those long 6 degree grades and never had seen the temperature exceed 210 degrees. However, 2 years ago I noticed in Feb that my dash heater outlet temperature was running cool. My Scan Gauge showed that the coolant temperature was only getting up to about 160 to 170 degrees which meant that my thermostat was stuck open. I had an independent garage flush and replace the coolant and replace the defective the thermostat with a non-OEM replacement brand. My coolant temperatures returned to the normal 190 to 200 degree range on my travels out to Phoenix that March until I got to the hills. My dash coolant temperature gauge normally indicates in the middle of the display range (and does not move) no matter if traveling level ground or pulling up the long 6 degree hills. I started to notice my dash gauge moving upward on hills and on the longer pulls had to pull over when the dash gauge started to approach the red line at which time the Scan Gauge showed a coolant temperature of 240 degrees. So 240 degrees is the red line coolant temperature you don't want to exceed. So I had to pull over several times and let the coolant temperatures return to normal before proceeding. Never had to do this before on more than 12 trips to the Phoenix area. So as soon as I could get to a Ford dealer, I had the non-OEM thermostat replaced with a Ford OEM part and guess what - problem solved!

Any chance that you don't have a proper Ford thermostat in you V10?
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
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Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by Dallas Baillio »

Bill, as far as I know the thermostat has never been replaced. I bought my BF used in late 2002. It had about 23,000 on it at the time. The previous owners left no maintenance records. Probably would be a good idea to have it changed out. Thanks for your response.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
randallrae
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Joined: Wed May 22, 2013 7:30 pm

Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by randallrae »

It is a good idea to have your antifreeze tested for additives annually . The other things to consider is to have the fan clutch tested , and add a wetting agent to the coolant . https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywo ... slif_e_p38
2012 25' rb
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karls
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Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by karls »

My 1998 24rb with 235K miles has gone through two radiators. The 195 degree thermostat gets maxed out at about 206 degrees (as shown on the scan gauge) and further load (long hill out West) shows the temp going up and the fan clutch kicking in (you can hear it howl). This brings the temp back to the 195-206 degree range immediately, even going up I-70 west of Denver.

However, if the radiator is getting clogged (they all do eventually) it will exceed the thermostat range, and, news to me, it will not pass enough heat back to the viscous fan clutch to activate it. So your problem is compounded. I had a new fan clutch installed with no improvement. It didn't activate even with the temp approaching 240 degrees. As noted by Bill, that's where the Ford dash gauge starts pushing the red line. Time to pull over and cool down.

A band aid fix to keep you going until a convenient situation for repairs is to reduce the heat load on the engine by turning off the A/C, and, if you can stand it, turning the heater on full hot.

All in all, I'd give the Ford engineers high marks for designing a system that can regulate the engine temperature of a 16K lb RV climbing a long grade pulling a trailer on a hot day out West.

Karl Striedieck
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Dallas Baillio
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Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by Dallas Baillio »

Yesterday between Ft Worth and Amarillo, TX with an outside temp of 91 degrees on flat land (all terrain between the two is flat) the temp rose to 229 degrees. I slowed from 68 to 58 MPH, turned off the ac and turned on the heat. Temp dropped back to 215 degrees. Opened the windows and drove for about 5 minutes and decided I did not want my dog and I found along the roadside baked like a side of meat. Turned the ac back on and after a short distance saw rain clouds over Amarillo. Heavy rain to the rescue. This morning took randalrae’s advice and added one of the additives (bought at WalMart) he linked to on Amazon. Today was cooler with a high of 85 degrees along my route into Colorado so it was diddicult to determine if the additive helped. Temp did once reach 224 on a long hill climb into Trinidad, CO.

Will a new thermostat help? My understanding of thermostats for this purpose is limited. Should I add more additives?. Is the fact that the coolant overflow/reserve tank is coated with some type of black greasy matter a contributer?
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
randallrae
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Joined: Wed May 22, 2013 7:30 pm

Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by randallrae »

You didn't mention if the fan clutch kicked in when your temp spiked. As mentioned in the previous post radiators externally get clogged with bugs then dirt. Replacing the radiator or carefully reverse flushing the outside with a garden hose will probably improve cooling . Triton engine management will start shutting down the engine if the temperature gets to high . If you are good mechanically you can remove the radiator making cleaning it easier .
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/for ... iator,2172
2012 25' rb
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whemme
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Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by whemme »

Dallas,

If the viscous cooling fan's clutch is not engaging when the air exiting your radiator reaches higher temperatures, this will cause the cooling system to overheat. You should be able to hear the roar of the fan when it's clutch kicks in. If not you need a new fan clutch. Also if the black junk that is coating your reservoir is also coating the inside of your radiator, it may be time for a professional cleaning of the radiator or a new radiator.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
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karls
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Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by karls »

My previous post mentioned "clogging" but missed pointing out that there are two such situations - internal and external. In my case it has been internal clogging that necessitated installing new radiators.

External clogging (bugs) can be checked by shining a light from the engine side forward. Remember there are two additional radiators in front of the engine radiator (transmission and A/C) dumping hot air back to the engine radiator. As mentioned, Ford engine control logic will reduce the heat load on the engine when the temp exceeds some limit (240 degrees?) by shutting down the A/C.

Compressed air will clean out some of the bugs, but a pressure washer is better. However, be careful not to bend the fins.

Thermostats are reliable (but relatively easy and cheap to change) and in my case it has been internally clogging of the engine radiator that was causing the over temp.

The viscous clutch that controls the fan is very important and when it kicks in it will knock the temperature back quickly. It makes a loud howl when it engages. A clogged radiator (internal or external) will not pass enough heat back to the fan clutch to cause it to engage.

Karl Striedieck
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Dallas Baillio
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Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by Dallas Baillio »

I had the overheating problem solved for me. Going up a long grade west of Kingman, AZ with an ambient temp of 101 degrees my BF’s radiator sprung a leak. It was clogged with insects and dirt accumulated over the 16 years of my ownership. It also had a rag blocking it that had somehow been drawn in. New radiator, no overheating.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
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shilohdad
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Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:58 am

Re: Engine operating temperature.

Post by shilohdad »

Funny how stuff like that happens. As for rags in unusual spots, one time my oil company had trouble filling my tank. The telltale whistle came on almost immediately. They sent out a tech who applied vacuum to the fill pipe. Out popped a rag that must have been there for several years, as we had retired our undeground tank and put a new one in the basement. Makes you wonder how it got there, and why we didn’t have a problem all those years.
Joe and Lucinda
Tonto, Meadow and Shadow, the papillons
Shiloh and Morpho at Rainbow Bridge
2017 Spirit
Formerly 2006 24RB
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