bacardiron
squamish, bc canada
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I have a 1995 Winnebaga Itasca 33' class A motorhome and have owned it for 8 yrs. Since day 1 it has run hot and overheats at the slightest hint of a hill on a hot day. It has never boiled over but quite often runs in the red on the gauge. Over the years i've spent a lot of money and time trying to fix the problem ( new thermostat, rad flush, exhaust check etc) to no avail. I figure the only course of action is to replace the rad. I am not a mechanic and have limited knowledge of fixing things but do not have the money to pay someone to do it. Would I be able to do this job/ and should i go with a stock rad again or go to a different one? Is there a bigger one than stock available? this is my last resort in solving this problem. thanks
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axle234
Pasadena,Md.
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Over the years I had two of the same problems, One was a clutch fan and the other was I had the radiator recored. I did both myself, It is just a tight spot to work. My newer coaches also have electric fans in front ot the radiator. good luck.
axle234
2008 Fleetwood Fiesta
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john b
anywhere USA!
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On this forum is a thread about the Old girl is back I believe is the name. He had a little older unit than yours but he wrote chapter & verse on what he did & found to correct his overheating problems. When he got done it ran coollllllllll! You would benefit by reading his story as it was like 88 pages long but the cooling part was somewheres near the halfway point if I remember correctly! I sure enjoyed reading it and learned a lot too.IMHO
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More To See
San Diego Area
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I'd double check the gauge for accuracy just in case.
Changing out a radiator is a big job -- but it's only one step at a time like any big job. You have to take off cooling lines and such. While that radiator is out there is a whole lot of other work that can easily be done back behind there. So it's more than just a radiator job.
Some of those radiators were plastic and could not be re-cored. Considering the amount of work involved I just like the idea of a brand new high quality radiator going back in.
I'd go with a new double core radiator and high flow water pump. You have to be careful to get the right pump. Double check about that.
95 Winnebago Vectra 34 (P30/454)
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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my bounder with the chevy 454 ran hot and I added an additional fan in front that I could turn on if needed.
bumpy
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pulsar
Lewisville, NC
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Moved from Forum Technical Support to Tech Issues.
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hard3
southern Illinois
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Check into a pusher fan in front of the radiator. Summit Racing has a good selection of fans. Could be that the hot air can not get out from the engine compartment to allow cool air to flow through radiator. Like stated above make sure that the gauge is accurate, could be not getting as hot as you think. Make sure that you have the proper mix of coolant, 50/50 water anti-freeze. To much anti-freeze will allow to overheat. Make sure the proper pressure cap is used and working correctly. A cap that is bleeding pressure will lower the boiling point of the coolant and allow it to overheat. drain some coolant and see if any rust or oil in mixture. Consider an external engine oil cooler to help cool also.
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southernkilowatt
North Carolina
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john b wrote:On this forum is a thread about the Old girl is back I believe is the name. He had a little older unit than yours but he wrote chapter & verse on what he did & found to correct his overheating problems. When he got done it ran coollllllllll! You would benefit by reading his story as it was like 88 pages long but the cooling part was somewheres near the halfway point if I remember correctly! I sure enjoyed reading it and learned a lot too.IMHO
I agree. One of the best post's on RV.net, they should have made a sticky about it.
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bacollins
Lawrenceburg, IN
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I went through the same thing, thermostat, fan clutch, radiator flush, still overheated. Had the radiator recored, end of the problem. As you can see in my signature, I too have an Itasca. R&Ring the radiator was time consuming, but not difficult.
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nbounder
Arizona mountains
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I turned a wrench for close to 30 years in Phoenix - did lots of Corvette fixin'. Gotta disagree with the 50/50 note above. Actually, if you RTFM on the coolant bottle, many say clearly that in hot/severe climates, go to 75% coolant. Another trick is to put a heaping tablespoon of laundry detergent into the radiator and drive it for a few days. Then, rinse it out a few times, install a new thermostat and radiator cap, and a 75% coolant charge. take a spray bottle of Simple Green (the basic stuff NOT the 'AUTO' stuff, and clean both sides of the radiator,if you can get to it. Double check the ability of the 'cool' air to access the radiator. That's for starters. I am assuming you have at least a 3 if not a 4 core radiator. Damn Chevys always overheated too easily anyhow.
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