# Truck is overheating



## lodogg89 (Jul 8, 2006)

My truck was over heating really bad with the plow on, it was only when going long distances at higher speeds, but right when i was getting home it went all the way into the red and was cooling down, i had the plow almost touching the ground and was driving very slow trying to cool the radiator. I just had the coolant changed at sears, is it possible that they put the wrong stuff in. Shouldn't it be dex cool. Im not sure, it is just a pink coolant in there. Truck is an 04 gmc 1500, SLT 5.3. The light actually came on and now their is a check engine light.


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## Motorman 007 (Jan 11, 2005)

lodogg89;453689 said:


> My truck was over heating really bad with the plow on, it was only when going long distances at higher speeds, but right when i was getting home it went all the way into the red and was cooling down, i had the plow almost touching the ground and was driving very slow trying to cool the radiator. I just had the coolant changed at sears, is it possible that they put the wrong stuff in. Shouldn't it be dex cool. Im not sure, it is just a pink coolant in there. Truck is an 04 gmc 1500, SLT 5.3. The light actually came on and now their is a check engine light.


Can you spell *FAN CLUTCH*? Do a search using those 2 words and you'll be buried in threads that discuss it ad naseum.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Check the coolant again to see if it Burped again. Try driving withe plow angled also


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## 6feetdeep (Sep 8, 2006)

Fan clutch. Same thing on my '04 2500HD. If you cant fix it right away, drop the plow way down low, crank the heater and blower as high as they will go and roll down a window. It should drop the temp. pretty quickly. Before mine was fixed, I would sometimes pull the hood unlatch lever to pop the hood up just a little for more air around the motor (DONT do this if you are driving over 20-30 MPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Just a temporary thing to cool the motor down a little between accounts.


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## Prof Touch L&L (Aug 21, 2007)

Motorman 007;453705 said:


> Can you spell *FAN CLUTCH*? Do a search using those 2 words and you'll be buried in threads that discuss it ad naseum.


Absolutely, I had mine replaced in my 04 2500HD and it made a world of difference!!


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## lodogg89 (Jul 8, 2006)

but what is wierd is it was doing it a lot worse last night than it did the time before, could this have something to do with the coolant they used, i thought gm used dex cool or something like that, what does the fan clutch cost??


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## Prof Touch L&L (Aug 21, 2007)

Something else to consider is outside temp. Mine was covered under warranty, but again if you search clutch fan there is some info on cost & diy. I would check the coolant as well, it's possible there is a bubble and it hasnt worked itself out. Good luck.


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## lodogg89 (Jul 8, 2006)

i was also thinking about buying the air foil blizzard makes, or for that matter making one and trying it, any of you do this??


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## Mark Witcher (Feb 21, 2004)

lodogg89;453880 said:


> i was also thinking about buying the air foil blizzard makes, or for that matter making one and trying it, any of you do this??


Yes. I made one for my Jeep cj,it would over heat on hiway with the plow. As I couldnt put in a bigger radiator or add any more fan to it, I added the home made airfoil. This solved my cooling problem.


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## sechracer (Nov 4, 2007)

lodogg89;453824 said:


> but what is wierd is it was doing it a lot worse last night than it did the time before, could this have something to do with the coolant they used, i thought gm used dex cool or something like that, what does the fan clutch cost??


If they flushed the system out, then it does not matter what coolant they used. Yes, newer GM's come with dexcool, but they can be run on the old style green stuff. If they put Dexcool back in it should be a orangeish/pinkish color. If they used the other stuff, then its of course green. If you are worried about the coolant, do yourself a favor, and go to the local auto parts store and get a coolant tester. You want a 70%- 50% coolant mix. 
70% coolant 30% water..... But I would look into a few other things also.

1) drive with the blade angled.
2) new fan clutch
3) lower temp thermostat


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## RBRONKEMA GHTFD (Dec 17, 2006)

Yes gms do use dex cool. It is recomended for the motors. I am not sure why though.


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## pyro29 (Dec 7, 2007)

sechracer;454192 said:


> 3) lower temp thermostat


Changing your thermostat to a lower temperature may cause you to fail emissions testing and can also reduce your fuel mileage. A cooler engine means a richer air / fuel mixture therefore increasing hydrocarbon emissions and consuming more fuel.



RBRONKEMA GHTFD;454194 said:


> Yes gms do use dex cool. It is recomended for the motors. I am not sure why though.


Gm's use of dex-cool was started with the Cadillac line back in the late 80s as nothing more than a selling point. Yes the coolant does last, as far as rust inhibitors go, longer than the normal ethylene glycol based coolant (green), but this is not always a good thing. The lubricating additives don't last as long as they say which can contribute to earlier than normal water pump failure. Problem number two with the dex-cool is that you MUST keep an eye on the concentration. As the percentage of coolant (to water) increases the pH increases. Eventually, the coolant becomes caustic to the point that it contributes to gasket and seal failure.

Best bet, with your next coolant change, is to go with the green coolant. If you need additional cooling, go with a HD fan clutch, an electro magnet type fan clutch, or add a supplemental electric cooling fan, IMO.


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## salsterboy (Dec 3, 2007)

I have an 02 3500 & a 05 2500 HD, I have had issues with over heating for years. Dealer replaced fan clutch on the 02 but it never helped, I installed a auxilllary fan and it helped. Turns out that there is a problem with the fan clutch, same thing has happened with my 05. I recently replaced both fan clutches and have no longer had any issues. Go to AutoZone and get the extreme duty fan clutch which is 59.00. I have talked to other guys that have had the same problem when driving with a plow on only. Common problem with the newer chevys.


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## rdaily104 (Nov 22, 2007)

Alright guys,
Need some help, I have read about the updated fan clutch. I believe this was done on my truck prior to me owning it. I run about 200 on the tranny guage and 180 on the regular temp. The only thing is occasionally it will spike. I change the blade and it drops. I was reading about putting the black molding that was taken off when the plow was put on. I don't understand how this will help. Any help would be appreciated....


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## hadley-plow-guy (Dec 18, 2007)

Taking off the fan shroud will reduce the fans ability to funnel air through the radiator. Unless you have electric fans then the shroud needs to be on there. Picture a hair drier without a nozzle how effective would that be at pushing air. I don't know if this is the case but it is sometimes overlooked.


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## BayStateGlenn (Dec 13, 2007)

hadley-plow-guy;462691 said:


> Taking off the fan shroud will reduce the fans ability to funnel air through the radiator. Unless you have electric fans then the shroud needs to be on there. Picture a hair drier without a nozzle how effective would that be at pushing air. I don't know if this is the case but it is sometimes overlooked.


I think he was talking about the fascia that is removed from below the front bumper. He shouldn't have had to remove the radiator shroud to install a plow. 
Luckily with a 6" lift kit and 37" tires I'm able to lower the plow enugh to get airflow to the radiator. Of course this fix may cost you $5K or so.


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## rdaily104 (Nov 22, 2007)

I am talking about the front fascia. I was removed to install the plow. I read to put it back on. Any thoughts.....


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## rdaily104 (Nov 22, 2007)

Just wanted to bump this back to the new posts. Any help with my problem is helpful.. Thanks....


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## Bad Luck (Sep 30, 2004)

Is it heating up with the blade off? 

Could be they botched up the flush. But my truck, 04 1500, was very tempermental with the blade on and engine temps. You have to position the blade just in the right spot, angled slightly and just off the ground. Also, anytime I took the truck up past 45-50, it would heat up. Check a few things,1 - that your coolant is full. 2 - that the rad cap is on correctly and is pressurizing the system without any leaks. This will cause the cooling properties to be reduced grealty, and will cause the dex to start to gunk up in the system. 

The fan clutch issue that everyone is talking about here was related to the same year 3/4 ton trucks. I do not believe they were an issue on 1/2 tons. Also, Dex-Cool is superior in it's cooling properties. All the bad things you hear are not related to Dex itself but to poor maintenance and flushing of the system. It is critical that you make sure your rad cap is not leaking any air (or in our case your overflow). 

When in doubt, see your dealer.


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## barrosod (Dec 21, 2007)

*My own $.02*

Just wanted to say that I just replaced my clutch fan on my 04 silverado 2500HD and it did the trick. Truck was overheating with the plow on over long distances. When the engine did overheat I noticed that my trany temp was up about 200°F. After reading thru the posts here I swapped out the fan clutch and it did the trick. I found some aftermarket clutches at Autozone but I went with the GM part instead.

This is a great site .Thanks for the suggestions!

Dom


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## hudie3 (Aug 14, 2005)

I made an airfoil 2 years ago and have had very good luck with it. I posted pictures of it on here also check it out.

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=32535&highlight=airfoil


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