So here's my story over our Labor Day weekend? which should be made into a made for TV movie and I'd like Brad Pitt or maybe Matt Damon to play me.
We left the house at 9AM Friday pulling the 25 foot camper and with the new 456 gears it pulled pretty good. We made it about an hour down the freeway with the temp at 210 cruising at 60MPH. The D would kick into overdrive and at 64MPH the RPMs would be 1900. But the engine just doesn't really have the torque to maintain that speed, so it'd kick back out of overdrive and the RPM?s would go up to 2800. Then it'd kick back into overdrive and the cycle would start over again.
At one point it seemed to manage 64MPH in overdrive and I figured 210 would work for an engine temp while pulling the trailer. Well, the temp climbed to 230° and beyond so we exited and got off the road. I went into the camper and got my gallon jugs of water and started pouring it on the radiator to cool it down when I noticed the fan wasn't running. It'd blown the 40 amp fuse on the Variable Speed Controller.
I replaced the fuse and noticed the fan was hardly spinning and I could heard the bearings grinding. Then it blew another fuse! So, I wired it directly to the battery to at least get us to O?Rielly?s. The business we were next to told me where to go, so off we went. We made it to Cullen St and started down it. We passed a Houston Fire Station, Number 55, and, since I didn't know how much farther O?Rielly?s was and the motor was so hot it was clanking, we turned around and headed back to the station for help. We made it to the side street next to the station and stopped the D but, just as I got out, they got a call and off they went. So we started the D up and made our way through the neighborhood and back around to Cullen, but by then the engine was so hot I thought I'd throw a rod,so we stopped right at Cullen and shut it down.
I parked in a church parking lot across the street with shade trees as it was already 101° outside. After a bit the ladder truck returned to the station so I walked over to asked them where O?Rielly?s was and told them what was going on. I walked backed and took the shroud and fan out preparing to put a new one in and it'd seized up by now. I also took the thermostat out to help it run cooler once I replaced the fan.
The ladder truck came over and picked me up and took me to O?Rielly?s to buy a fan and coolant. We got back and they dropped me off. They wanted Jennifer and Ellen to go over to the station to sit in the A/C and relax while I put it all back together, but they stayed with me. The crew said they had to go install a smoke detector and would check on me later if I was still there.
I installed the new fan, put the shroud back in and then went to put the thermostat housing back on. I noticed one bolt wouldn't tighten down all the way and thought since the motor was still hot it was just tight from that. So I loosened it up and retried it to no avail. I then swapped bolts and still a no go. I did notice I had a washer on one bolt but not the other as it was lying on the radiator? in my frustration I forgot the washers keep the bolts from bottoming out. I figured I'd just slowly tighten the one bolt down until it tightened up on the housing but it snapped on me and I just sat down on the ground saying that was it, time to call a wrecker!
We were about an hour and a half away from home and the wrecker service said it'd be $175 flat rate to tow us home. As they were on their way, the ladder truck showed up and was surprised to see us still there. I explained what happened and they called some people they knew to see if they could repair it. No one could get to it that day, even the few repair shops I called couldn't get to it, so they brought a pickup over, hitched up the trailer and put it behind the fence at the station. I planned on having us towed home, drilling and tapping the bolt myself at my buddies shop and then heading back to get the trailer and go camping.
The wrecker showed up and said he'd called a mechanic he knew who wanted to look at it to see if he could fix it that day. He was down the street about 2 miles, so off we went. Once there he said yes, he'd work on it and get it fixed no problem. I asked how much and he said not to worry as he'd price me real good. So we went with the wrecker guy (Robert) to his shop to hang out in the A/C and drink some water until the repair was done. After a few hours he took us to a Burger King and bought us and the guys at his shop lunch. Then at about 6:45PM we headed back to the D as the mechanic said he was putting it all back together.
Jennifer paid Robert $50 bucks for his tow service and he headed out. The mechanic charged me $150 for the repair as he said he had to remove the A/C compressor and alternator to get to it. It's now 7PM and he's filling the radiator up and, as he does, it's leaking somewhere behind the shroud. So I remove it and the plastic side tank is swollen and cracked. He tries to call a few places, but can't locate one that late on a Friday so now we're really dead in the water!
While waiting on Robert, I told the mechanic about the overheating problems I'd been dealing with and what I'd done to try and stop it. He asked if the electric fan setup was factory and I said no. I told him I'd put a 3 inch body lift on it and, since the radiator goes up with the lift and not the motor, I'd taken the shroud and clutch fan out and went electric. He said that was my problem. The electric fan just couldn't keep up with the strain of the engine turning the tires and towing the boat or camper. That it'd work fine when the D wasn't towing. He said I should simply cut the bottom of the shroud so the clutch fan would fit and then I'd have no more overheating problems.
So Robert comes back and tows us home, which cost $175. I had him stop at Station 55 so I could ask them to keep the camper until later that night as I'd called my brother and he'd meet us at our house and him and I would come back to get it. They said no problem, they'd leave the lock on the fence, but not locked and I could lock it when we left. This was because it'd be after 10PM before we could get back.
On the way home I called O?Rielly?s and ordered a new radiator and clutch fan. He said they had the clutch fan in stock, but the radiator wouldn?t be in until Saturday morning at 10AM. The radiator, which is the heavy duty one, cost $251 and the clutch fan cost $151. So we got home at about 9:30PM, dropped the D, paid Robert, and my brother and I went back to get the camper. We made it back with the camper around 11:30PM and put it in the driveway next to the D.
Saturday morning, I went to O?Rielly?s as soon as they opened at 7:30AM to get the clutch fan so I'd already have it installed and, when the radiator came in, I could simply drop it in and we could be on our way. They said neither part was in stock and that it'd be Noon until they came in. I told them I needed both as early as possible, so he gave me directions up to Hobby Airport to their main warehouse hub to pick them up, it was about a 30 minute drive. Once I got there, she handed me a big box and a little box. I looked at the little box and asked where the fan blades were? She had no idea and I could tell she was just a clerk working there so I called Mike at O?Rielly?s and asked him. Once he looked it up he found out the fan blades are separate and he couldn't locate them. I guess most people just order the clutch assemble as that's the part that goes out more often.
Mike said he'd make some calls to try and locate one. On the way home I called Joe at the four wheel drive shop that put the gears in. I told him what I needed and he said he had a 4.7 Dodge truck on the back lot with a clutch fan assembly still on it. I went straight there and we pulled it off. The fan looked a little smaller than the one for the 5.9, but I had no choice if we wanted to get back on the road. The clutch assemble on it was definitely smaller, but I had the new one the fan blades would bolt to. So I went home and started the process of putting it back together. I cut the bottom of the shroud with my angle grinder, put the new radiator in, put the shroud and clutch fan in, buttoned everything up, filled the radiator and started the D and let it idle for about 20 minutes and it did well.
So, we hook up the trailer and leave out again at 1PM for the 4 ½ hour drive to the river campsite. Once back on the freeway, the temp went to 150° and stuck there like glue. It was a night and day difference from before with just the electric fan. When I got into the gas to climb the hills or got up to 65 to 70 MPH, the temp would climb to 160, but once it slowed back down to 64MPH where I had the cruise control set, it'd immediately drop back to 150°. The outside temp on the drive was 106 on the way up, so the new fan assembly did great. I'll put my thermostat back in this week, though I'm thinking of going with a 160° one now.
So the whole time I've been struggling to get this temp issue right, the right mechanic?s advice fixed the problem. I'll put a 5.9 fan assembly on the new clutch as soon as I find one. That way I'll have efficient cooling back for good. As I said earlier about the RPM?s, the engine just doesn't seem to have the torque to maintain cruising speed without working hard. Seems for the engine to maintain 65 to 70 MPH, the overdrive gear can't hold it so it drops into drive and the RPM?s go to 2800, though the new fan setup still maintains 150 to 160 temp. Problem is the gas is being chewed up, I can watch the needle drop!
Anyone remember when I took a kegger and cut the tunnels on the inside down and ported and polished it? If I remember right, it gives better low end while hurting the top in? If that's right, then I might go ahead and put my stock one back on to get some top in back. It might help out some, but with the 35? tires I'm most likely doomed as a tow vehicle.
PART TWO ? CAMP
Once at camp the rear end was clanking as if I'd burned up the bearings. The differential cover was so hot it discolored the paint and blistered the Mopar sticker on it. We unhooked the camper and my cousin said the tires were jerking when I either went forward or backwards. Seems the nightmare continues. So I let it sit overnight and him and I took it for a drive early Sunday morning. Climbing a hill out of camp it'd clank some, but once up to speed it drove great with no noise. Went into town, about a 20 minute drive, and it'd only clank when I got into the gas from a stop. If I took off slower, it wouldn't clank at all. So back to camp we went. We decided my brother would drive it home and I'd keep his friend's truck he drove up there to tow the camper back Monday. He had to leave Sunday as he had to work Monday. So about 3PM he left in it and, at that time, there was no noise coming from the rear axle. Even at takeoff and climbing the hill to get out of camp.
He said later that once they got into Houston, about a 2 hour drive, it started making the noise again and the differential cover was hot again. But the next day when he took it to work at BP, there was no noise. We got back with the camper Monday at about 2:30PM as we left camp early due to the wildfires. We also had to stop at Jennifer?s Dad?s house in Columbus to pick up his Jeep Cherokee so I had something to drive while the D was in the shop. Got tired of driving that big beast of a truck my buddy has. haha Her Dad doesn't drive anymore due to his age, so we'll most likely buy the 2001 Cherokee anyway.
My brother dropped the D off after work and we backed it into the driveway. The next morning, I got in it and drove it to Joe's shop so they could look at it. I couldn't get it to clank anymore, I jumped on the gas pedal numerous times across town to no avail, so they couldn't figure it out. If I'd broken something, it'd still be broke so, unless I have the first self-healing axle?? We didn?t open it up, but you could smell the burnt axle fluid inside it through the fill hole. I told them I'd drive it and see if I could get it to clank and then bring it back. So off I went to I-45 and headed towards Dickinson which is about 25 minutes away. I got into the gas pedal at every light on the way out, kept it up to 75 to 80 MPH on the freeway, took the exit, came back doing the same thing and then headed for the house. Once home, the differential was so hot I couldn?t keep my hand on it. I went and filled it up with gas and took off again doing the same thing back to Dickinson, then headed back to the shop for them to look at it. Still no clanking at all.
They can't figure out why it gets so hot, but that could be normal due to the new gears. They did set them up within specs and on the loose side, so the gears aren't tight. I then explained what I thought about the clanking. The gear oil in it, which is regular 75-90, had gotten so hot that it broke down and lost viscosity. This in turn caused it to not be able to lubricate anymore which caused the clanking. They agreed that could've been the problem. Pulling the camper put a lot of stress on the new gears causing them to overheat on the freeway after driving for 3 to 4 hours straight.
So I went down and picked up 2 quarts of Lucas Synthetic SAE 75-90 and a small bottle of Champion Limited Slip Differential Concentrate. I then added the three bottles plus half a bottle of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer, the thick honey oil. Once I had the cover off, the gears looked shiny and new with no burned spots and no metal shavings or chucks on the magnet. The oil smelled bad, but other than that it looked good.
We towed the trailer back to Dickinson last night and it towed good. The differential got pretty warm, but not as hot as before. I figure I'll put a Mag-Tec cover on it to keep it cooler and those things hold like 5 quarts of oil. We only tow the camper once a year and only tow the boat 10 minutes to the launch, or if we go off shore, an hour, so I just can't justify buying a diesel just yet. I do know the D just might not be setup for long haul towing due to the 35? tires. Another option is to put the stock rims and 33? tires on it for long distance towing. The camper and boat each weight about 4700 to 5000 pounds unloaded.
So that was our weekend. I told her when we head out next year, if a bug hits the windshield, we're turning back for home! HAHA
Questions? :cheesy:
We left the house at 9AM Friday pulling the 25 foot camper and with the new 456 gears it pulled pretty good. We made it about an hour down the freeway with the temp at 210 cruising at 60MPH. The D would kick into overdrive and at 64MPH the RPMs would be 1900. But the engine just doesn't really have the torque to maintain that speed, so it'd kick back out of overdrive and the RPM?s would go up to 2800. Then it'd kick back into overdrive and the cycle would start over again.
At one point it seemed to manage 64MPH in overdrive and I figured 210 would work for an engine temp while pulling the trailer. Well, the temp climbed to 230° and beyond so we exited and got off the road. I went into the camper and got my gallon jugs of water and started pouring it on the radiator to cool it down when I noticed the fan wasn't running. It'd blown the 40 amp fuse on the Variable Speed Controller.
I replaced the fuse and noticed the fan was hardly spinning and I could heard the bearings grinding. Then it blew another fuse! So, I wired it directly to the battery to at least get us to O?Rielly?s. The business we were next to told me where to go, so off we went. We made it to Cullen St and started down it. We passed a Houston Fire Station, Number 55, and, since I didn't know how much farther O?Rielly?s was and the motor was so hot it was clanking, we turned around and headed back to the station for help. We made it to the side street next to the station and stopped the D but, just as I got out, they got a call and off they went. So we started the D up and made our way through the neighborhood and back around to Cullen, but by then the engine was so hot I thought I'd throw a rod,so we stopped right at Cullen and shut it down.
I parked in a church parking lot across the street with shade trees as it was already 101° outside. After a bit the ladder truck returned to the station so I walked over to asked them where O?Rielly?s was and told them what was going on. I walked backed and took the shroud and fan out preparing to put a new one in and it'd seized up by now. I also took the thermostat out to help it run cooler once I replaced the fan.
The ladder truck came over and picked me up and took me to O?Rielly?s to buy a fan and coolant. We got back and they dropped me off. They wanted Jennifer and Ellen to go over to the station to sit in the A/C and relax while I put it all back together, but they stayed with me. The crew said they had to go install a smoke detector and would check on me later if I was still there.
I installed the new fan, put the shroud back in and then went to put the thermostat housing back on. I noticed one bolt wouldn't tighten down all the way and thought since the motor was still hot it was just tight from that. So I loosened it up and retried it to no avail. I then swapped bolts and still a no go. I did notice I had a washer on one bolt but not the other as it was lying on the radiator? in my frustration I forgot the washers keep the bolts from bottoming out. I figured I'd just slowly tighten the one bolt down until it tightened up on the housing but it snapped on me and I just sat down on the ground saying that was it, time to call a wrecker!
We were about an hour and a half away from home and the wrecker service said it'd be $175 flat rate to tow us home. As they were on their way, the ladder truck showed up and was surprised to see us still there. I explained what happened and they called some people they knew to see if they could repair it. No one could get to it that day, even the few repair shops I called couldn't get to it, so they brought a pickup over, hitched up the trailer and put it behind the fence at the station. I planned on having us towed home, drilling and tapping the bolt myself at my buddies shop and then heading back to get the trailer and go camping.
The wrecker showed up and said he'd called a mechanic he knew who wanted to look at it to see if he could fix it that day. He was down the street about 2 miles, so off we went. Once there he said yes, he'd work on it and get it fixed no problem. I asked how much and he said not to worry as he'd price me real good. So we went with the wrecker guy (Robert) to his shop to hang out in the A/C and drink some water until the repair was done. After a few hours he took us to a Burger King and bought us and the guys at his shop lunch. Then at about 6:45PM we headed back to the D as the mechanic said he was putting it all back together.
Jennifer paid Robert $50 bucks for his tow service and he headed out. The mechanic charged me $150 for the repair as he said he had to remove the A/C compressor and alternator to get to it. It's now 7PM and he's filling the radiator up and, as he does, it's leaking somewhere behind the shroud. So I remove it and the plastic side tank is swollen and cracked. He tries to call a few places, but can't locate one that late on a Friday so now we're really dead in the water!
While waiting on Robert, I told the mechanic about the overheating problems I'd been dealing with and what I'd done to try and stop it. He asked if the electric fan setup was factory and I said no. I told him I'd put a 3 inch body lift on it and, since the radiator goes up with the lift and not the motor, I'd taken the shroud and clutch fan out and went electric. He said that was my problem. The electric fan just couldn't keep up with the strain of the engine turning the tires and towing the boat or camper. That it'd work fine when the D wasn't towing. He said I should simply cut the bottom of the shroud so the clutch fan would fit and then I'd have no more overheating problems.
So Robert comes back and tows us home, which cost $175. I had him stop at Station 55 so I could ask them to keep the camper until later that night as I'd called my brother and he'd meet us at our house and him and I would come back to get it. They said no problem, they'd leave the lock on the fence, but not locked and I could lock it when we left. This was because it'd be after 10PM before we could get back.
On the way home I called O?Rielly?s and ordered a new radiator and clutch fan. He said they had the clutch fan in stock, but the radiator wouldn?t be in until Saturday morning at 10AM. The radiator, which is the heavy duty one, cost $251 and the clutch fan cost $151. So we got home at about 9:30PM, dropped the D, paid Robert, and my brother and I went back to get the camper. We made it back with the camper around 11:30PM and put it in the driveway next to the D.
Saturday morning, I went to O?Rielly?s as soon as they opened at 7:30AM to get the clutch fan so I'd already have it installed and, when the radiator came in, I could simply drop it in and we could be on our way. They said neither part was in stock and that it'd be Noon until they came in. I told them I needed both as early as possible, so he gave me directions up to Hobby Airport to their main warehouse hub to pick them up, it was about a 30 minute drive. Once I got there, she handed me a big box and a little box. I looked at the little box and asked where the fan blades were? She had no idea and I could tell she was just a clerk working there so I called Mike at O?Rielly?s and asked him. Once he looked it up he found out the fan blades are separate and he couldn't locate them. I guess most people just order the clutch assemble as that's the part that goes out more often.
Mike said he'd make some calls to try and locate one. On the way home I called Joe at the four wheel drive shop that put the gears in. I told him what I needed and he said he had a 4.7 Dodge truck on the back lot with a clutch fan assembly still on it. I went straight there and we pulled it off. The fan looked a little smaller than the one for the 5.9, but I had no choice if we wanted to get back on the road. The clutch assemble on it was definitely smaller, but I had the new one the fan blades would bolt to. So I went home and started the process of putting it back together. I cut the bottom of the shroud with my angle grinder, put the new radiator in, put the shroud and clutch fan in, buttoned everything up, filled the radiator and started the D and let it idle for about 20 minutes and it did well.
So, we hook up the trailer and leave out again at 1PM for the 4 ½ hour drive to the river campsite. Once back on the freeway, the temp went to 150° and stuck there like glue. It was a night and day difference from before with just the electric fan. When I got into the gas to climb the hills or got up to 65 to 70 MPH, the temp would climb to 160, but once it slowed back down to 64MPH where I had the cruise control set, it'd immediately drop back to 150°. The outside temp on the drive was 106 on the way up, so the new fan assembly did great. I'll put my thermostat back in this week, though I'm thinking of going with a 160° one now.
So the whole time I've been struggling to get this temp issue right, the right mechanic?s advice fixed the problem. I'll put a 5.9 fan assembly on the new clutch as soon as I find one. That way I'll have efficient cooling back for good. As I said earlier about the RPM?s, the engine just doesn't seem to have the torque to maintain cruising speed without working hard. Seems for the engine to maintain 65 to 70 MPH, the overdrive gear can't hold it so it drops into drive and the RPM?s go to 2800, though the new fan setup still maintains 150 to 160 temp. Problem is the gas is being chewed up, I can watch the needle drop!
Anyone remember when I took a kegger and cut the tunnels on the inside down and ported and polished it? If I remember right, it gives better low end while hurting the top in? If that's right, then I might go ahead and put my stock one back on to get some top in back. It might help out some, but with the 35? tires I'm most likely doomed as a tow vehicle.
PART TWO ? CAMP
Once at camp the rear end was clanking as if I'd burned up the bearings. The differential cover was so hot it discolored the paint and blistered the Mopar sticker on it. We unhooked the camper and my cousin said the tires were jerking when I either went forward or backwards. Seems the nightmare continues. So I let it sit overnight and him and I took it for a drive early Sunday morning. Climbing a hill out of camp it'd clank some, but once up to speed it drove great with no noise. Went into town, about a 20 minute drive, and it'd only clank when I got into the gas from a stop. If I took off slower, it wouldn't clank at all. So back to camp we went. We decided my brother would drive it home and I'd keep his friend's truck he drove up there to tow the camper back Monday. He had to leave Sunday as he had to work Monday. So about 3PM he left in it and, at that time, there was no noise coming from the rear axle. Even at takeoff and climbing the hill to get out of camp.
He said later that once they got into Houston, about a 2 hour drive, it started making the noise again and the differential cover was hot again. But the next day when he took it to work at BP, there was no noise. We got back with the camper Monday at about 2:30PM as we left camp early due to the wildfires. We also had to stop at Jennifer?s Dad?s house in Columbus to pick up his Jeep Cherokee so I had something to drive while the D was in the shop. Got tired of driving that big beast of a truck my buddy has. haha Her Dad doesn't drive anymore due to his age, so we'll most likely buy the 2001 Cherokee anyway.
My brother dropped the D off after work and we backed it into the driveway. The next morning, I got in it and drove it to Joe's shop so they could look at it. I couldn't get it to clank anymore, I jumped on the gas pedal numerous times across town to no avail, so they couldn't figure it out. If I'd broken something, it'd still be broke so, unless I have the first self-healing axle?? We didn?t open it up, but you could smell the burnt axle fluid inside it through the fill hole. I told them I'd drive it and see if I could get it to clank and then bring it back. So off I went to I-45 and headed towards Dickinson which is about 25 minutes away. I got into the gas pedal at every light on the way out, kept it up to 75 to 80 MPH on the freeway, took the exit, came back doing the same thing and then headed for the house. Once home, the differential was so hot I couldn?t keep my hand on it. I went and filled it up with gas and took off again doing the same thing back to Dickinson, then headed back to the shop for them to look at it. Still no clanking at all.
They can't figure out why it gets so hot, but that could be normal due to the new gears. They did set them up within specs and on the loose side, so the gears aren't tight. I then explained what I thought about the clanking. The gear oil in it, which is regular 75-90, had gotten so hot that it broke down and lost viscosity. This in turn caused it to not be able to lubricate anymore which caused the clanking. They agreed that could've been the problem. Pulling the camper put a lot of stress on the new gears causing them to overheat on the freeway after driving for 3 to 4 hours straight.
So I went down and picked up 2 quarts of Lucas Synthetic SAE 75-90 and a small bottle of Champion Limited Slip Differential Concentrate. I then added the three bottles plus half a bottle of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer, the thick honey oil. Once I had the cover off, the gears looked shiny and new with no burned spots and no metal shavings or chucks on the magnet. The oil smelled bad, but other than that it looked good.
We towed the trailer back to Dickinson last night and it towed good. The differential got pretty warm, but not as hot as before. I figure I'll put a Mag-Tec cover on it to keep it cooler and those things hold like 5 quarts of oil. We only tow the camper once a year and only tow the boat 10 minutes to the launch, or if we go off shore, an hour, so I just can't justify buying a diesel just yet. I do know the D just might not be setup for long haul towing due to the 35? tires. Another option is to put the stock rims and 33? tires on it for long distance towing. The camper and boat each weight about 4700 to 5000 pounds unloaded.
So that was our weekend. I told her when we head out next year, if a bug hits the windshield, we're turning back for home! HAHA
Questions? :cheesy:
