Another quick question regarding your running temperatures. My truck has seemed to start running cooler and cooler over the last year. This started about a year ago when I installed the coolant filter, but recently she has been running extremely cool to the point I think its odd. I used two precharged filters and since have just used a non SCA charged filter. Thermo is not sticking, gauge appears to be working fine as it will get up towards the R or M in “NORMAL”on long hard pulls in the mountains, and then drops sharply on the down slope. However when I am cruising unloaded I rarely sit above the N in “Normal”, and sometime I’m sitting at the Cool line. I have noticed for the last year the needles bounces a little bit and sort of sharply like its picking up 30 degree changes in coolant temp, and more so recently as if the coolant is cycling through very cool, or my engine oil is at such a different temp it creating hot pockets in the Oil cooler transferring the heat to the coolant. The more I step on it the less this happens, but if I’m coming down a pass in neutral at idle its pretty drastic, or even just cruising at 2400 rpm on flat land. Towing a heavy load on flat I’ll sit right at the N on Normal and not really see a flicker in the needle. I could be completely off my rocker, but its just one of those things that I am not used to.

I can visually see the truck warm up and the thermo open dumping and then a drastic temp drop and slight warm up and then steady off.

Do any of you guys have this happen? I’m about to go another 2500 miles with 15k behind me and have a lot of people relying on me getting there on time with a load, just a little nervous because the truck has been flawless for 40,000 miles. I never have that kind of good luck…. I hope there are a few members on the way to Elkhart Lake WI from Denver CO

 

I don't think that sounds bad, its really hard to say for sure without an actual water temp gauge. You could change the sending unit, it may be bad causing the bouncing.

If you go through SD I'm on your way, but you won't need anything. Thinking positive..

 

Good luck and safe travels. If anything happens as you're passing through/near Madison, send me a PM; I've got AE and some tools.

 

I appreciate it. Yeah I do think its bouncing due to temp fluctuation, stays steady most of the time, I just want to make sure it stays accurate:-)

Won't be headed through SD, I have belts pulleys, cps, oil, and coolant, enough tools and power to do a motor swap, I just hope I don't loose a water pump or alternator at 3 am on I80 :-) Factory units at 140k... I wonder if I could pull the one off my old 460 motor for a spare, and see if it uses the same bracket...

I appreciate it and hope nothing outrageous happens, and if it does at least do it on the way home

I will be headed through Madison late afternoon on the 2nd of July... planned route is 76 out of Denver to I80 for about 800 miles, then on to 380 up to 151 all the way to Elkhart Lake. Hope its the best route and I sure hope to miss traffic in the big cities. I also hope the weather isn't killer windy, seems we have had more tornadoes this year than since my birth date, pretty weird to see them above 9000 feet!

 

Oh - 151 going into Madison, where it becomes Madison's "beltline", is going to be a fustercluck. Major interchange reconstruction, late afternoon is commuter rush-hour. Suggest County PD to Fish Hatchery Rd, or even County M out of Verona all the way across to US14.

Is that ^^^^^^ your photo? That's wicked!

 

Point taken and good to know. I will check into the route on google you just explained and preferably take that.

Photo is not mine, but if it were more clear you could probably see the truck down off the road, kinda followed it for a while, no major damage besides a few double wides strewn across the road from a trailer park. It was just a little baby F1, but still really odd for the area.

 

My wife is very nervous lately because of all this weird weather. I researched apps for severe weather and came up with one that's highly rated. Don't laugh but I paid $10 for it but its working great so far. Its called RadarScope. Safe travels!!