Overheating

[team grandpa]

Hello all long time member ,not been on for a while

I have a 2006 4.2 ti
Every time I tow the campervan it boils when towing up steep hills,
It runs 16pound boost ..
Never does it any other time never runs hot any other time
Even when off rd it doesn't get hot .
Is the turbo water cooled or what is causing this problem of over heating it only made it half way up Cunningham's gap qld yesterday after noon before the water watchdog alarm was screaming its titts off ,getting over patrols really quick

Can any one please give me some help


Would draining all coolant from engine and intercooler and replacing help

Cheers neil

[AB]

Tricky one Neil as there could be so many variables causing it and I had the exact same problem towing a 2 tonne van but never had an issue without towing.

For me, the fix was putting in a new OEM radiator and a UFi fan and hub assembly which made a huge difference, dropped temps by 10 degrees easily.

I guess lets start with the basics.

Are you blocking the radiator air flow with excessive things like front mount intercooler, spot lights, winch, etc as some people experience this (me) with all of those in front of the radiator.

You could try the old coke bottle trick on the radiator to get out any possible chance of air bubbles in your coolant system or if due for a coolant flush then do that too.

Some turbos were both oil and water cooled or just oil cooled or water cooled, etc, you could have a look at your turbo and see if there is 2 or 4 lines coming off from the turbo, and follow where the lines go, etc.

Is the radiator nice and clean, no mud and crap stuck in it restricting flow, etc?

Thermostat stuck but most likely that is fine if its only towing that you get the heating issues.

Probably a few other things I've forgotten as an initial check, anyone else got ideas to check?

[mudski]

Viscous hub could be shot? Check all the usual things like AB has said. The boost has been wound up, has anyone touch the injector pump? Maybe get it dyno tuned. Maybe its time to give the cooling system a birthday.

[mudnut]

Is the radiator fan shroud in good condition?

[Cuppa]

G'day Neil,
Just to reassure you that they don't all overheat (&hopefully not to jinx ours) we have a pretty standard 2006 4.2 TDi like yours. Ours in a ute with canopy, extended GVM & using it, & towing a camper. Around 5 tonnes total. We aren't fast, averaging around 80kph to 90kph with coolant temps between 80 deg & 90 deg & spending most of the time with EGT temps (post turbo) around 300 deg to 350deg. I tend to drive to EGT, & try to keep it under 400 up hills. This may involve backing off the accelerator on some hills. Alarm is set at a conservative 525 deg & coolant at 100 deg. Only once have we had both sounding together, towing our Tvan up to Barrington Tops. 3" exhaust & dyno'd with a max 13 psi boost. Maybe you just need to accept a slower lower gear climbing speed? For me the real test is how quickly the coolant temp drops once over the hill, if it drops back to 'normal' temps fairly quickly I'd guess there is probably not much wrong. If it stays high that is a different kettle of fish.

[Mc4by]

I like your philosophy of adjusting ourselves more than the vehicle Cuppa