[gridcowboy]

I finally picked up my 5th wheel last week. I bought this diesel knowing I would be buying my uncle’s toy hauler when he got his new unit. I’m absolutely thrilled with driving & towing with this truck. The toy hauler is 34’ & I haven’t weighed it yet, but uncle said it was a little over 9,000 empty. The only issue I have, & I hear I’m not alone, is the fan clutch “hooks” in & out while simply cruising down the highway. I don’t get the fan “hooking” up while running down the highway @ 60+. What I’ve never experienced before is the fan continuously coming in & out on flat ground, is this normal? I understand it’s hot coming across the desert in July, but I thought when your rolling down the road all the air you need is coming across the motor. I don’t feel the fan taking as much power away from this motor as with my gassers, but I would think it takes away from my mileage. Even when not towing I’ve noticed my fan running allot after it hits 95 here, that should have my fan roaring eh… about 6 months out of the year. Should I talk to my local Diesel Tech.? Will I get a strange look asking about my fan running when the forecast for July 4th is 121 degrees, (in the shade). Yea, but it’s a dry heat.
(Footnote: I’m not running hot, nor blowing coolant.)

 

[FamilyRide]

It'll come on when it needs to. Driving around town on 90 degree heat can get a lot hotter than running down the HWY in 120 degree heat.

Sounds like yours is fine.

 

[lari2001]

I've towed much more weight in about the same heat and it doesn't come on that often, maybe when I'm going uphill but it really doesn't take any power away that I can feel and it doesn't stay on that long. Back a few years ago, Truck trend magazine did a head to head to head with ford chevy and dodge, the dodge and chevy wouldn't accelerate at all when the fan came on while climbing a 7% grade, the Fords fan waited much longer to come on and when it did come on the ford kept accelerating "LIKE A LOCOMOTIVE".
9000lbs really isn't that heave, although, some of those fivers have a huge bulkhead wall that towers over the cab and has a lot of wind resistance, much more than my gooseneck so the engine might be working harder to pull half the weight.

 

[gridcowboy]

I understand the fan engaging in traffic, & maybe pulling a steep grade, but mine is like I said constantly coming in & out the whole trip, it's actually annoying. Is it necessary for the fan clutch to engage at highway speeds?

 

[jmurray3612]

YES

 

[firesoutmatt]

[ QUOTE ]
I understand the fan engaging in traffic, & maybe pulling a steep grade, but mine is like I said constantly coming in & out the whole trip, it's actually annoying. Is it necessary for the fan clutch to engage at highway speeds?

[/ QUOTE ]

YES They changed the way it works in one of the re-flashes thay had . They were trying to get them to stop puking coolant and they lowered the degras bottle level and changed so the fan comes on sooner than it did before. If its above 90 degrees outside mine will come on and off like you say. If I'm pulling my fiver it will do it most of the time no matter what outside temp is.

IMO I would rather listen to the fan then overheat my 6.0.

 

[gridcowboy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


IMO I would rather listen to the fan then overheat my 6.0.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fully Agree
Just wanted to be sure, fan clutch wasn't problem.
Thanks

 

[Nubbs]

For what it's worth, my 07 behaves the same way.

 

[fullservice]

If you're running with a tail wind the fan will come on more than if you are going into a head wind. You wouldn't think so, you would think the engine wouldn't be working as hard, and that is true but the front of the truck then is in an area that is almost a vacuum (especially when towing a big box behind you that is taller and wider than the truck)and the fan will be required. (18 wheelers are the same way, I used to drive one). Running into a head wind the air is kinda being forced in but even then sometime the fan is needed. An a/c evaporator core puts out lots of heat and then the intercooler also adds to the heat load, something you didn't have on a gasser unless you had a turbo or a blower and these Fords don't don't have much room under the hood for the air to flow thru. That's why they put the fender vents on the new one's. Dry heat doesn't feel as hot to us people as humid does but to the truck it is hotter and altitude makes it worse because the air is thinner. Pulling my toybox up the high passes in Colo. the fan will be on, even when the temp is down around 40 F. I agree though that listening to the fan gets old on a long trip. Mine will be off 5 minutes and on for 15, then off for 5 and on for 15. 06 F350 6.0 dually fx4 pulling a 40 ft. toybox.

 

[FamilyRide]

[ QUOTE ]
I understand the fan engaging in traffic, & maybe pulling a steep grade, but mine is like I said constantly coming in & out the whole trip, it's actually annoying. Is it necessary for the fan clutch to engage at highway speeds?

[/ QUOTE ]

My bad, I read again and realized I misread and understood that yours did NOT go on and off.

 

[lari2001]

[ QUOTE ]
I understand the fan engaging in traffic, & maybe pulling a steep grade, but mine is like I said constantly coming in & out the whole trip, it's actually annoying. Is it necessary for the fan clutch to engage at highway speeds?

[/ QUOTE ]

My fan used to come on all the time while pulling my gooseneck (not a brickwall fiver) and had coolant loss too, finally my headgaskets went, after Ford replaced the gaskets and headbolts, my 6.0 has held it's coolant and the fan only comes on when I'm really getting on it (climbing long grades or getting up to speed to merge into interstate traffic) with 16000+lbs on the gooseneck. I would think your 6.0 is working harder with half the weight just because the wind resistence that the trailer causes. Our company has a 98 Dodge 3500 cummins that had descent power with a regular dually bed, but when we put the contractors bed on it that has a roof that towers over the cab, it has dropped from 16 mpg to 10 and can't get 75 mph, it stinks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Btravelen]

I'm a victim of 07-1-4. The first long towing trip in the heat, the truck was indicating overheat. I thought it was an indication problem as the truck continued to run fine and didn't blow coolant. 3 trips to the dealer when I got home, including the final one where I showed the tech the cut off connector from the top of the fan shroud, I realized the fan never came on and I really was overheating. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

One new fan and clutch assy later, and I LOVE the sound of the fan engaging. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif These engines need cooling. The V10 I previously had only had the fan engage while towing once, when towing through the SoCal desert.

I hope the first trip overheating didn't cause any long term problem (warpage, etc).

Take Care