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How warm should my engine get?

Couple of things I would recommend overall. For one separate your trans cooler from the radiator if you have not done so already. Probably the huge heat soak is coming from your transmission passing really hot fluid through the radiator. That being said adding a separate transmission cooling circuit will also allow your transmission to run a lot cooler. You might perhaps look at an extra volume transmission pan as well if you are going to be doing prolonged towing with a full load. You may have done this already but you might want to do is check and see what temp range your thermostat currently is and swap it to one slightly cooler if at all possible. Another idea is swapping in a set of electric fans. It will free up some power on your engine (as much as 20 to 25 hp in fact) and every bit of parasitic draw you can eliminate should help reduce engine temps. It's not going to keep it running at 190 all the time but it should definitely help reduce prolonged temps. Also, I am not sure it will really help overall, but you may want to check and see if your motor has the oil cooler on it. If not you might want to look into one. You can add some volume and it will also help reduce temps, as well as the life of your oil an appreciable amount over it's lifetime.
 
GM was phasing in electric fans around 2004, but everything heavy duty or tow package kept the clutch fan for at least a few more years. I was looking into converting, mostly because I thought it would help MPG, but most on the GMT800 forums said to stick with mechanical for towing. The electrics on my '05 are also quieter than the mechanical on the '03, which I suppose is both good and bad. The huge HP robbing numbers are for no clutch, but here they do measure 14hp:

.

So at towing RPM, it could be 9HP. A pair of electrics is like 1HP. Here's one of the few scientific posts I've seen about it: http://gmtnation.com/forums/threads/e-fans-with-towing.2880/#post-157505. Basically electrics cool better at idle, but fall way behind at working RPMs. So is cooling power where I want to save power? Some theorize that you don't even need a fan at speed, but the difference I saw with a new fan clutch proves that you do (at least for towing).

I'll have to get pics of the coolers when I'm back with it. I'm pretty sure it's a stock thermostat because that's where it runs 95% of the time.
 
I had wondered about the aspect of what happens when you have load over time Vs varying engine speeds.
 
You should take option 4 and get off Highway 94 at Exit 88 and stop by our house on the way to Highway 29 to Wausau on your way to the UP. :waytogo:

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We've reached a new low in campground quality. It's literally a field with little signs stuck in it, as an overflow to the "real" campground (in town). Seems everyone is lining up for the full solar eclipse tomorrow and they're getting $75 for dry camping (i.e. parking). (No, I didn't pay that much. ) We planned to camp at an Oregon Trail site, but since we got there at 3:30, we kept making miles into UT.

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Blue85 said:
We've reached a new low in campground quality. It's literally a field with little signs stuck in it, as an overflow to the "real" campground (in town). Seems everyone is lining up for the full solar eclipse tomorrow and they're getting $75 for dry camping (i.e. parking). (No, I didn't pay that much. ) We planned to camp at an Oregon Trail site, but since we got there at 3:30, we kept making miles into UT.

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I'm ok camping in a field. But I wouldn't be paying for a random spot in a random field. :dunno:

Taking the I-80 route home?
 
The Great Salt Lake isn't so great, actually. Smelly, too salty and gross to swim in and much smaller than the Great Lakes. But once the sun goes down, Antelope Island is kind of nice.

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It was weird driving during the eclipse today. We weren't in the peak zone, but it did get dark enough for the headlights to turn on. Tried getting pictures, but lacked proper equipment.

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Logged over 6000 miles with a trip average of 9.5MPG. Nearly 6 weeks from the time we left to the time everyone is back home. That Suburban didn't throw a single fault code or error message. The only problem we had was with DVD read errors on the navigation system (put in a touch screen nav unit from a 2005 Escalade). It was still worth the install for having the bluetooth and SD card function which we used constantly and the interface I added for the back-up camera. Looking back, hitching the trailer was ridiculous without a camera. The reese cam anti-sway system was probably money well spent, as I had zero issues with sway.

Carnage:
-1 broken camper window - repaired en route
-1 broken bike hitch - ditched in SD and bikes loaded inside
-lost the flapper on the stove hood vent

Also, 1 trailer tire is looking a little chopped.

I will look into an additional trans cooler. On the steepest climbs, 2nd gear is required , which keeps the torque converter unlocked. I was able to get the trans to 230, even though the engine stayed below 200.
 
I'm curious to know how that works. I thought about getting one, but to be honest I was afraid the cooling tubes were just a gimmick.
 
mrk5 said:
I'm curious to know how that works. I thought about getting one, but to be honest I was afraid the cooling tubes were just a gimmick.
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I wanted a pan with a sensor bung and drain figured for about the same price I'd give this a shot. I'll report back after I get it in and tested
 
I have only drivin a little bit but I'd say this pan has dropped 5 to 10 degrees average and once warmer it cools faster. My vote is it's worth the $ and it looks neat.
@mrk5

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