Hey All..
Here in Colorado(Fort Carson) and decided to take my B2 up into the Mountains and didnt get too far b4 she started to overheat....or get too warm for my tastes....guessin I need to change out my gearing. Runnin 3.73's w/ 31's and gettin ready to put 33's on her. I got the fans and al I need for coolin but thinkin I need to put 4.10's or 4.56's in her to deal with the engine overheatin issue. Let me know somethin ok? Also, so I can avoid the exspence of havin someone put the gears in for me...anyone know of a cheap place for install here in colorado springs, co or can I put them in myself with help?
As always, appreciate any help or advice!

Later!

 

Just checkin in....
Have any of you all run into this problem I am havin? Am I missing somethin?

 

For one, you're at a different elevation in general than the truck is probably used to, but not sure if there is like a special ECU calibration for different places or a special MAP difference or anything. You may want to check to see if you have an air pocket in your cooling system and/or leaks anywhere. The only time I had hot-running / overheat issues was when I had leaks in my cooling system, which caused an air pocket to form. Fixed all my leaks and flushed / refilled the cooling system and no more issues.

As far as gears go, most ring and pinion sets, as well as install kits (which I recommend getting a master install kit for each R&P set, unless you get one with the set 'free' or whatever) will have directions on how to remove / install the ring and pinion set. I haven't checked to see if any of the Haynes / Chilton's manuals, etc. have the info, nor have I checked the online repair guides on autozone.com or alldatadiy.com, but wouldn't hurt to check any of those resources. This will also give you a chance to check your axle shafts, as well as repack your bearings front and rear and replace any seals, etc. (which is also a good idea... you're already there, might as well do it, right?). Hope this helps.

 

pretty shure the timing needs advanced 12 degrees instead of 10, with the mushroom spout out. elvevation = thinner air

 

running a BIGGER TRANNY COOLER will help drop the engine temperature drastically. I got a big ole Hayden tranny cooler mounted in the front grill of my BII and it runs much much cooler.

 

The ECU adjusts the timing with relation to elevation, etc. Like I said, not sure if some geographical locations require a certain calibration coded ECU or not. The base timing is vehicle-specific, and usually 10* BTDC:

"Specific instructions and specifications for setting initial timing can be found in the Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) label in the engine compartment. Because this label contains information regarding any specific calibration requirements for YOUR vehicle, those instructions and specifications should be followed if they differ from the following."

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us...rInfoPages.htm
http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us...rInfoPages.htm

 

Heres a problem for you all....
In the last couple days since I tried to go up into the hills around here my B2 has started to climb into the warm to hot range if I am just idling or sitting in traffic. What do you think is causin this? I am starting to get the feeling that if its not one thing its another! BTW, my B2 is runnin fine. When she gets warm like this she cools right down once I start moving.
As always...thanks for any advice/help!

 

Sounds like your clutch fan to me,. If it spins freely while engine is cold it's bad. Or if you can see oily dirt on the frount of it.

 

Sounds like it could be an airflow problem (fan), but I would check the entire cooling system, especially the thermostat -- it could be stuck open all the way or partially open (hopefully there's one in there and someone didn't remove it!). Could just be geographical location (altitude affects everything, including horsepower and cooling system). If it's while sitting in traffic, it's not abnormal, but, I would check everything just to be safe. You can always convert the clutch fan to a flex fan so it's always drawing air through the radiator. That'll help run cooler, and a lot of the flex fans have less drag on the engine.

 

I am running electric fans...14" pullin air thru the rad and a 10" pushin air thru. I don't use them till I see the temp get to 'M' on the gauge. Forgot to mention that I changed the timing a little last night. Not much though...got her idling at around 800 where b4 she was idling around 600. But the overheating issue was going on b4 I did the change.

 

When I had mine, I put in a V-8 Explorer Radiator -- kept that beast nice & icy cool. I got it from a local radiator shop for ~$175 if memory serves...

Joe

 

I put an explorer two core rad in my B2 a couple years ago. I am going to go buy the stuff to flush everything out today and hope that it solves the problem

Later All

 

Okay, then definitely check the thermostat -- mine got stuck once as well. I'll never forget changing it either. I stopped at the parts store to pick one up on the way in to work after I noticed it getting too hot (I was working in Melbourne, FL at the time). It just so happened that John Glen was going up in the Shuttle that afternoon, so when we all went outside to watch it go, I swapped the 'stat... Sorry for the OT, but this topic just reminded me of that!

Joe