Engine Temp

[h2odog]

The coach
36ft Country Coach Intrigue - 1997 - Pusher diesel - Cummings

The temp gauge starts at 100 but the needle is always @ 130 before starting and the first few minutes after starting.
Then it creeps up to about 180 and seems to run about 230.  The gauge pegs out at 240 and has a warning light that has never lit up, even after about a 1 hr ride at ~50 MPH....

Does this seem hot or about right?

 

[Tom]

230 degrees is quite hot. I suspect that either your gauge or temperature sensor needs replacing.

 

[rhmahoney]

Consider taking a high pressure washer to the radiator. Mine has a stack of 4 or 5 radiator elements (A/C, transmission, oil, charge air, and water). Cat has detailed instructions on how to go about this, so Cummins probably does also. Check the web site.

 

[Karl]

Suggestions by both Russ and Tom are good ones. It certainly would be good to clean years of gunk from the radiator, but I would suspect either the sensor or the gauge if the radiator appears fairly clean. Does the needle rest on the peg with the ignition switch completely off? It should; it should not be at 130. This would indicate a bad meter; one that has somehow lost calibration. There is a 'zero setting' adjustment screw, but it is internal to the meter and would require removal and disassembly to adjust. Replacement is the best option. If the needle is resting on the peg with the switch off and immediately jumps to 130 when you turn the switch on, that would indicate a bad sensor OR abnormally high voltage being fed to it - hard to check, but you might try putting a meter across the battery when the engine is running. It should read somewhere around 14.4-14.6 volts when charging. Anything much higher might indicate a bad voltage regulator. Are you experiencing any excessive battery boiling or water loss? That would be an indication of a too high charging voltage, and could also damage your batteries over time.

Hope this helps.  

 

[Jim Johnson]

h2odog
 
I read on another  forum about a product called Krud Kutter.  It was suggested to be used to clean radiators.  I bought mine at Lowes.    I called the company to confirm that it was not corrosive to the radiator and they said it was not.  I sprayed my radiator and then washed it out from the inside and it seemed to do a good job.  I have since used it on my motorcycle wheels and it also did a good job on them.

 

[Jeff]

h2dog:

Cat reccommends using Simple Green, spray it on and let it sit and then rinse it off using a hose.

They were very emphatic about NOT using high pressure to avoid damaging radiator fins.

 

[h2odog]

I think my topic got Hijacked..... 

Thanks for the tips, I will Simple Green it this weekend and see how that goes.

 

[Tom]

I think my topic got Hijacked.....

Apologies Waterdog, that was unintended. RVers do tend to wander around a bit in their discussions without realizing they've changed the subject. I cleaned the discussion up and moved the unrelated stuff somewhere else.

 

[h2odog]

NP, Tom... it happens on all boards... one thought spawns many ramdom thoughts & sparks memories of times gone by.

BTW< I have gotten a LOT of great info from this board.

 

[Tom]

... it happens on all boards...

Yes, but in this case I was the guilty party and I should know better  :-[

 

[John From Detroit]

Tom, I thought Thread Drift was the LAW on all things internet

 

[Tom]

LOL John, I think you're right and especially so amongst RVers. But I figure that, since I was the culprit, I should clean things up a bit.