My TD7G is getting hot after about an hour or so of work. Hours on the machine are around 6000 or so with 1800 hrs on a reman cummins. Not sure if the radiator has ever been replaced. I'd guess start with the thermostat first and see if it is stuck? I know very little about this stuff, so what to do? Do I try flushing it out? If so is there a proper procedure? Need some help here
The cooling system needs airflow and coolant flow, that's it. First is the coolant low? If you can see into the radiator through the cap, you can tell how clean or plugged it is. If it's plugged, I fill it with rain water, run it a few hours/days, drain, repeat until it comes out without any sediment. Before you pull the the thermostat out, check the temperature of the top and bottom of the radiator, if it's hot then the bottom should be nearly as hot as the top if the coolant is circulating. Also check fan belts, blocked airflow through the radiator, and missing shrouds around the radiator.
There is a metal plate inside the radiator so I cannot see the core to tell if it is plugged. I'm assuming water so you can see the sediment, correct? Fan belts appear to be tight and coolant level is fine as well. I'll take a closer look at top and bottom temps after I pick up an infrared thermometer gun. Airflow seems fine, I can see through the radiator fins. Thanks!
If you get hold of an infra-red temp gun you should be looking for around 12 DegF difference in temperature between the inlet hose and the outlet hose.
Water because I couldn't stand to dump day old antifreeze on the ground, and then repeat many times. Water has several advantages, its a powerful solvent (don't use hard/unknown water in a radiator), has a lower viscosity and higher heat capacity than glycol. BUT it does boil at a lower temp than proper coolant, so it should keep the machine cooler, but if it does overheat the engine will be damaged (hotspots from boiling) at a lower temperature.
After I use a pressure washer to make sure there is no fin blockage, I am thinking I should go ahead and completely flush the cooling system. Is there any specific particular product I should use to flush the radiator with? I think I am going to do that first so I know that I am starting with a known starting point as far as mix of coolant after flushing. Should I flush according to the directions, and then repeat it an additional time or just rinse and see if there is more sediment? I did find out the radiator is original.
Be extremely careful using a pressure washer on a radiator, way too easy to flatten the fins or knock them loose. I'd blow it out with air. Unless there's oil on it, then spray it down with soapy water, soak, and rinse with a garden hose.
A good quality degreaser combined with a pressure washer but using a "low pressure" nozzle should be fine for external radiator cleaning. There are many proprietary cooling system cleaneing chemicals out there. If you go for one of them follow the instructions on the container.
Delmer/Nige, Thanks I would use air first and then low pressure nozzle on the pressure washer. Been there done that As far as what product to use, I was hoping for a recommendation on a product or two, or ones to stay away from or that are not as effective. I'll take a look and see what Napa has available.