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Engine Temp Issue

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Old 02-13-2008 | 10:59 AM
  #16  
TravisDj's Avatar
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From: Greeneville, TN
I had the same problem on my 97. I pull the thermostat and the gasket had it stuck open so I pulled it off. That fixed the problem, end of story. I then found my fan clutch to be locked up and took the piece of junk off. Next step is putting the flex-a-lite electric fan kit on. Good luck, check the thermostat and make sure it's not stuck open. Mine heats to 190* and then swings to 160*.
Old 02-13-2008 | 11:17 AM
  #17  
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i said i would bow out oops. i have bought 3 cummins thermos to no avail. i have 2 of them on the shelf.
Old 02-13-2008 | 11:37 AM
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From what I'm reading it sounds like my truck isn't doing anything that's not pretty normal. It always warms up to at least 140, but then if there is any fluctuation it is usually between 140 and the first line of the "normal" range (150?). Occasionally it will warm up to about 170, and just stay there (like today), but that is the exception not the rule. The outside temp seems to have no effect whatsoever on what it does.

To be honest I have always assumed the guage was wrong, but you guys are making me think that my coolant temps probably are low most of the time. That's interesting because I am running a WVO system that is heated using the coolant lines. That would mean that my veg oil is probably not hitting 160.
Old 02-13-2008 | 12:06 PM
  #19  
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From: Hutchinson, KS (yup, finally sold the house in OKC!)
Could running WVO be causing a lower operating temp? So far my only experience with Cummins has been 8.3-, L10 and M11 bus applications. It didn't take much to get them hot.
Old 02-13-2008 | 12:11 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Kaiser_Sosa
From what I'm reading it sounds like my truck isn't doing anything that's not pretty normal. It always warms up to at least 140, but then if there is any fluctuation it is usually between 140 and the first line of the "normal" range (150?). Occasionally it will warm up to about 170, and just stay there (like today), but that is the exception not the rule. The outside temp seems to have no effect whatsoever on what it does.

To be honest I have always assumed the guage was wrong, but you guys are making me think that my coolant temps probably are low most of the time. That's interesting because I am running a WVO system that is heated using the coolant lines. That would mean that my veg oil is probably not hitting 160.
Yeah, that sounds normal. Heating the veggie oil may cool the coolant down a little more. How hot should veggie oil be? I'd get an extra heater element for it right before it goes into the pump. For veggie oil it's best to have your engine hot and/or under a load to make sure all the oil burns cleanly.
Old 02-13-2008 | 01:37 PM
  #21  
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From: Galveston, TX
I'm going to start looking into what type of electric heating is available. I don't think using an additional heat exchanger that is coolant fed will make much difference. Everything I have researched says the veg should be at least 160. I've considered that running the coolant through the heat exchanger in the 50 gal. veg tank could be acting like an additional radiator, but whether the tank is empty or full doesn't seem to have an effect on the engine temp, so I'm thinking that any effect is pretty negligible.
Now I'm wondering if there is something I should check to see if the cool veg is having a negative impact on the engine. I've put over 100K on the truck since I've owned it, and I have probably burnt as much wvo as diesel over that period. The truck seems to run fine on either, and I actually get really good mileage on diesel alone (averaging about 18 in mixed driving, but a little harder to calculate the mileage on veg). If the truck died tomorrow, I have saved on fuel almost as much as I spent to buy it. All the more reason to keep it running well.
Old 02-13-2008 | 03:02 PM
  #22  
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From: Hanover, NH
I didn't realize that you were running WVO. I suspect that probably has something to do with it. Have you insulated all of your hose in a hose and heat exchangers? If not, they are just acting like an unregulated radiator and are probably contributing to the fact that you can't get the truck up to temp. If you try insulating them, you will be increasing your coolant temp and also the temp of the wvo.
Old 02-13-2008 | 03:38 PM
  #23  
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From: Greeneville, TN
WVO needs to be atleast 160 to 180 before it hits the injection pump. It still sounds to me like the rubber gasket on the thermostat is making it stick open, because that is EXACTLY what my truck was doing before I fixed mine. I could be completely wrong. Just my .02
Old 02-13-2008 | 05:13 PM
  #24  
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From: North Carolina or Kentucky. Take your pick
I"ll try again.
It gets up (maybe) to approx 165* by the gauge, takes 25 miles, poor heater output, cools very quickly, have had a theromstat replaced,
It would seem, temp should get hotter from description. It sort of sounds like therostat is sticking open occasionally. There was a bullietin at one time for such event on some year CTD. The problem was not obvious on inspection.
That would be one thing to look for. A cummins stat is highly recomended.
Remember a basic fact. If no coolant is allowed into radiator through stat it must reach operating temp... You can't circulate enough through heater to keep cool. Somewhere, it was said temp measured 140 with infared. That sort of says coolant is flowing past thermostat.
Old 02-13-2008 | 05:52 PM
  #25  
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From: Galveston, TX
I'm definitely going to install a Cummins thermo. Even if it doesn't do anything I will know I have the right part in the truck. I've never had a external reading on the temp, so I'm not certain if the guage is right, but based on heater output I know it's not reading something independent of what the truck is doing. I just wish it was more consistent. Today it warmed right up to about 170 and stayed there my whole 70 mile commute to the office. I got back in at lunch and it did the same thing. And it's in the mid 40s here today, so it doesn't have anything to do with the environment.

All of my veg lines and filters are insulated. The tank is also insulated and under a bed cap. The cap is dark green, and has no side windows so it probably gets close to 160 back there in the summer. Maybe more. I think the only way the veg system would act as a radiator would be when there is cold oil in the tank. The heat exchanger would then transfer the heat from the coolant to the oil and return to the engine with less heat. If the tank was empty it shouldn't have much impact on the coolant temp. I haven't noticed that having a tank of oil makes any difference at all in the temp on the guage. In fact I have a full tank now, and the truck heated up with no problems today. Probably because it knows I'm talking to you guys.
Old 02-13-2008 | 06:09 PM
  #26  
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From: tennessee
the point i have been trying to make my 97 will not come up to temp of thermstat no matter what
Old 02-13-2008 | 08:16 PM
  #27  
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From: Galveston, TX
I had started this thread to get some advise about my engine temp issue. Sorry if you feel I hijacked it.
Old 02-13-2008 | 09:18 PM
  #28  
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From: Manitoba
Make sure you are using the 190 thermostat.
Old 02-13-2008 | 10:24 PM
  #29  
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From: Florida
You just told Infidel he was "dead wrong". Whoa. Nothing's wrong with your truck, you should just get a Nissan or something that will let you cruise with no load and plenty of heat!
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