Help - 06 F350 runs hot when pulling 12k boat

[fins97]

New to Ford PS. The truck is an 06 F350 Crew Cab FX4. I was pulling our boat over the weekend and the engine kept getting hot while pulling it up the grades in the Sierra Foothills. The Tow/Haul mode was on and half way up the grade I had to pull over to let it cool down before going further. Should I be downshifting the transmission manually or will the Tow/Haul mode do the job? I was trying to keep the RPM's at 2000, but it the engine temp kept getting hot. Thanks for any feedback.
Steve

[Quickerthanu]

Tow/Haul should be ok with that on, but I'm suspecting it could be a cooling issue. (headgaskets, blown egr cooler, engine cooling fan not working, etc.)


I tow our 11,000lbs race car trailer to the track all the time in 90+ degree heat no problem.(granted it's central IL so it's flat)


Is there crusty coolant stuff around the degass bottle cap? Are you low on coolant?

[fins97]

The coolant is full and no crusty stuff on the bottle cap. I don't think it is a mechanical issue. I think it is more of learning how to drive under load up a steep, winding grade. Just looking for advise on what gear I should select and how many RPM's to keep the engine cool and happy.

[Evil Eye]

You need higher RPM's to keep the turbo spooled. Tow/Haul should be more than adequate to keep you in the powerband. What were your temperatures?

When I tow, I try to datalog my temps to ensure I know what is happening with my engine. The factory gauges are fancy idiot lights and are dampened too much to be considered reliable. You might consider some analog gauges or a digital monitor like the Scan Gauge II or the Edge Insight CS/CTS.

[fins97]

Thanks for the info. I will have to get the aftermarket gauges installed, before I know how the temps are running. By the time I see the factory gauge start to rise, it's almost too late to stop the engine from getting hot.

[jetjock15]

12k is a coniderable weight, with the CA heat. I tow a 16k fifth wheel between NV, CA, NM and UT, and in the summer months if i have to pull some steep slow hill passes, i have have made her overheat twice. Its not the freeway long steep grades like grapevine, its more of the slower twisty roads like the ones up into yosimetie, the gauge will start to climb if im near the top, i try to make it, they cool down a lot quicker when you are going downhill with the wind then when you just park. Anyway it happens when you tow in the heat. I tow heavy in the heat and thats only happened twice in the last few years where the gauge has moved, i have since got all gauges to monitor much closer. If it is happens to you a lot its probably a sign of an issue. if its just once or twice on a grade in 100+ temps, probably just heating her up

[jdmcwestevo]

i pull a 34 ft. weekend warrior billet loaded is like 14k with my 99 f250. i was coming back from glamis up the 8 and it was getting a little hot had to pull over once to cool her down. its because the engine had to downshift and was reving high like 3k for some time to get up some of the steep hills at that RPM the fan clutch wont engage because it will spin the fan too fast and your crawling at like 30mph so wind isnt gonna cool u down lol. im gonna try some super coolant and maybe switch to electric fans push and pull with a toggle switch in the cab. plus i didnt have my TW chip on yet so maybe a little extra power will help get up the hills in a higher gear and lower RPM im hoping. just some insight from my experience. and it was 100 degrees out with headwind.

[Louiediesel]

Originally Posted by fins97

New to Ford PS. The truck is an 06 F350 Crew Cab FX4. I was pulling our boat over the weekend and the engine kept getting hot while pulling it up the grades in the Sierra Foothills. The Tow/Haul mode was on and half way up the grade I had to pull over to let it cool down before going further. Should I be downshifting the transmission manually or will the Tow/Haul mode do the job? I was trying to keep the RPM's at 2000, but it the engine temp kept getting hot. Thanks for any feedback.
Steve

Steve have you replace your outer tranny filter? I had my for 50.000 miles but it is recommended to be replace every 10.000 or so, it help me with my 05-6.0-350 runing hot going up hills.