Overheating problem.

[JimCasazze]

George, how did you clean your radiator.  Is there something I need to spray on to loosen up the dust or just medium pressure water spray?

[Larry Fritz]

Robert Fish

My CAT 3126B in the 98 Patriot (CAT 330) has two  thermostats.  I changed them in the above reference.

Larry

[George H. Wall]

Jim, I used one of the spray on radiator cleaners, that is recomended for radiator usage, then sprayed with medium water hose pressure, while the engine was warmed up well. Do both sides several times, if accessible, and RINSE WELL.  This has worked well for me. There are other treads on this forum as how others have cleaned theirs.

[Joel Ashley]

You can safely use Extreme Simple Green on your radiator followed by a thorough rinse.  But it is not recommended to use the original regular version of Simple Green, which is suspected of not being friendly to aluminum if not completely rinsed off, and it's hard to be sure you get every inner cranny of sandwiched radiators rinsed.  The Extreme version of Simple Green is OK with metals and highly touted by those who should know.

Extreme Simple Green I guess is at janitorial suppliers, but the Motorsports formula apparently is a tad easier to locate.  You should see it at Advance Auto Parts and Pep Boys or a few select spots, but maybe not at NAPA or other places one usually finds regular Simple Green.  http://buy.simplegreen.com/product.php?productid=16142&cat=250&page=1

An alternative is any form of Dawn dish washing liquid, diluted in a spray bottle.  I would not risk using any other brand, such as Joy;  only Dawn's formulas are accepted by most advisories, including Monaco, as mild enough even for coach washing.

Joel

[JimCasazze]

Thanks all for the information.  Will do this and see if it helps.

[Greg Velett]

I have a 2005 Santiam with a Cat 400 and had an over heating problem.  I purchased it from Lazydays in November 2012.  I was over heating everywhere so my problem may not be yours but here is what I discovered and did to rectify the problem.  Turns out the front side of the radiator was bright and clean, but the back side had so much road dirt and grime,  At the direction of Catepillar I cleaned it with Simple Green Heavy Duty and sprayed with water from the hose.  After several cleanings all is now well and running at 185 degrees in Florida

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Jim,
When you overheated in CO, you may have lost some coolant. That can also cause the engine to run a bit warmer than "normal". But definitely clean you radiator as that is probably the biggest contributor.
Steve