Temp goes up during traffic

[MonteroSportHonduras]

Hi all,

Just want some input on what could be causing this. My 3.0 runs temperature in the normal range all the time, sometimes it might go down a bit if the weather is cold or when driving on open roads at night, but nothing really dramatic. Just a bit down.

The thing is, that when driving on traffic if I get the A/C ON the temperature will start rising and I'm afraid it will go to the top if I keep the A/C running. Once i turn that OFF the temp will slowly go back to normal. The electric fan is brand new and there are no leaks. I only need to add a little fluid every month maybe. About 200 ml tops.

The radiator seems to be clean because the coolant/water mix doesn't get red or show corrosion signs. 
No oil in coolant or coolant in oil either. What I can notice is some fluid marks from the radiator cap; seems like it could be loosing pressure there.

Since the OEM windshield washer is long gone and I adapted a different one in the engine bay I was thinking about getting an extra electric fan to help out, but I would like to correct this if possible.

My brother's 3.0 might get a bit hot when stuck in traffic with the A/C ON but not as hot as mine. The previous owner of his truck had the fan clutch fixed. it acts as engaged all the time.

How can I test if my fan clutch is going out?

Here's a link to our common temperatures:

weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,San-Pedro-Sula,Honduras

[bdmontero]

Have you checked the fuses for the ac condensor fan? There are two underneath the hood right by the fuse box.

Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards

[MonteroSportHonduras]

The fan kicks in as soon as I turn the A/C ON.

[bdmontero]

Then I would check into what voltage the fans ate putting out and what they're supposed to put out. I know they will go bad eventually. Also I would look into checking your clutch fan.

Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards

[MonteroSportHonduras]

The fan is brand new and so far i can see its working as its supposed to.
Maybe the fact that the cap is leaking could help the temp going up?

how can I check the fan clutch? I have heard that when the engine is cold it has to be loose and when the engine is hot it has to be tight, but not sure how accurate that is

[bdmontero]

It should slip a little. Yes the cap if its leaking will cause air pockets. It should be a 13 lb cap.

Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards

Attachments:

[MonteroSportHonduras]

I will turn the fan by hand and see if it feels too loose or not and I will replace the cap this week to see if that helps.

Thanks for the input bdmontero.

[ES_97Sport]

Nov 24, 2015 16:53:47 GMT -5 MonteroSportHonduras said:

I will turn the fan by hand and see if it feels too loose or not and I will replace the cap this week to see if that helps.

Thanks for the input bdmontero.

When was the last time a radiator flush was done and when was the last time the crud was cleaned out of the radiator and condenser?

Edward

[MonteroSportHonduras]

Nov 27, 2015 13:41:20 GMT -5 ES_97Sport said:

Nov 24, 2015 16:53:47 GMT -5 MonteroSportHonduras said:

I will turn the fan by hand and see if it feels too loose or not and I will replace the cap this week to see if that helps.

Thanks for the input bdmontero.

When was the last time a radiator flush was done and when was the last time the crud was cleaned out of the radiator and condenser?

Edward

The radiator was flushed around 8 months ago but I wasn't there so I dont know if the guy did it thoroughly . I am planning on doing it again in a week or two. I haven't bought the rad cap yet. planned on getting it this weekend but they only had 9 lbs where I went.

I am planning on taking off both hoses from the rad and turning on the engine so all the fluid comes out from the rad and engine as well and get water to the engine inlet to help it clean as much as possible. should i turn the heater ON too?

I have done this in the past with all my vehicles and never had issues later.

There are some places here that pressure clean the radiators but both times we did that the radiator ended up with leaks later on...

[MonteroSportHonduras]

Also, whats the total radiator capacity?
should i go all coolant or 50/50?

[ES_97Sport]

Nov 30, 2015 12:46:59 GMT -5 MonteroSportHonduras said:

Also, whats the total radiator capacity?
should i go all coolant or 50/50?

Don't know what the total capacity is.

You NEVER run straight anti-freeze. EVER. You also NEVER run straight water. Straight anti-freeze has lousey heat transfer properties and will cause the engine to over heat. Straight water has no corrosion inhibitors, or lubricants and will result in clogged, blocked water passages, a corroded radiator and a blown water pump.

The only appropriate place to run straight water - with appropriate additives - is on the race track. Not because it cools better, but because many race tracks won't let you race with anti-freeze in the cooling system.

Typically, the coolant mix is 50/50. It depends on the lowest and highest temperatures where you are. In extremely cold climates, a 60/40 (60% anti-freeze, 40% water) might be appropriate. In extremely hot climates, a 40/60 (40% anti-freeze, 60% water). You will have to be the judge of what mixture to use. In most cases a 50/50 mix is sufficient.

Note: if you go with an alternate mix ratio, you will need to make sure that a season change will not cause over heating or freezing.

!IMPORTANT!

Depending on the quality of your water, you may want to purchase distilled water rather than use 'tap' water. If you are in an area that has very hard water this can use mineral buildup in the cooling system which will eventually clog the cooling system. If your house water is bad enough that you get mineral buildup on your taps, shower, dish washer, etc. then its bad enough that you will want to use distilled water. This is actually a problem I have at my place.

Edward

[ES_97Sport]

Nov 30, 2015 12:45:15 GMT -5 MonteroSportHonduras said:

The radiator was flushed around 8 months ago but I wasn't there so I dont know if the guy did it thoroughly .

That's good. Even if it wasn't done correctly, it ended up with new anti-freeze. Addatives in anti-freeze don't last forever.

I am planning on taking off both hoses from the rad and turning on the engine so all the fluid comes out from the rad and engine as well and get water to the engine inlet to help it clean as much as possible. should i turn the heater ON too?

I recommend having the flush done professionally at the dealership. They do a good job of pressure back-flushing the system and use BG coolant system flush which is the best product I've seen for this. Not unexpected from BG. They make good stuff.

That said, if you're going to do this yourself ...

Yes, you need to open up all the heater valves. The dash heater needs to be turned on hot as well as the rear seat heater if you have one. You will also need to remove the thermostat for the duration of the process. These will also need to remain open to bleed the coolant system after re-filling.

I've read LOTS of material over the years about NOT reverse flushing a cooling system. Most of it falls into the "old wive's tale" category. On very old engines that were very poorly maintained, this can cause rust, corrosion, etc. to separate from the passage walls and plug small water passages so there is SOME validity, but you can imagine how old and how bad an engine would have to be for this to happen. On an engine as old as even a '90s Montero or Montero Sport this isn't really an issue.

I have done this in the past with all my vehicles and never had issues later.

There are some places here that pressure clean the radiators but both times we did that the radiator ended up with leaks later on...

Do NOT pressure flush (the inside of) the radiator. Unless you are VERY, VERY careful its pretty easy to apply a little too much pressure or get a pressure surge or pulse that will stress the tubes or joints and eventually result in a leak. For most people, to clean the inside of the radiator safely, it really should be soaked in a tank. BTW, I've ended up before with leaks myself and I know better. Its not as hard as it sounds to screw this up.

The OUTSIDE is a different story. A car wash pressure washer does a pretty good job. You just have to be careful. I like the car washes with the engine degreaser. Block off the inlet, outlet and put the radiator cap on to keep soap and degreaser and crud out of radiator. Put a couple short 2x4 boards down on the concrete - long enough boards that the tanks lay on the wood, not the fins. Lay the radiator on top with the engine side up.

Soak the radiator good and proper with degreaser and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. YMMV. Turn the pressure washer on 'soap' and spray STRAIGHT DOWN into the fins. Keep the end of the wand at least 4' from the radiator. If the wand has a low pressure feature, use that and degrease the distance. The low pressure on our wands isn't enough to damage the fins even if you're 1' away. Just keep running up and down the radiator side to side, until crud stops coming out the other side. You'll need to reposition the boards occasionally.

A home water hose also works. Sort of. Cold water really doesn't do a very good job. But, its better than nothing. Just be prepared to spend an hour spraying down the radiator.

You can't clean the A/C condenser with the radiator installed. Mine was so clogged up with mud and dirt I opted to have the condenser replaced.

Take a soft, long bristle brush and from the engine side brush off all the dead bugs and crud. DO NOT use enough force that you force the crud into the fins or bend/damage the fins. Once the that side is all cleaned up, use a low pressure (house pressure) garden hose with your thumb or a vegetable sprayer pointed straight at the fins to flush all the dirt and crud out the FRONT of the condenser. This is probably going to take a while so be patient.

Make sure its warm out and wear shorts. This is NOT a job you want to do in the winter!

Edward

[colted]

is the auxiliary fan running and cycling with the ac compressor?

[MonteroSportHonduras]

Dec 1, 2015 17:57:40 GMT -5 ES_97Sport said:

Nov 30, 2015 12:45:15 GMT -5 MonteroSportHonduras said:

The radiator was flushed around 8 months ago but I wasn't there so I dont know if the guy did it thoroughly .

That's good. Even if it wasn't done correctly, it ended up with new anti-freeze. Addatives in anti-freeze don't last forever.

I am planning on taking off both hoses from the rad and turning on the engine so all the fluid comes out from the rad and engine as well and get water to the engine inlet to help it clean as much as possible. should i turn the heater ON too?

I recommend having the flush done professionally at the dealership. They do a good job of pressure back-flushing the system and use BG coolant system flush which is the best product I've seen for this. Not unexpected from BG. They make good stuff.

That said, if you're going to do this yourself ...

Yes, you need to open up all the heater valves. The dash heater needs to be turned on hot as well as the rear seat heater if you have one. You will also need to remove the thermostat for the duration of the process. These will also need to remain open to bleed the coolant system after re-filling.

I've read LOTS of material over the years about NOT reverse flushing a cooling system. Most of it falls into the "old wive's tale" category. On very old engines that were very poorly maintained, this can cause rust, corrosion, etc. to separate from the passage walls and plug small water passages so there is SOME validity, but you can imagine how old and how bad an engine would have to be for this to happen. On an engine as old as even a '90s Montero or Montero Sport this isn't really an issue.

I have done this in the past with all my vehicles and never had issues later.

There are some places here that pressure clean the radiators but both times we did that the radiator ended up with leaks later on...

Do NOT pressure flush (the inside of) the radiator. Unless you are VERY, VERY careful its pretty easy to apply a little too much pressure or get a pressure surge or pulse that will stress the tubes or joints and eventually result in a leak. For most people, to clean the inside of the radiator safely, it really should be soaked in a tank. BTW, I've ended up before with leaks myself and I know better. Its not as hard as it sounds to screw this up.

The OUTSIDE is a different story. A car wash pressure washer does a pretty good job. You just have to be careful. I like the car washes with the engine degreaser. Block off the inlet, outlet and put the radiator cap on to keep soap and degreaser and crud out of radiator. Put a couple short 2x4 boards down on the concrete - long enough boards that the tanks lay on the wood, not the fins. Lay the radiator on top with the engine side up.

Soak the radiator good and proper with degreaser and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. YMMV. Turn the pressure washer on 'soap' and spray STRAIGHT DOWN into the fins. Keep the end of the wand at least 4' from the radiator. If the wand has a low pressure feature, use that and degrease the distance. The low pressure on our wands isn't enough to damage the fins even if you're 1' away. Just keep running up and down the radiator side to side, until crud stops coming out the other side. You'll need to reposition the boards occasionally.

A home water hose also works. Sort of. Cold water really doesn't do a very good job. But, its better than nothing. Just be prepared to spend an hour spraying down the radiator.

You can't clean the A/C condenser with the radiator installed. Mine was so clogged up with mud and dirt I opted to have the condenser replaced.

Take a soft, long bristle brush and from the engine side brush off all the dead bugs and crud. DO NOT use enough force that you force the crud into the fins or bend/damage the fins. Once the that side is all cleaned up, use a low pressure (house pressure) garden hose with your thumb or a vegetable sprayer pointed straight at the fins to flush all the dirt and crud out the FRONT of the condenser. This is probably going to take a while so be patient.

Make sure its warm out and wear shorts. This is NOT a job you want to do in the winter!

Edward

Thanks a lot for the great advice and info Edward! I really appreciate it!
I will definitely take my time and all your input to do it the right way.


The dealer flush would be the ideal thing to do, but dealers down here charge a LOT even for simple stuff, so I will do it manually and will take the radiator off to clean the outside as well.

My Montero had a crash so the condenser is not sitting straight, the mounting points are a bit bent, hopefully i will be able to fix that a bit  with the radiator out.

[MonteroSportHonduras]

Dec 1, 2015 23:25:15 GMT -5 colted said:

is the auxiliary fan running and cycling with the ac compressor?

Yes sir, the fan works fine when the compressor is working.
the oem fan came unplugged because the plastic case was broken and it vibrated horribly (shady guys fixing/selling cars, I know)
so I got a universal fit one that had the exact same size and even had more blades in the fan, I tried it and saw it gave more air than the oem one so I installed it.

The fan must flow air against the condenser right, not pull air from it?
just want to make sure about that...