Overheating with trailer on

[eaglejim]

I have a "99" Astro van runs well no overheating until I put on me 6x10 box trailer,on the gauge it stays below 210 which is good but when I hook up the trailer it shoots well past 210 and in a hurry,I don't know the weight of the trailer but I am a paint contractor so their could be at any given time 10 ladders,pressure washers,sprayers,dropcloths, paint and other supplies.Thanks for any ideas you might have. Jim

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Maybe the water pump is getting weak or thermostat ??.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Is this an automatic transmission equipped van. If so it is possible the extra load on the tranny is putting enough extra heat out into the radiator to bring up your coolant temperature. Installing an external transmission cooler may solve the problem.

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Yes it is an automatic transmission,on Saturday I drove from southside Atlanta to northside no problems on Friday with trailer on I could barley go 15 miles 1st thing that came to mind was thermostat but I will have to look into an ext.trans.cooler Thanks guys

 

[captmello]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

FWIW, I was having a similar problem with my truck while towing my boat. It would get hot when pulling up a long hill that is near where I store the boat. I replaced the radiator and it hasn't gotten hot since. If it were the thermo, it would get hot all the time, wouldn't it?

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Are you towing in Overdrive? If so this might also be the problem. I agree that an external cooler may help....But towing in OD will still be a problem..IMHO

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

No not towing in overdrive,this is the first time I have had this kind of thing going on

 

[Stachi]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

replace the rad , water pump and thermostat....1999 is pretty old....that rad is most likely clogged by now if it has never been replaced....new thermostat for good measure...and water pump...I have seen water pump vanes completely rusted away....if the vanes are even partially rusted off, ya can't expect it to push coolant thru a blocked rad....just my 2 cents...

 

[scipper77]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Transmission oil cooler is a good move.

Automatic transmission fluid can go bad when overheated. And debris from normal transmission wear can restrict passages in the tranny. What I'm getting at is that it is a good idea to do a transmission flush if you have never done one before, even is it doesn't fix this issue.

Also while you are at it flushing the radiator might not be a bad idea either. How does the radiator fluid look?

If you have aluminum heads and overheat the engine there is a chance that the head gasket is bad. Is there any sign of oil in the coolant?

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

This vehicle was orignally equipped with dexcool if the moron owners left it in there for 5 years or 150,000 miles like GM told em too that stuff has plugged junk up all over.

DEXCOOL=RUBBISH

 

[Stachi]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

This vehicle was orignally equipped with dexcool if the moron owners left it in there for 5 years or 150,000 miles like GM told em too that stuff has plugged junk up all over.

DEXCOOL=RUBBISH

agreed.... and a cooling system flush will NOT clear a plugged rad

 

[j_martin]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

agreed.... and a cooling system flush will NOT clear a plugged rad

An 11 year old plastic radiator is about to split and let you down anyway. Just replace it and you'll be cool.

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Another vote for an external trans cooler. That is a must for any tow vehicle.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Another vote for an external trans cooler. That is a must for any tow vehicle.

One note: in either drive or overdrive, the torque converter should lock up, eliminating slippage and a lot of heat. If the TCC is failing, it'll tend to heat up under load.

If the Torque converter clutch is working, the transmission shouldn't heat up much under load.

These vehicles are noted for plugging up the radiator, both inside and out, as it's not easy to get at. I had one that would do a steady boil any time you idled in traffic. Eventually I replaced the 45 lb radiator with one that weighed about 14 lbs. Stayed cool after that.

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

One note: in either drive or overdrive, the torque converter should lock up, eliminating slippage and a lot of heat. If the TCC is failing, it'll tend to heat up under load.

If the Torque converter clutch is working, the transmission shouldn't heat up much under load.

.

This was dicussed here

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=381154

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

Thanks for all the tips,you guys are going to keep me busy drove it with the trailer on today and it did get warm but then the thermostat open up and it was perfect,than drove without the trailer and it never went above 210,so my guess is a thermostat might be in my future but I am going to look into the ext.trans cooler thanks everyone Jim

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Overheating with trailer on

One note: in either drive or overdrive, the torque converter should lock up, eliminating slippage and a lot of heat. If the TCC is failing, it'll tend to heat up under load.

If the Torque converter clutch is working, the transmission shouldn't heat up much under load.

These vehicles are noted for plugging up the radiator, both inside and out, as it's not easy to get at. I had one that would do a steady boil any time you idled in traffic. Eventually I replaced the 45 lb radiator with one that weighed about 14 lbs. Stayed cool after that.

Replace the radiator and the thermostat and your troubles will
be over.

Your friendly "professional" auto tech.