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Old 06-24-2021, 10:32 AM   #1
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Is it ever too hot to drive?

I'm no mechanic, don't even pretend to be so forgive me if this is a silly question. I'm thinking of heading towards Montana later this summer, which will involve three days of hard driving and the recent thread Burning Up in the Midwest got me wondering, is it ever too hot drive? I mean, I know the engine is already hot, probably more so than the average air temperature. So does the van care that we're driving in 100 plus temps? I know at least my AC does. But what about other parts? Belts, tires, coolant etc. It's not really practical for us to drive through the night and park in the heat of the day for this trip. Thanks rob

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Old 06-24-2021, 10:39 AM   #2
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Even in 120F temps I’ve never had issue with one exception…. If I’m towing heavy (over 12k) up steep grades and it’s over 100F, my rear diff can approach too-hot, but usually maxes out the gauge near the summit. Death Valley westbound is the only place I’ve had to stop to let the diff cool.
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Old 06-24-2021, 10:40 AM   #3
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One of the best upgrades I’ve done to my Van was the 5-Star tune that also engages the fan earlier - I struggled with temps moreso because of the 11,500lb weight. No issues on flat pavement and rolling hills but small steep windy roads along with the slower speeds on those conditions shot my temps up quickly. Using the fan help maintain temps has helped tremendously...and when it engages it helps EOT/ECT/and Trans temps.
suspect it would perform same results when outside temps are higher as well.
Another option that has helped was installing a low temp thermostat, it opens fully much earlier than the stock thermostat.
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Old 06-24-2021, 10:58 AM   #4
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The cooling system engineers at Ford might be able to say there is a maximum outside air temperature that one should not operate the vehicle above. But, I don't think you will ever come close to seeing that temperature, except in the engineering lab. That said, be sure the cooling system is serviced (correct level of clean fluid, correct ratio of antifreeze, radiator is free and clear, thermostat is working normally, serpentine belt in good condition) and you should have no worries.
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Old 06-24-2021, 03:29 PM   #5
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Agreed ^^^
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Old 06-25-2021, 08:21 AM   #6
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Driving out west earlier this month in 100+ heat I did get a P0605 (ROM/computer misread) twice. I never saw it again in the 2000+ miles driving home to NC. There was no performance issues I could detect, but the heat definitely threw a code for me only when we well into the 100s.
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Old 06-25-2021, 08:30 AM   #7
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I never saw it again in the 2000+ miles driving home to NC.
I had a one-time code come up not long ago, but it was during cold weather. I don't remember the code, but it was something about the engine not coming up to temp fast enough. I though maybe it was time to install a new thermostat. But the code never came back again - that was over 6 months ago.
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Old 06-25-2021, 09:55 AM   #8
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My 300C that is rarely driven throws the not up to temp fast enough code when I drive it for the first time in a while during winter.

Factory thermostat from 2005 so I chalk it up to a lazy thermostat hanging open.

After a few days of use it gets back to normal and the code disappears.

Too much grief to change.
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Old 06-25-2021, 08:51 PM   #9
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We live in AZ. This May/June we drove to the east coast for the summer to get out of the SW heat. Who knew? I had recently added a front bumper winch and an intercooler skid plate to the van. I had some concerns that there may be some issues with engine temperature, but during the cross country excursion, no problems (no check engine light). I will keep a close watch on the temp gauge on the way back home in late July.
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Old 06-26-2021, 11:35 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rpoole View Post
I'm no mechanic, don't even pretend to be so forgive me if this is a silly question. I'm thinking of heading towards Montana later this summer, which will involve three days of hard driving and the recent thread Burning Up in the Midwest got me wondering, is it ever too hot drive? I mean, I know the engine is already hot, probably more so than the average air temperature. So does the van care that we're driving in 100 plus temps? I know at least my AC does. But what about other parts? Belts, tires, coolant etc. It's not really practical for us to drive through the night and park in the heat of the day for this trip. Thanks rob
Spent my career in the diesel engine driven industrial generator biz. Commissioning new equipment in the Southeast in July-Aug-Sept of any year would cause a little worry for sure. Every cooling system whether your van or industrial/commercial equipment has a max operating design temp. The kilowatt rating of the generator is always stated at a given ambient temp and of course has a deration curve as the ambient temp goes up. Its a matter of heat into the system (work/load) and then heat rejection from the system and ambient plays a huge role.
Another example is lots of truck drivers roll at night to avoid the extreme temps and the havoc it plays on tires and all systems....but there's a big difference between emergency generator design or making a living hauling freight down the road and your 3-day excursion. Coolant certainly has a finite life so you may want to figure out if it's time to flush and fill and use the trip as motivation to get it done if needed. I'd make dam sure to check your tire pressure and maybe run it on the high side of your normal range to minimize heat build up. Low air pressure causes lots of heat build up, combine that with extreme road temps and BOOM. Don't forget to check the spare psi too. Might be interesting to get a infrared temp gun and see what normal is now and then check it during your trip then you'll have a good range for reference in the future if you ever suspect a problem like another recent post on high hub temps.
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