dx mods

[bazz61]

hi folks, great forum this a wealth of info, and thanx for the replis to my other posts, i got my dx ute 4.2 non turbo to tow my caravan, just completed a tour of yorkes SA, no probs except temp needle got to H, on long hill head wind, as my dx is stock standard would fitting of snorkel/extractors help keep temps down, also on reading other threads fitting a factory hub seemed to help ( wat is a hub?) any other options woul be appreciated, i'm trying to iron out any problems before heading accross Nullabor then to Pilbra after Xmas , Thanx Barry Adelaide

[DX grunt]

Hi Barry.

I've got a DX ute and haven't had any temp problems. Having said that, I rarely tow anything more than a 7x 5 trailer to the tip.

When was the last radiator flush and coolant change?

Rossco

[wildgu6]

Hi Barry, take it your S.A based ???
Heating issue on long hill, if you were heading west from Adelaide going to Yorkes I reckon I know the hill mate, it just keeps climbing. Have a 98GU and have the same prob' on the same hill, also took a 4 runner to Yorkes and had the same prob'.on the same bloody hill, Never the less, there should be a cure, Like Ross said, flushing cooling system before long trips can help, even though they're sealed you would be surprised how much crap gets in.
Hope you had a great time at Yorkes mate, it's a great part of Oz that all must see at some time,

Cheers Pete

[Bigrig]

Yep - I'm with the train of thought on the cooling system. Either a proper flush (high pressure through a reputable radiator joint), or maybe even the radiator itself. Do you have spotties etc on the front that could be restricting airflow also? Maybe time to invest in an alloy (3 tank) radiator??

Good luck with it mate!

[bazz61]

hi DX all fluids done last month,plus oil in diffs/ gear box ,new shocks ,tuff clutch,dual battery, its only in hot weather temp rises,(only when towing) no probs in cool Vic weather, bloody good truck this one, 170 ks , no oil useage at all and thats towing 2.5 ton van,done nearly 10 thou ks, change oil 5 thou, interior like new, under bonnet clean tidy ,no leaks, had a noise in g box under load, loose heat shield on exhaust as some one on forum suggested (thanx to that person), in early 80s i drove a 3.3 patrol swb MQ 4 speed from gold coast, in Blue mountains, Wang ,(mt piper power sation) Lithgow area , then to Perth, karratha, ( scaffolded on train 1 & 2 woodside) explored the Burrup, that jump up tested me, bloody big rocks, bac down to Kalbarri/ magarets surfing, road train ripped racks off canopy boards and all, bac to Karratha , all that and got my $$$ bac when sold it , only done one wheel bearing in all that travelling, ha fond memories mate, like when I got the Mq stuck on a ledge in river way in the hills , behind wang ,had the camp cook with me ,(the crew cooked there oown meals that nite...!) walked miles to get help, and when i did they coudlnt get me out, had to leave mq in river over nite and it rained!!! haa not much sleep, carted in some planks the next day and a holden stalk jack, out in 30 minutes ,this is in winter waist deep water, i could go on , like where i got the safari stuck whislt deer hunting in NZ, got a pic of the old MQ if any ones intersted, cheers bazz ,rigger crane driver (ex scaff) to old now ... got some good stories to tell been around cheers Barry , Adeliade

[bazz61]

hi Pete, yes yorkes a beaut place mate, innes park really nice and good surf to , chinamans tested my 50 year old frame on the mal tho , and got some noce squid of Marion jetty, only been in sa 2 years , on Desal job, now takaing it easy till next year, looking at the lower border track soon , dont have much recovery gear ,but i reckon a 2 ton turfer, shovel, and planks will see you rite in most places... hey big rig ,the spotties are on niisan bull bar, where can i get a alluminim radiater from ??? cheers Barry

[YNOT]

Yep - I'm with the train of thought on the cooling system. Either a proper flush (high pressure through a reputable radiator joint), or maybe even the radiator itself. Do you have spotties etc on the front that could be restricting airflow also? Maybe time to invest in an alloy (3 tank) radiator??

Good luck with it mate!

I think you mean 3 core.

Tony

[Bigrig]

hi Pete, yes yorkes a beaut place mate, innes park really nice and good surf to , chinamans tested my 50 year old frame on the mal tho , and got some noce squid of Marion jetty, only been in sa 2 years , on Desal job, now takaing it easy till next year, looking at the lower border track soon , dont have much recovery gear ,but i reckon a 2 ton turfer, shovel, and planks will see you rite in most places... hey big rig ,the spotties are on niisan bull bar, where can i get a alluminim radiater from ??? cheers Barry

A lot of places do them, but hunt around and go for one with oil coolers also (may as well protect the gearbox a bit better also). As Tony said, 3 core (not 3 tank - I knew what I meant, just didn't say it!!! Was obviously thinking about the one in Tank - my rig!!! lol).

Not sure where in SA mate, but others may have ideas.

[DX grunt]

hi DX all fluids done last month,plus oil in diffs/ gear box ,new shocks ,tuff clutch,dual battery, its only in hot weather temp rises,(only when towing) no probs in cool Vic weather, bloody good truck this one, 170 ks , no oil useage at all and thats towing 2.5 ton van,done nearly 10 thou ks, change oil 5 thou, interior like new, under bonnet clean tidy ,no leaks, had a noise in g box under load, loose heat shield on exhaust as some one on forum suggested (thanx to that person), in early 80s i drove a 3.3 patrol swb MQ 4 speed from gold coast, in Blue mountains, Wang ,(mt piper power sation) Lithgow area , then to Perth, karratha, ( scaffolded on train 1 & 2 woodside) explored the Burrup, that jump up tested me, bloody big rocks, bac down to Kalbarri/ magarets surfing, road train ripped racks off canopy boards and all, bac to Karratha , all that and got my $$$ bac when sold it , only done one wheel bearing in all that travelling, ha fond memories mate, like when I got the Mq stuck on a ledge in river way in the hills , behind wang ,had the camp cook with me ,(the crew cooked there oown meals that nite...!) walked miles to get help, and when i did they coudlnt get me out, had to leave mq in river over nite and it rained!!! haa not much sleep, carted in some planks the next day and a holden stalk jack, out in 30 minutes ,this is in winter waist deep water, i could go on , like where i got the safari stuck whislt deer hunting in NZ, got a pic of the old MQ if any ones intersted, cheers bazz ,rigger crane driver (ex scaff) to old now ... got some good stories to tell been around cheers Barry , Adeliade

How's the thermostat ?????? You'll need anti-freeze in Vic. LoL.

[YNOT]

hi folks, great forum this a wealth of info, and thanx for the replis to my other posts, i got my dx ute 4.2 non turbo to tow my caravan, just completed a tour of yorkes SA, no probs except temp needle got to H, on long hill head wind, as my dx is stock standard would fitting of snorkel/extractors help keep temps down, also on reading other threads fitting a factory hub seemed to help ( wat is a hub?) any other options woul be appreciated, i'm trying to iron out any problems before heading accross Nullabor then to Pilbra after Xmas , Thanx Barry Adelaide

I would be removing the radiator and having it properly cleaned internally (where they take the tanks off and pass a cleaning rod through each core), replace the thermostat and radiator cap and get the fan hub checked. The "hub" (fan hub) being talked about is the viscous clutch in the centre of the fan, if this fails the fan can free wheel and not drawer enough air through the radiator.

I would also be having a very close look at all the radiator and heater hoses, if in doubt or they are more than 2years old it's probably safer to replace them and keep the old hoses as spares.

As said above try to keep the area in front of the radiator as free from obstructions (spotlights etc) as possible. Also try to seal the radiator to the radiator support panel so any air entering the front of the vehicle has to go through the radiator.

Tony

[bazz61]

thanx Tony , all new hoses, coolant , dunno if they flushed it tho , cheers Barry

[wildgu6]

hi Pete, yes yorkes a beaut place mate, innes park really nice and good surf to , chinamans tested my 50 year old frame on the mal tho , and got some noce squid of Marion jetty, only been in sa 2 years , on Desal job, now takaing it easy till next year, looking at the lower border track soon , dont have much recovery gear ,but i reckon a 2 ton turfer, shovel, and planks will see you rite in most places... hey big rig ,the spotties are on niisan bull bar, where can i get a alluminim radiater from ??? cheers Barry

Post something up or PM a few Adelaide members when your planning to hit the border track, you might get a few takers mate, recovery gear...haha shovel, snatch strap esky and Trol....hahahaha.
Youve been in Adelaide as long as ive been wheelin, never done the border track and would be interseted, mate keeps buggin me to go but $$$ get tight at times, No go til march but if your planning after that give us a PM mate.

Cheers Pete