# Overheating with plow on



## reedone

I'm new to this site and I need some help. My truck is overheating with the plow on I have seen several posts about people replacing their fan clutch. The people who have replaced them did it help? Any other help would be great and yes I have tryed every angle possible with the plow on and height and nothing helped.

2003 chevy silverado 1500HD 6.0
Boss straight blade


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## hydro_37

Yes it will help


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## WeDoSnowplowing

PPW has a thing called The Coooler. Under new Product in the catalog 3 on page 8. Snow plow Parts and Accessories, & Safety and Apparel catalog 3.
Claims Reduce engine stree & keep your vehicle running strong. SORRY NO PART #. Just gives a telephone number to call 1-800-228-7569. 
https://ecom.plowpartsonline.com/xephr/qbe/HOMEPAGE
[email protected]


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## carl b

reedone;863613 said:


> I'm new to this site and I need some help. My truck is overheating with the plow on I have seen several posts about people replacing their fan clutch. The people who have replaced them did it help? Any other help would be great and yes I have tryed every angle possible with the plow on and height and nothing helped.
> 
> 2003 chevy silverado 1500HD 6.0
> Boss straight blade


try driving with the plow lower . my truck overheats if i drive with the plow all the way up .


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## Deco

Have you tried transporting it as low and angled as you possibly can?
usually does the trick .


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## GatorDL55

i used to have the same problem with my 8 foot blade. No matter the height or angle, if i drove on the highway it would overheat. I think the fan clutch was going on it.


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## Deco

I always wondered why the directions in the plow owners manuals included the 
"Do not exceed 40 MPH when transporting plow" warning .They cover their aces good. :realmad:


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## RepoMan207

Does the front sag alot when the plow is up?? It maybe time to think about Timbrens or other methods of getting the nose up to proper height. I would think that would give you much more airflow solving your issue. I have a 02 2500HD 6.0 with no overheating issues at a stock level. Not sure what the particular differences are between the two other then suspension.


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## REAPER

Any GMC or Chevy truck I have had has this issue. I have tried the deflectors air scoops and the only thing that helped was a new HEAVY DUTY fan clutch. 

The GM's still raise a bit more in temp with a good working HD fan clutch but it will help and is a must to be working properly for GM.

Play around with where to tilt it and or lower raise it while driving and watch your temp gauge to look for a drop. Find the sweet spot and keep it there. I had one GMC that was so bad at one point I only took side roads and kept it under 40 mph.


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## Burkartsplow

Fan Clutch...


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## Grass_n_Trees

All chevy's heat up with a plow, try a summer thermostat, rad flush, product called wetter water, tilt the blade right all the way, drop it till it scrapes the road and heater on high.


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## CJsSnowplowing

reedone;863613 said:


> I'm new to this site and I need some help. My truck is overheating with the plow on I have seen several posts about people replacing their fan clutch. The people who have replaced them did it help? Any other help would be great and yes I have tryed every angle possible with the plow on and height and nothing helped.
> 
> 2003 chevy silverado 1500HD 6.0
> Boss straight blade


After reading all this replies. So what you going to do?


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## cda817

I have two subs who run Chevy 2500HD's and they both have the same problem. Run the plow as low to the ground and keep it under 40mph. This is why I run Fords, look at the front end of a Ford or Dodge and see how big and wide open they are, then compare them to a Chevy or GMC. Chevy and GMC with the new body design has attempted to remedy this but they didn't go tall like Ford they just made the grill wider.

My F-350's run so cold that I have block off part of the grill to keep them warm.


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## RepoMan207

cda817;873851 said:


> I have two subs who run Chevy 2500HD's and they both have the same problem.


Really.....I've never had a problem with mine. I drive all over the country side with mine. I even drove with mine on the front from Hartford, CT back to Windham, ME (250 miles) when I bought it. It barley got warm.

Maybe there trucks don't have plow prep or something. What does GM do for plow prep anyway?


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## cda817

These are 02 or '03's I believe I don't know if that makes a difference. Like I said I'm not a chevy guy so I'm not sure what GM does for a plow prep. I know ford is usually heavier front springs, and a larger alternator, battery blankets too.


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## RepoMan207

Thats what I have is an 02 6.0 2500 HD.


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## Mark Witcher

RepoMan207;863985 said:


> Does the front sag alot when the plow is up?? It maybe time to think about Timbrens or other methods of getting the nose up to proper height. I would think that would give you much more airflow solving your issue. I have a 02 2500HD 6.0 with no overheating issues at a stock level. Not sure what the particular differences are between the two other then suspension.


The 2500HD has a much larger cooling system and fan lockup.


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## RepoMan207

cda817;873851 said:


> I have two subs who run Chevy 2500HD's and they both have the same problem.


Yes, but this is what he wrote..... & from my understanding, I could be wrong here, but from what I have been told the only thing that separates the 1500HD & the 2500HD is the suspension.


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## cda817

The 2500HD and 1500HD should have the same engine cooling system as they have the same engine. The only differenece between the two may be transmission and oil coolers may or may not be present heavier springs and heavier axles maybe?I know that my subs have changed fan clutches in the past and they helped.


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## no lead

just a thought, wait until its winter to drive with the plow on. with the high temps we are having your rads cant keep up. 35 f or below is best w/ a plow on.


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## RepoMan207

no lead;874609 said:


> just a thought, wait until its winter to drive with the plow on. with the high temps we are having your rads cant keep up. 35 f or below is best w/ a plow on.


Nice aviator. Was that this years catch?

I amoslt caught an 11 pointer last night......with the old ladies Santa Fe that is. Damn thing came out of no where.


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## no lead

that was this year. nice doe.


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## bru z71

i shot a 180 lb 6 pointer in mass 3 weeks ago


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## bru z71

WeDoSnowplowing;863835 said:


> PPW has a thing called The Coooler. Under new Product in the catalog 3 on page 8. Snow plow Parts and Accessories, & Safety and Apparel catalog 3.
> Claims Reduce engine stree & keep your vehicle running strong. SORRY NO PART #. Just gives a telephone number to call 1-800-228-7569.
> https://ecom.plowpartsonline.com/xephr/qbe/HOMEPAGE
> [email protected]


i was thinking about gettin one of these but no offenise but they just loook so dam gay how do they work thow


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## TLB

bru z71;880888 said:


> i was thinking about gettin one of these but no offenise but they just loook so dam gay


wonder how many were sold ?


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## IHI

Anybody antied up to a big dual electric fan set up? I often thought about converting my 93 F250 over to them since it too runs warm, but my 00 F350 is as cool as a cucumber, the V plow and larger air intake grill may play into it, i dunno...but even my ole 95 F150 got warm with a straight blade before i swapped over to a severe duty clutch fan.

I just figured since my race car can stay 180* no matter where i drive it during the summer cooling down 640hp with NO radiator opening so it can only air flow what it sucks up off the pvaement, that keeping these trucks cool with big electric fans would be no problem either since it'd suck air through the radiator that the plow is blocking. Once could EASILY put weather pak connectors and even swap back to mechanical fans come spring time if they wanted to...i'm yet to do it, but always figured if it got too bad, i would'nt be out anything....plenty of ford taurus and dodge intrepid fans that move MEGA air for cheap outta the bone yards and they're used all over the drag strip on street/strip cars with twice the hp as our trucks.


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## bru z71

TLB;880916 said:


> wonder how many were sold ?


i have no idea i was thinking about making one of my own for my 7.5 hd


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## Sealer People

I had the same problem last year.

The truck had an hd fan clutch. so I installed the air flow on the plow & it helped somewhat. 

When its cold thetrucks are always fine. but when it snow & the temps stay at above Zero then she starts heating up on me. 

A friend of mine actually installed wings on the 2 side of the light bars, one on either side, & they're angled outwars sort of scooping the air into the rad. I guess that worked for him just fine cause theyre still on.


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## 04chevy2500

I have a GMC 3500 dump that does the same thing. Run a 9 ft fisher on it. Just keep it off the highway and blade as low to the ground as possible


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## JJSLandscape

where have you guys found heavy duty clutches?


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## Seaway25

I have an 01 2500HD with a 9ft Fisher. When I bought it I drove home with the plow all the way up and no angle. It was around 60 degrees out. It was a two hour drive. It only ran about 10 degrees warmer than normal.


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## Mr Bigblock

I have 3 GMC,s and never had an issue with overheating or even getting warm. Maybe the issue here is that it is a 1500 and everything is light. i know all mine have snow plow prep packages, which i think that means they dd a wire for a roof top light


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## lawnproslawncar

I would have to say fix the sagging if your truck does when the plow is up.

Once you've done that lower the blade some, run out of overdrive so you get the fan moving faster, and maybe slow down a bit.


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## Snowzilla

JJSLandscape;893803 said:


> where have you guys found heavy duty clutches?


If you have O'Reilly Auto stores or Advanced Auto stores they carry Hayden brand clutches. http://www.haydenauto.com/ROOT-Home/Content.aspx

I'm going to try their Heavy Duty clutch on my K1500 which is original. The catalog states the OEM clutch is already Heavy Duty. But it is very old and I thought I'd give a new one a try.

I notice they also have some Severe Duty clutches available for certain applications.

Here is their online catalog link:
http://beta.haydenauto.com/upload/HaydenAuto/Documents/Cat_Hayden/2007-hayden-fan-clutch.pdf


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## bru z71

in my 2005 silverado 1500 i have to electric fans i was thinking about putting in a hd fan but i dont no if it will fit any ideas


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## briggsguy17

Have you ever had the cooling system flushed and refilled? Could just need new anti-freeze and a good flush.


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## deckboys

bru z71;894533 said:


> in my 2005 silverado 1500 i have to electric fans i was thinking about putting in a hd fan but i dont no if it will fit any ideas


i was going to say, my dads truck has the electric fans on it...
maybe look for one to see if it will fit your truck...
i wouldn't switch electric fans for a clutch fan any day.


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## bru z71

*ya*

i went to auto zone to day and picked up a hd fan clutch i asked the guy and he said it would fit i was like i dont think so he said the computer says that it should fit but i dont think it will


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## RedChevyTk86

This might sound stupid but its a thought has anyone ever tried to weld a fan clutch up solid? I know they are aluminum but if you had serious overheating issues during the winter with a plow on it would probably help and just switch it out during the summer. I have a direct drive fan on my truck and I drive on the interstate a lot and run 65-70 with no problems whatsoever and I know my truck is a 86 but the principle is still the same! I just don't see what it would hurt to give this a try I know the initial cost would be a little high but once its done its done. Again just a thought. Carl


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## PAGE2004

*Overheating w/ plow on*

Replaced the fan clutch on my 90's F250 5.8
Advance Auto - or any parts store .
Best 50 bucks I ever spent.


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## Sealer People

I believe the issue with the chevy's is that they sit too low. 
Ive had 2 of them with plows, gas & a diesel & they both almost always overheated on me. 
I have the hd fan, Im snow plow prepped, etc etc etc etc.,, I even put an air flow on the plow which sccops the air in, but it still didnt resolve the problem. 

The fords & dodge trucks sit higher therefore allowing more air in.

On the chevys, when your driving with the plows up, even when theyre as low as possible, you still cover alot of the rad restricting the air. 

I believe the trick for the chevy trucks is, a hood scoop. I never liked the look of them but talking with a friend today, he thinks that would seem to get the air flowing in there & keep things a little cooler.

He also mentioned to just take out the thermostat. Im not too sure about that though.

Any thought ?


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## tac48

I just put a new fan clutch on my 03 k2500hd. The old one was junk and I could not tell until I took it off. Wanted to update mine to a snow plow package fan clutch and found the stock one and the snow plow package one both superceed to the same updated part number. I would check with your dealer to see if there is more than one part number available for your specific truck. Make sure they check to see if they superceed if there is more than one part number listed. If you have problems, give me the VIN and I can check into it for you. I am pretty sure you can put a k2500hd fan clutch on your truck even if it calls for a different part number. I have seen someone do it with no probs.


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## msu1510

on some of our chevys we had tac48 replace our fan clutch and we have not had a problem since. i would trust his advice. it worked well for us


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## JDiepstra

One tool I find valuable when driving with the plow on is an Intake Air Temperature gauge. There are a bunch of different ways to monitor it. Then you can find the position that keeps your IAT as cool as possible. Not saying this will solve your problem, but I think everyone who plows should have one.


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## the new boss 92

lower the plow almost and inch or 2 off the ground and see if that fixes it, next lift it and angle it one way of another and see what that will do for you! if that dont work put a lower thermostat in it and put hd fan clutch on it. should do the trick for ya


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## ajslands

Since we are on thus topic, does a deflector help cool the engine down as opposed to no deflecor?


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## Milwaukee

When I got 95 F250 it would overheat and crack #4 radiators in 3 months period.

I replaced parts here list

new top radiator hose
Thermostat
water pump
HEAVY DUTY fan clutch for AC but my truck never came with ac so I thought try this one

Now I need find those ford bumper with hole in middle which will help flow.

It never been overheat it stay cold. 

Best stuff I done was upgrade from heavy duty non ac fan clutch to HD AC fan clutch. I lost 1.5-2 mpg but better than overheat and destroy engine.


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## mayhem

To the OP:

Are you overheating or running hot? Big difference. If you're running hotter than you do without a plow on but are not overheating, then you're fine. If you're overheating you need to fix your cooling system, there is a problem in there somewhere.


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## purpleranger519

ajslands;1082441 said:


> Since we are on thus topic, does a deflector help cool the engine down as opposed to no deflecor?


Yes. I don't have the one mentioned in this thread, I have a friend that bought a Blizzard Airfoil and I just got the dimensions off of it and gave them to a buddy that works in a sheet metal shop. He made that and and a couple trip spring covers for me. 
I use it on the truck that carries the 810, but I plan on having him make a couple more since they do help.


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## wva

thought i'd jump in here I bought a used blade from wv doh that they had made a deflector for they put about an 10'' extension's off the front of the plow and then 10''s of mining belt on it with 5 or 6 pieces of metal about 1 1/2 wide up /down bolted to the belting and welded to the ext to keep the belt in place. I drove 25 miles home with it on the front high and strait and high and angled did not matter truck stay right around 190 200 degrees that was in aug. about 90 out with 85% hum. The key to keeping my chevys cool is to keep all the air flow from being deflected off the front of the blade and right over the hood and cab the blade acts like a big air dam .That's way you see truck that pull big campers and such with the air deflector on the cab. your blade does the same only more because they are like a wall.


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## Zigblazer

I think you're facing 2 separate problems that are coming together and showing in one way.

First conventional coolant/antifreeze is only good for about 2 years, especially in cold climates where it gets heated and cooled to extremes frequently. If it has been 3 years since a flush then the buildup accumulates in the radiator at a very quick rate. The system needs to be flushed every couple of years to prevent the corrosion and buildup in the engine and radiator. Propylene Glycol antifreeze can last up to 5 years, but I would recommend flushing at least every 4 years. Along with a coolant flush the thermostat should be changed at least every 4 years, I simply change it at every flush. It too is not meant to last that long, even the high quality lifetime thermostats don't last that long before they are not working the way they are suppose to. Although now all my vehicles except my car are running Propylene Glycol antifreeze.

Certain vehicles tend to have more problems with antifreeze corrosion and plugging of the radiator, depending on what type of metals are used in the engines and radiators. I've been told the '90s Chevy diesels had so much of an issue with corrosion build up in the radiator that they had to be replaced every 5 years. When I got my '95 Diesel radiator cleaned out with a new cleaning stuff designed to clean aluminum radiators in diesels it made a big difference.

The second issue is right on with what many on here are saying. Most likely the larger part of the problem, which is the fan clutch. Most pickups will never need the fan clutch to engage. The slow spinning moves enough air at idle to keep them cool, and at highway speeds, even towing, the airflow is more than enough to keep them from overheating. However, the second you put a plow on and start moving around there is no longer a natural airflow across the radiator. So the factory fan clutch (which typically only works the way it was designed for the first 3-4 years of it's life) starts to be inadequate at moving air through the radiator. Even on new vehicles when plowing the fan clutch cycles so much more than it was designed to do that it wears out very quickly. 

A Heavy Duty fan clutch is a MUST when adding a plow to any vehicle. No manufacturer includes a HD fan clutch with their plow prep package. Even though it would make a big difference in customer satisfaction with plowing.

An electric pusher fan in front of the radiator can make a big difference, and help the fan clutch last longer by reducing the on/off cycles required. However there aren't any fans on the market that are strong enough to replace an engine driven fan for plowing.

Long story short, flush your coolant often, change your thermostat regularly, and use a good working HD fan clutch, and you won't have a problem.


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## welded wrenches

*hot engine ..*

gee ,did you every give a thought to ripping out that nasty hood insulation...insulation keeps the engine bay hot...clutch fans yukk ,,i tossed all mine..went back the old skool 1970s' solid 4 blades ..no more crap clutch fans for me..


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## Holland

ajslands;1082441 said:


> Since we are on thus topic, does a deflector help cool the engine down as opposed to no deflecor?


My pickup and the suburban i had the plow on before both get hot with the plow on. I have no deflector. A buddy of mine has a deflector on the plow on his 98 gmc and has no overheating issues at all. You wouldnt think it would help that much, but maybe theres some truth to it.


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## 'Rude Dog

*put on a FLEX fan...*

simple fix, really, auto zone carries a flex fan( with 88 up chevies, MAKE SURE you get the correct rotation on the fan !!!) replaced the stock fan on my old truck with a flex fan, ran much cooler, could drive 65 mph with the blade i high lift, not angled !!! you also have to buy an aluminum spacer for the fan . a little noisier than a stock fan, but she's movin air ALL the time !!! Gonna take that fan off of the old plow truck, and put it on the '89 K2500 that I just bought to replace her .


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## Holland

Sounds alot easier to just keep it under 55. Sometimes angling it helps, sometimes all the way up helps, other times really low helps. It changes everyday. Everyone has their fix, mine is to just slow down.


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