I posted a thread on Friday, November 22nd regarding a first time increase event while towing a travel trailer on the flats at 55mph and the ect went up to about 220F. Since then I have driven the truck short distances of 15 miles or so with and without a trailer and everything seems to be fine. I am monitoring the ECT, EOT and Fan Speed on the ScanGauge. However, I have not figured out what caused the high ECT's so I am a little concerned about driving 600+ miles back from South Padre Island to North Texas in early December.

I've decided to buy a water pump and thermostat and carry them along with me. We will be using back roads going across country so if I do need to replace either one, I will have one on hand.

I do have a few questions:

1. Can a thermostat jam in the closed position? I have had thermostats jam over the years but always in the open position. And if a thermostat does jam in the closed position, can it unjam over night as it cools down?

2. I have read the excellent tutorial in the tech section on how to replace a water pump:

a. I do have a set of adjustable plumbers pipe wrenches onboard and can I get to the nut on the fan with a plumbers wrench? I think that is what I am seeing in the picture for that step.

b. Do you lose any appreciable amount of transmission fluid when you disconnect the transmission lines from the radiator?

c. Although I have been wrenching (and cussing) for over 50 years fixing our vehicles, how long should I estimate this will take to complete working on the side of the road? (I'm reminded of the saying that "experience in a used car salesman is a bad bag of tricks" so I'm not sure 50 years of experience means much today).

I do have the usual SAE and Metric sockets, combination wrenches, and screwdrivers etc. with me. I carry extra hoses. I'll fabricate a cheater bar. I will use loctite on the water pump bolts.

Thanks for your input.

 

Are you sure you weren't just dragging a brake assembly on the trailer or pushing into a headwind?

 

Pete,

There were no head winds and the brakes were fine. There was no heat on the hubs.

 

I saw your other thread and your temps Look ok Per 2003 PCM Programming

My 03 does the same

 

I would recommend you get a transmission line disconnect tool that actually releases the barb from holding the line instead of unscrewing the trans cooler in the bottom of the radiator. Its much easier to push in a line to reconnect than trying to get those threads to start with it wiggling around inside the radiator. If you park a little nose up or jack the front of the truck, up not that much fluid should come out.

 

Check out water pump before leaving Padre. Removed the fan on my truck this spring in my garage. The fan nut was a hard to get off. It was a lot more work coming out and going back in than I would ever want to do on the side of the road or a parking lot. The water pump is pretty much a cakewalk. My son was at the house and helped when going back in with the fan. Would have been very hard I think for me to do by myself. I did not remove my radiator when doing this. Did not have a good tool to remove lines, so left rad in place. I live a short distance off IH35, so if you need help going north I am close.

 

This one





They are on amazon.

 

On the 03's and 04's the lines just screw out of the transmission although it takes a backup wrench. No disconnect tool needed......

 

Thanks Run for the visual.