Blower? noise while towing
Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Okeechobee
Blower? noise while towing
This past weekend I towed my 6500lb. travel trailer for the first time with my new PSD. It has 9200 miles on it. I had the overdrive off while towing. I passed another vehicle (A chevy towing a cow trailer doing 50). I did not romp on it just gave it enough fuel to increase speed and pass. The transmission didn't even drop into passing gear. After getting around the vehicle and slowing back to 65 (I may have gotten to 70) I heard a noise like a blower running under the hood. (Like a Fan Blower) After a couple of miles the noise went away and all I could hear was sweet diesel engine. I slowed down for some railroad tracks and when I picked up speed the blower noise was back but went away again after a couple of miles. The ambient air temperature was about 78. (I live in Florida) On my way back home I ran 65mph with a strong side wind and never encountered the noise. The ambient air temperature was about 60. I had to stop several times for stop signs and slow down on tight curves but I only heard that noise the two times I described.
Has anybody else heard a noise change in their engine while towing.
Has anybody else heard a noise change in their engine while towing.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 281
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From: McDonough US
Blower? noise while towing
Oh... me me me, pick me!
It's the fan! If you tow 14,000 lbs. you get to hear it more often :-)
Keep your eye on your temp gauges and plow ahead. While towing my fan kicks in about every 30 to 45 minutes on nice open interstate. If it's cool outside, less often. If climbing hills, it kicks in more often.
But that turbo does sound sweet when she kicks in too...
Robert
It's the fan! If you tow 14,000 lbs. you get to hear it more often :-)
Keep your eye on your temp gauges and plow ahead. While towing my fan kicks in about every 30 to 45 minutes on nice open interstate. If it's cool outside, less often. If climbing hills, it kicks in more often.
But that turbo does sound sweet when she kicks in too...
Robert
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From: SE Florida
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Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Okeechobee
Blower? noise while towing
It definitly sounded like a fan. The turbo makes more of a whining sound. (A very sweet whine)
Joe can you elaborate a little more on the viscous drive. I looked at my giant fan for the radiator and it just looks like a clutch type. How does the engine temp. cause the fan to kick in??
Mark I am going to tow with my overdrive off until I install a transmission temp gauge just to be on the safe side.
Joe can you elaborate a little more on the viscous drive. I looked at my giant fan for the radiator and it just looks like a clutch type. How does the engine temp. cause the fan to kick in??
Mark I am going to tow with my overdrive off until I install a transmission temp gauge just to be on the safe side.
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: McDonough US
Blower? noise while towing
Overdrive on or off makes no difference, as I understand it has to do with the tranny temp. Someone who is a mechanic or just knows should confirm this.
A tranny temp guage is a must for towing, if you don't have one, get one.
Robert
A tranny temp guage is a must for towing, if you don't have one, get one.
Robert
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Okeechobee
Blower? noise while towing
>It has a viscous fluid in it that reacts to the temperature of the air hitting it.
I had to think about that one for a second but it makes perfect sense. As the engine heats up the water in the radiator will in turn heat up which will increase the temperature the viscous fluid is feeling, thereby causing the fan to rotate.
I was watching my engine temp. gauge the whole trip and it never seemed to move more than a 64th of an inch from where it normally runs without pulling a load.
The noise sounded like something that should probably be happening but I wasn't sure. Thanks for all the info and I think I'm going to try and learn exactly how that fan works. It was like a switch went on and the fan kicked in and then suddenly it was off. Interesting how fluid can do that.
I had to think about that one for a second but it makes perfect sense. As the engine heats up the water in the radiator will in turn heat up which will increase the temperature the viscous fluid is feeling, thereby causing the fan to rotate.
I was watching my engine temp. gauge the whole trip and it never seemed to move more than a 64th of an inch from where it normally runs without pulling a load.
The noise sounded like something that should probably be happening but I wasn't sure. Thanks for all the info and I think I'm going to try and learn exactly how that fan works. It was like a switch went on and the fan kicked in and then suddenly it was off. Interesting how fluid can do that.
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Joined: Aug 2001
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Blower? noise while towing
ok the reason people say don't tow with the O/D on is because of crappy transmisins like the AOD (sorry to all of those who have them but they are crap, they came aout of ford's butt) but the E4OD and the 4100R are just fine towing in O/D just as long as the trany doesn't start hunting i.e. shifting in and out od O/D while pulling and the reason the Aod Was SO CRAPPY is because the bearings on the O/d gear were too small and with too much force on them they would crap out
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Blower? noise while towing
The viscous fluid gets thicker as it is heated therefore creating a "drag" which in turn, locks the fan to the shaft. As it cools, the opposite happens. These temp gauges seem to stop at a certain point no matter how hot the engine is. I have seen my gauge stay at the same level whether the fan was engaged or not.
Les 
Les
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Okeechobee
Blower? noise while towing
>The viscous fluid gets thicker as it is heated therefore
>creating a "drag" which in turn, locks the fan to the shaft.
I was thinking the fluid would get thinner as it heated but after doing some research today on it you're exactly right, more heat, thicker fluid.
Thanks for the education. Now if I can find a picture of the engine that describes what everything is
>creating a "drag" which in turn, locks the fan to the shaft.
I was thinking the fluid would get thinner as it heated but after doing some research today on it you're exactly right, more heat, thicker fluid.
Thanks for the education. Now if I can find a picture of the engine that describes what everything is
