Overheating with Full Race Intercooler

[roostinyfz]

Not removing the lights every time I tow. Need a better option.

 

[zombiekiller]

your lights are blocking enough IC/Radiator surface area to cause your overheating.

You are kind of double ******** yourself when you block ANY necessary airflow now because the air flows through the IC and then through the radiator.

Ditch the M&R lights. Them being behind the grill blocks 50% of their output anyway.

 

[kandewinn]

Cooling fans running? Sand build up between the fins restricting air flow?

 

[nikhsub1]

Not removing the lights every time I tow. Need a better option.

agreed but the only way to know if the lights are to blame is to remove them, then tow again.

 

[Ecoop]

I can’t see the light bar really causing enough restriction to cause those temps. I tow a 6000lb boat up the hills with full race intercooler, 91 tune and 170 thermostat...which I understand no change in cooling except now with programming the fans kick on sooner so more cooling effect, but at higher speeds fans become less important. Never see temps even close to that, going to ocean tomorrow and pull grade in 100 degree weather, I will let you know temps for comparison.

 

[im33303]

My vote goes to 170 Thermostat and proper Fans tune.

I live in an area reaching 120 degrees and sometime beyond that and have zero issue. I don't have the IC installed as of yet, but the same lights bars and a thermostat from SPD tuned by my self using HP Tuners.

 

[smurfslayer]

I think @zombiekiller has a point. It’s not the IC, it’s not the lights, its’ the combination of lights + IC + towing.

because while you’re towing, the low speed load on the vehicle is significantly increased and at the same time, you’ve both impeded and partially obstructed air flow to the radiator. I would think that the air exiting the IC should be increasing in temperature at least slightly before going into the radiator as well.

 

[Sungod661]

Like i and others have said it is
Most likely the lights. I have the same I/C as you with ho issues and have towed a boat for 5 hours no issue. Only diff is the lights you have installed .

I am fairly certain the lights are preventing proper air flow

 

[zombiekiller]

Not removing the lights every time I tow. Need a better option.

you can fight computational fluid dynamics, airflow science, and common sense all you want because " I don't wanna".

But at the end of the day, you are blocking "too much" airflow based on the scenario that you are placing the truck in.

Your choices are:

1. Remove the lights.

2. Buy a bigger radiator ( which might help your cooling efficiency enough, but I'm doubtful that radiator core/fin/tank technology will cancel out lack of airflow, as all of those radiator technological improvements still require airflow.)

3. Stop towing.

4. Try a cooler tstat. If waterflow increases earlier in the heat curve, this may offset heatsoak by enough to get you past the most heavy load conditions.

You may offset the time to heatsoak enough that your truck has enough "head room" to recover before overheating. Think of this as "scratch space" or "reserve overhead". your truck will "recover" going downhill when there is less load on the drivetrain. If your tow route is just one big gnarly, steady hill climb, this will not work out so great.

5. An alternative to the Tstat ( or perhaps used in conjunction with it) would be a high flow water pump. However a high flow waterpump will have diminishing returns without an effective means to cool the static water capacity ( you will need to do something with the radiator to cool water faster).

6. Add additional Fans that push or pull air through the IC/Radiator spots that have their airflow blocked by your lightbars. ( This may help slightly, but fans are less relevant the faster the truck is moving.

You might not like any of the options, but youre going to have to choose.

I've chased this sort of issue many times over the years when shoehorning V8 swaps into jeeps, yet still wanting to run big off-road lights and/or winches.

 

[FullAuto]

You ever see what a square vehicle looks like in a wind tunnel? I think those 2 bars are blocking/diverting more airflow than you realize.