Coolant temperature??

[Moncha]

The bug thing is a major cause for a lot of overheating and often gets overlooked. DO NOT use High Pressure washer to clean them out.. The high pressure can and will most likely bend the fins of the radiator and if you do it from the front, you will just push the bugs farther into the radiator..

Use a gentle stream of water from the front to soak and soften the carcasses of the bugs.. A little soap will help too. Then from the engine side of the radiator, flush with a gentle stream towards the front. Use only the amount of water pressure needed to flush the crap out without bending the fragile fins.

Billy, even if the water temp goes down by 30 degrees, the enngine still needs to operate at a certain temp for proper combustion, If it never reaches that temp, it can cause problems. But, on the other hand, if it can operate at proper temp and the additive helps from going over that temp.. Then that's good. Mainly a try it a see thing.

[Tone]

Good point Scott - did that in Moab for Paul and got bugs and a lot of dirt out. GF uses Ice and it helps but not 30 degrees. Again 195-210 is really not that hot - what is everyone's dash gauge reading when you are seeing these temps?

[Lashsquat]

Tone,
My dash is reading as a clock would say.. normal around 11 o'clock.
When a hot day "say 85 degrees or better" and running Air conditioner or going up a mountian "road" it will read "2-3 oclock and sometimes prgress to the H ,if it gets this high of course i just let it sit/cut off for awhile,and it does a lot!...

[VehiX]

My reading on the dash shows half way between c | h when scan guage reads at 190. Give or take a few degrees on the dash reading.

[tomdietrying]

I remember at Moab back in May when we did the VX run at Elephant Hill everyone's temperature gauge was running a little high. I even had to shut off the AC a couple of times to bring it down.

I'm not sure if it was the steep inclines, 4x4ing, or what but I do remember everyone I talked to that did Elephant Hill had the same issue.

If I remember correctly, Larry from Houston had a rational reason why this was happening.

Peace.
Tom

[cascabel3]

At 190 degrees my temp gauge is around center, at 200* I see it move toward the H, at 210 I will see the gauge about 1/8 inch from hot. I have noticed the bugs in front of the radiator and will follow the advice given on cleaning them. Generally there are no problems with the temp, just with these hot days and running the AC going up and down mountains I have seen a difference. I also don't use 4th (D drive) in the city, and now if I do go up a long grade I will downshift to "3" which gives me another -5 degrees. I do remember in my '91 Trooper that AC or not, I'd go through Death Valley in Summer at 120 degrees with AC and the needle barely moved. Ah, the good old days.

[RobD]

We have noticed that it's hard to predict at which times the VX overheats, so other posts about the viscous coupling make sense. A larger radiator might do the trick - does anyone know where to get a three or four row radiator? Or which electric fan would work best?

thanks
rob