[artsmart]

:ssr took its first (only?) flat-bed tow ride today to the local service dept. Temp was at 235 and RISING :cuss when I shut it down 1/2 mile and 6 traffic lights from the dealer. 3274 miles on the :ssr . Thanks to JimG and others I had my TSB printout with me regarding the cooling fan (who would have known I would need it soooooo soon)...never did have an indication that it came on and when I got out of the truck I could not hear it. Won't be looked at until this afternoon, so don't know what the tech will come up with. At least the service manager is somewhat familiar with :ssr as he fixed the window/seal rollover problem the first time out :thumbs and the right way :thumbs

The only positive note on this is the operator at Roadside Assistance was VERY friendly, concerned, and cooperative...plus, who else but a :ssr owner could rattle off their vin without having to look at it Plus, while it was being loaded onto the flat-bed, no one asked what was wrong but a crowd formed to look at it and remark "how :cool your truck is"

Other downside...they gave me an 02 Malibu to drive...is exactly like my husband's county car...we're twins for a day :lol

Wish me luck!

 

[JimGnitecki]

artsmart: The best defence is not luck, but rather KNOWLEDGE.

Show your dealer service advisor my NEW posting on how the fan on/off logic works, as well.

Jim G

 

[hotwheels]

Hey Artsmart,

First off when my fan is on I don't hear it at least on it's first speed. It's pretty quiet. my temp gauge in stop and go traffic has gone up to 235 but never beyond. I've brought this up on another Jim G. thread and I'll mention it again. Does anyone know at what temps does the fan kick on it's slow speed and fast speed cycle ?? What temp is it programmed to start ??

:ssr took its first (only?) flat-bed tow ride today to the local service dept. Temp was at 235 and RISING :cuss when I shut it down 1/2 mile and 6 traffic lights from the dealer. 3274 miles on the :ssr . Thanks to JimG and others I had my TSB printout with me regarding the cooling fan (who would have known I would need it soooooo soon)...never did have an indication that it came on and when I got out of the truck I could not hear it. Won't be looked at until this afternoon, so don't know what the tech will come up with. At least the service manager is somewhat familiar with :ssr as he fixed the window/seal rollover problem the first time out :thumbs and the right way :thumbs

The only positive note on this is the operator at Roadside Assistance was VERY friendly, concerned, and cooperative...plus, who else but a :ssr owner could rattle off their vin without having to look at it Plus, while it was being loaded onto the flat-bed, no one asked what was wrong but a crowd formed to look at it and remark "how :cool your truck is"

Other downside...they gave me an 02 Malibu to drive...is exactly like my husband's county car...we're twins for a day :lol

Wish me luck!

 

[JimGnitecki]

Hotwheels: See my new posting on "The Truth about Fans"

Jim G

 

[artsmart]

artsmart: The best defence is not luck, but rather KNOWLEDGE.

Show your dealer service advisor my NEW posting on how the fan on/off logic works, as well.

Jim G

Was just going to reply to your new thread when I saw you had posted here. Have not heard from service tech as yet but will print out the "Truth about Fans" thread and take to him in the a.m.

Since I am mechanically challenged, let me ask this. Did I panic too quickly by having the truck hauled to service dept? If I had had my A/C on to "recirculate" would it not have overheated? (My A/C does not seem to work very well when it is on recirculate (or at any other time) and with temps 95 and rising here in CA I want it to work). The A/C wasn't on at all when it overheated, I had driven approximately 10 miles in stop and go traffic after it sat for approx 1 hour after being driven 23 miles @ speeds of 45 + with minimal stops, during which the temp sat just below 210. When it started moving up, it went up FAST.

Possibly the fan was on afterall? Any other vehicle I have owned, you could hear the fan once outside the vehicle.

This is making me nervous...starting to wonder if I made the wrong choice when I purchased this truck.

 

[hotwheels]

Hey artsmart

check out Jim G's other thread "The Truth about Fans" thread.
My 05 6.0 liter 390 hp engine frequently goes up to 235 in stop and go traffic on the 405.
Iwas told this is normal for these engines ?? Not sure if it is !

 

[artsmart]

Thanks hotwheels, I did look and print out Jim's thread. I don't know if this is normal or not but I don't like it. I also drive a V8 Lincoln LS and the temp never moves off the midpoint range regardless of the traffic, weather, use of heat/AC, etc.

I remember back in the ol' days we used to change out the thermostat in vehicles that overheated...is that done anymore? Would that even make a difference?

 

[JimGnitecki]

artsmart: Changing the termostat is nit a good idea on more modern vehicles, and especially the SSR, as they are designed to work at higher temperatures than older cars. The primary reason is emissions, but once THAT decision was made, many other operational changes followed. To undo them is beyond your ability.

The acceptable way of alleviating part of this problem is to reset the fan "on" and fan "off" temperatures, which will help notably in keeping the engine temperature under control.

Since the on/off factory logic for fan operation results in virtually 100% operation of the fan anyway, you are not affecting the life of your fan adversely.

Jim G

 

[artsmart]

understand about new v old...just so hard to teach and old dog new tricks

will my service tech change the settings for me if asked?

 

[BlastfromPast]

The acceptable way of alleviating part of this problem is to reset the fan "on" and fan "off" temperatures, which will help notably in keeping the engine temperature under control.

Since the on/off factory logic for fan operation results in virtually 100% operation of the fan anyway, you are not affecting the life of your fan adversely.Jim G

I think there's a flaw in your logic on those two statements?

Also Jim, my personal belief is that a 180 degree (vs. OEM 195) thermostat will result in substantially less fan "ON" time. What are your thoughts on this?

I have had such AMAZING results in making the 195 to 180 degree switch in many of my past / present vehicles I have become an addict!! All of my previous "switch" vehicles have had engine driven fans however.

Blast

 

[artsmart]

What I am reading is that the fan setting could be changed to turn "ON" at a lower temp (181) instead of waiting until it reaches 226+???????? AND to turn "OFF" again at even a lower temp (178)...logic says this would solve the issue of the temp rising over 210 unless there is failure elsewhere????

Randi

P.S. Don't at me...I'm just trying to understand what I can do to keep my sanity. Still haven't heard from service tech.

 

[beer100]

Now you are getting a sense of what engineers go through when balancing conflicting design requirements.

Powertrain: I want to run at a steady temperature, that's best for me. All the parts, heat up, grow to a fixed size, break in, and the amount of wear and tear stabilizes.

Cooling system: Ok, but if we set the fan's thermostat to go on and off over too small a temperature difference, it's going to be cycling on and off like mad. That's not good for the fan. It'll burn out sooner.

Most of the time there is no single correct answer.

Note: I've never seen sanity specified as part of a design requirements document. :lol

 

[BlastfromPast]

What I am reading is that the fan setting could be changed to turn "ON" at a lower temp (181) instead of waiting until it reaches 226+???????? AND to turn "OFF" again at even a lower temp (178)...logic says this would solve the issue of the temp rising over 210 unless there is failure elsewhere????

You're right. Lowering the fan activation temps will help reduce the coolant temp in the RADIATOR, and also to varying amounts in the engine (that's where it counts!). The problem is that there are other limiting factors: The thermostat, and the overall cooling capacity of the entire system including heat exchange abilities of the radiator, coolant flow volume from the water pump, and other more suttle issues. Our SSR's have a 195 degree thermostat. That means that even with a fan borrowed from a 747, and a radiator the size of a drive-in movie screen your coolant in the ENGINE is going to be at 195 degrees before the thermostat (a valve) allows enough coolant flow for the cooling system to do any work at all. Since nothing (especially me!) is 100% efficient, and it is physically impossible to exchange all of the coolant in the engine instantaneously, your actual coolant temp in the engine is going to be around the 200-205 degree mark even with your 747/drive-in screen cooling system. Where we live, (desert southwest), in the warmer months this causes the underhood temps to increase, the transmission fluid temps to increase, the engine oil temps to increase, the power steering fluid temps to increase - which causes the underhood temps to increase more, which causes the engine oil temps to increase more, which causes the . . . well, you get the idea.

Well, now that I've said that - what should you do to keep your truck from breaking down out in the boonies on an overheat? I honestly don't know! Regardless of the thermostat temp, if you can't keep air flowing through the radiator by either the fan or forward movement of the vehicle - "She's goin' to blow, Captain". It appears that we have a cooling fan that is not up to task of keeping our "cooling challanged" trucks cool for very long. I will be interested to hear what the dealer does to address your overheat problem.

Blast

 

[artsmart]

Note: I've never seen sanity specified as part of a design requirements document. :lol

:lol isn't that the truth :lol

 

[ECurtis]

Avoid Overheating

Randi,

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you believe you are overheating and you can not shut down the vehicle or pull off the road (Like going up the 15 freeway), try turning on the heater (full blast). The heater draws heat from the engine compartment and should act to help stabilize and even lower the temperature until it is safe to pull off the road. Of course, when you turn on the heater then open the vehicle windows or let the top down so that you yourself don't become overheated. If the vehicle is still trying to overheat even after doing this, then try to get off the road. See if keeping the engines running while the heater is going full blast will help dissipate the heat. If it is still climbing then shut the engine down. Hopefully the fan will keep cycling and cool down the engine. Excessive heat can cause transmission failure and damage your engine block. It also can cause a lot of damage to your belts and hose if it continues. I hope this helps.

:seeya E :seeya

Orange SSR :ssr

 

[artsmart]

Eric,

Since I'm a good desert rat (originally from Needles...you know, the closest place to he**) this is a trick I learned before there was dirt! Didn't help today, don't know if it wasn't soon enough, quick enough, long enought, yada, yada, yada. So gonna let the dealer handle it...see what happens...if not satisfied then we will look into some other solution. I know there's gotta be a fix even I can deal with and or understand because at this point, with all you tech heads out there, my head is spinning. :willy:

:seeya soon

randi

 

[artsmart]

update

service dept had to order a "cooling fan motor assembly" from the mfg...should be in mon/tues and they want to keep :ssr off the road until it does...sure do miss it, no smiles this weekend when passing by the driveway :mad not much additional info as dept was closing for the day...

 

[artsmart]

got it back!

My :ssr is finally home today. Temp and A/C appear to be under control again. Outside temp when I picked it up today was 112, drove home 22 miles that included 4 stop lights and 3 stop signs. Ran A/C the whole way and :ssr barely touched the 210 degree mark even sitting through stop lights. :thumbs Friday will tell the true tale...have to run errands and it is supposed to be 110+ again.

Also saw a Redline at one of the stops, (corner of Amargosa/Mojave) guy waved but was not able to speak to each other. Never have seen this one before...maybe he is on here. More and more of the :ssr s showing up in the High Desert area.

:seeya

 

[ECurtis]

My :ssr is finally home today.........

Randi

Congradulations on getting your SSR back! I hope that it is repaired and continues to function properly!

.............Also saw a Redline at one of the stops, (corner of Amargosa/Mojave) guy waved but was not able to speak to each other. Never have seen this one before...maybe he is on here. More and more of the :ssr s showing up in the High Desert area.

Randi,

That just goes to show you that the HIGH DESERT is the place to be for SSRS!!! There are more and more everyday!!!! :thumbs


:seeya E :seeya

Orange SSR :ssr


P.S. Are you sure about these SSRs? Brandi and I don't seem to see them.....humm. How many hands am I holding up? :glol :glol :glol

 

[artsmart]

P.S. Are you sure about these SSRs? Brandi and I don't seem to see them.....humm. How many hands am I holding up? :glol :glol :glol

funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny