Overheating while towing? Low weight.

[JHarris1385]

I towed a riding mower to the shop and back and then again...


Small 5x8 trailer, rider can't be more than 500 lbs.

When towing my scangauge shows constant 220's and has reached 240+ twice now with an overheat.

Should I be worried? Never did this before.
Towing included in town and highway driving.

Fluids are good and decently fresh.

[circmand]

I towed a sports car that while small is heavier than a riding lawn mower across the country and did not have heating problem just greater oil consumption. I would check your thermostat, electronic fan or radiator and see if they are operating properly

[JHarris1385]

How would I go about doing that?

[circmand]

if I was going to do it myself low tech is drain the fluid from your radiator while it is cold. Run clear water through it to remove as much coolant residue. Then fill with water. Leave the radiator cap off. Start your motor and let it run 10 -15 minutes even rev the motor to get the temp up. You should see the fan kick on at some point if not fan problem. Also you should start seeing coolant in the radiator if not thermostat isnt opening. Not sure how you can test the radiator. This probably isnt the most efficient way others may have better ideas.

[JHarris1385]

Would this wetness have anything to do with it?

Fan spins.

May need to flush. Where is the thermostat located?

Thanks for the advice.

[etlsport]

Wetness is likely power steering fluid. Thermostat is inside the engine block, not an easy fix.


Id guess a normal radiator flush should make a big difference. Also make sure there no.blockage in front of the radiator fins.

I towed 3-4000 lbs 4 hours across the Appalachain mountains with no problems. Outside temp was around 80 deg

Done this a few times

[Ldub]

FWIW, isn't the thermo supposed to be "fail safe"...

As in, it'll stick open, rather than closed, if it goes FUBAR?

[SlowPro48]

So does it overheat when you're not towing? Five hundred pounds isn't much weight. Seems like if it overheats pulling 500 lbs it would be overheating all the time...

Ldub, the OEM thermostat isn't the failsafe type. If the diaphram doesn't hold wax, the thermostat won't open.

[JHarris1385]

No overheating without towing.

When towing my temp raises about 15-30 degrees.
Typically I never see over 200-207 degrees normal driving.

Towing I am running near 215+ the whole time.

- That is what I thought, I should be experiencing overheating issues with normal driving since the weight isn't much.

[Ldub]

Ldub, the OEM thermostat isn't the failsafe type. If the diaphram doesn't hold wax, the thermostat won't open.

for the heads up...

I made a false assumption....

Maybe trailer bearings?...

[PK]

Well, in my opinion, you are running too hot when not towing.
Running at 200F is 25F above where mine runs.
I have a scan gauge connected full time.

My thermostat opens at 150 - 160, and from then on the cooling system just hovers around 170 - 175 when not towing, and goes up to the 175 - 180 when towing a 3000 lb boat in the middle of summer.
The fan only ever kicks in when stuck in traffic, or when towing.

I would check you fluid is circulating, and then check the fan clutch.


(Note - Metric to retarded Imperial measurements done to assist my USA friends.)

PK

[etlsport]

Def running hot. My vx it at 173 or 179 depending on outside temp. Once in traffic I hit 202


I had a thermostat that stuck open. Wouldnt get above 140-145 in the winter

[JAMAS]

Does the trailer you are using have brakes, and if so, are the brakes broken in the on position?

[SlowPro48]

Def running hot.

I'll third that! You are running hot all the time dude! I pull 4,000+ lbs of boat/trailer in 90+ degree summer heat with the a/c on and it doesn't get over 180. We've got a 175 degree* thermostat so under normal conditions (i.e., just driving around town) your temp shouldn't go much over that. Are you sure your scan gauge is reporting the temp accurately? Hopefully it's the fan clutch since that's the easiest fix but like PK said - check for circulation, maybe your water pump is going bad. If it's neither then you're probably going to be replacing a thermostat... or a head gasket....

*actually I just checked the manual and it says the thermostat should be fully open at 173.3 (but 175 sure is easier to remember!)

[VXorado]

No overheating without towing.

My VX has done the same in the past. I've never overheated but got some hot temps towing or under load with a/c running. I couldn't find a definite problem but replacing the fan clutch helped. A couple years ago I picked up a Torqflo fan clutch- it will make your VX sound like a semi and rob power but does a good job pushing air.

Hope you can find the issue, I ditched the torqflo clutch and decided to buy the FF dynamic electric fan to see if it helps things. We'll see this summer.

Good luck