Elevated Oil Temps when towing - potential solutions

1466 Views 29 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Brokedownbutgood, 19 d ago

Da_Pack

Discussion Starter · 23 d ago

Hey all:

I live in the middle of a mountainous terrain of Western Canada, so we pretty much always deal with climbing steep terrain and mountain passes when camping with our travel trailer. I’ve been searching through the forums and getting lots of great info to help manage elevated oil temps when towing.

My current set-up:
Truck:

2016 Ram 1500 Crew Cab SLT, GDE Engine & Transmission Tune, 3.55 gears, Timbergrove ASAM, upgraded 275/65/20 rims/tires (17” original factory stock – I know the larger rims/tires are detrimental for towing, but appearance matters too…)

Travel Trailer:

2020 Springdale 220BHWE; 4,900 lb dry, ~6,600 lb loaded

I have snipped the stats on one of the larger mountain passes we travel below—I will hit the derate message for oil temps (130 C) during the ascent, and I currently follow @VernDiesel advice of keeping <3,000 RPMs and the speed ends up in the 60-70 kmh range.

Slope Rectangle Plot Font Magenta

Looking for some additional input/feedback on potential improvements with helping keep the oil temperatures down. Here is what I am thinking and have gleaned from other forum members (@Bounty Hunter, @Brokedownbutgood - always appreciate your contributions to the forum)

Remove AGS
- Needed for additional external oil cooler install (see further note below); however, will this removal alone reap any benefits?
- If removed, will there be any adverse effects in the cooler winter months? I do use the winter cover once temps are below 0 C (32 F).
Install aftermarket oil cooler
- 26 x 7 x 3.5” cooler: Air to Water Heat Exchanger
- Ecodiesel Oil Cooler Plate: Eco Diesel Info | D&J Diesel Performance and Repair (dandjdiesel.com)
- Derale 180 degree oil thermostat: Derale 25011 Fluid Control Thermostat Kit, Thermostats - Amazon Canada

Any additional thoughts, feedback, and suggestions would be appreciated.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 30 Posts

SlowRoller

· #2 · 23 d ago

Da_Pack said:
Hey all:

I live in the middle of a mountainous terrain of Western Canada, so we pretty much always deal with climbing steep terrain and mountain passes when camping with our travel trailer. I’ve been searching through the forums and getting lots of great info to help manage elevated oil temps when towing.

My current set-up:
Truck:

2016 Ram 1500 Crew Cab SLT, GDE Engine & Transmission Tune, 3.55 gears, Timbergrove ASAM, upgraded 275/65/20 rims/tires (17” original factory stock – I know the larger rims/tires are detrimental for towing, but appearance matters too…)

Travel Trailer:

2020 Springdale 220BHWE; 4,900 lb dry, ~6,600 lb loaded

I have snipped the stats on one of the larger mountain passes we travel below—I will hit the derate message for oil temps (130 C) during the ascent, and I currently follow @VernDiesel advice of keeping <3,000 RPMs and the speed ends up in the 60-70 kmh range.

View attachment 94562
...........................................

What app did you use for the road profile? I think others would appreciate the info also.

r3gill

· #3 · 23 d ago (Edited)

Also from the west, we have camped along Hwy3 in the past. Been there with my 2016ed 3.92 axle and 30feet travel trailer that we frequently use. Scales at 7000 lbs loaded. The truck is gde hot tuned and with the longhorn honeycomb grill and keeping the sustained rpms under 3000 never ran into derate situation. With 3.55 gears you might want to try a shorter tire. 3.55vs3.92 might be the difference between a derate or edging past a derate by a small margin.

Cloud Wheel Sky Tire Vehicle

See less See more

Reactions: 2

VernDiesel

· #4 · 23 d ago

If you still have the 17s that are shorter just for the trip. The SLT or Tradesman honeycomb style grill is a direct swap and can be picked up on mopar discount sites. GDE did proper testing and showed measurable temps improvements when towing the Dam in is it Arizona. But mostly tow haul and let it drop gears and speed as it needs to. Just adjust the throttle to keep it at or slightly below 3k as to avoid derate. This will give you the best average speed not be as hard on your truck and keep you from being a 15 mph rolling road block on the climb. You will likely be going 45 mph but it beats 15 mph because of trying to hold 60 or whatever. Good luck enjoy and let us know your experience.

Reactions: 3

Da_Pack

Discussion Starter · #5 · 23 d ago

SlowRoller said:
What app did you use for the road profile? I think others would appreciate the info also.

I used the BC Provincial website - only lists summit and mountain passes within British Columbia, and has grade and distance data on a select few....

Elevations of Major Summits & Passes on B.C. Highways

View grade and elevation profiles of the major summits and passes on B.C.'s primary highways.

www2.gov.bc.ca

Reactions: 2

Da_Pack

Discussion Starter · #6 · 23 d ago

VernDiesel said:
If you still have the 17s that are shorter just for the trip. The SLT or Tradesman honeycomb style grill is a direct swap and can be picked up on mopar discount sites. GDE did proper testing and showed measurable temps improvements when towing the Dam in is it Arizona. But mostly tow haul and let it drop gears and speed as it needs to. Just adjust the throttle to keep it at or slightly below 3k as to avoid derate. This will give you the best average speed not be as hard on your truck and keep you from being a 15 mph rolling road block on the climb. You will likely be going 45 mph but it beats 15 mph because of trying to hold 60 or whatever. Good luck enjoy and let us know your experience.

Thanks Vern--I've always appreciated and value your advice and towing wisdom. I do have the SLT honeycomb grill too. I haven't truly experienced the derate, only getting the EVIC message that "speed may be limited". I typically end up holding 65-70 kmh (~40 mph) just fine while keeping the rpm <3,000 rpm. I've always been intrigued with the set-up @Bounty Hunter has, just wondering whether it is worth while for the 5-6 times a year we cross the pass.

Side-note: I was able to pick-up the Anderson WDH on sale this pass winter--plan on getting that set-up this week. Fortunately I have a free provincial weigh scale ~5 mi. away from my house--will go in the evening and try and get that dialed in.

Reactions: 2

Rye&coke

· #7 · 23 d ago

It seems to me that the oil cooler is likely the reason that the older (2014-19) eco diesel trucks have limited towing capacities compared to the hemi versions.
On my trip down to AZ oil temp was mostly around 248F / 120C with a peak of 257F / 125C. Engine and trans parameters were slightly higher, but no where near as high or closer to the limit as the oil temp.....

I think an external oil cooler would be the best thing to do rather than removing the AGS, there's so much room in the front of the engine down low that it would be a snap to install something like this.....

www.ebay.com

Universal Dual Pass Bar & Plate Oil Cooler 18.5"x5.5"x1.58" Core Large Silver 843401155616 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Universal Dual Pass Bar & Plate Oil Cooler 18.5"x5.5"x1.58" Core Large Silver at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

After my trip home I will likely be installing something very similar to this as I got pretty close to de-rate temps towing a mostly empty trailer against headwinds. I'm just going to run it in series to my by-pass oil filter....super easy install for me.
$500 clams for that oil cooler plate seems like foolishness to me, I could make one for far less.

Reactions: 4

Hammer

· #8 · 23 d ago

I'm old skool, i just go slow lol. I go from elevation 150 to 1730, back down to 500 then up to 1800 a couple times out east, a couple people have added oil coolers i believe. the part i don't like about messing with the oiling system is the sensitivity the bearings have, the tolerances are clearly not our 1990's small block chevy tolerances lol. we slapped oil coolers on both our beauville vans and 3.73 gear, let her eat. these things, i swear if they even get the slightest sniff of air in the oil or just a millisecond of no oil, your crank is a 2 piece with a rod induced block ventilation add-on lol. I'd do a lot of things to the truck but touching that oil system is a big gamble. that said you could put in a manually operated valve and for towing just open the valve to an add-on cooler and run the cooler down in the lower valance and cut out the fake plastic lower valance in the air dam. just make sure you have the exact amount of oil, they don't like too much oil, dealership told me outright if I made them over fill it, I'd own it if it grenades. Adding more oil also helps delay the heat build up and it cools down quicker as well.

See less See more

Reactions: 2

Brokedownbutgood

· #9 · 23 d ago

Ive tried multiple setups over the years including external oil coolers. For me the best setup so far is a free flowing grill with a lower temp thermostat and large aluminum radiator. The external oil coolers work well but add potenial leak points and can make it hard to warm up without added thermostat. They also make oil changes a pain if your like me and want all the oil out I can. Hopefully I well be pushing mine somewhat hard this weekend and see how it does with temps around 90 F.

Reactions: 5

Hammer

· #10 · 23 d ago

I keep mine below 240 and just deal with whatever speed i get. each truck and situation is a little different, eventually you run out of HP anyways, you're not getting much beyond 2800-3k so it's kinda pointless on the power curve beyond it. I'm ok with giving up a few horse power to stay cool

greendieselengineering.com

FCA Eco Diesel 3.0L V6 Performance & Fuel Economy

Green Diesel Engineering tuning maximizes performance and fuel economy. Save up to 10% on fuel costs and enjoy a more responsive vehicle.

greendieselengineering.com

I'm surprised that radiator helps so much with the oil temp, I never have cooling problems on the coolant side, so it must be exponential or something where the large radiator increases the oil cooling as well. good to know about the radiator.

was the radiator swap easy to do?

Reactions: 1

VernDiesel

· #11 · 23 d ago (Edited)

The oil cooler is not the reason the 4th gens having cooling problems and having limited towing capacity compared to the Hemi. According to meeting SAE J2807 towing standards it’s failing to meet a couple standards which are largely due to limited and or in this case compromised cooling system. IE the main reason the Hemi has higher tow ratings despite less torque is because it has a better or uncompromised cooling system.

The reason for this is simple Ram boneheaded engineers not paying any attention to what others in both Ford & GM had already proven to work by putting the intercooler in front of most of the radiator. The radiator simply cannot get enough cool fresh air. It sucks hot air from the intercooler. GM in the 86 Buick Grand National and Ford in the Ecoboost f-150s both put the intercooler behind the bumper with fresh air scoops and down and away from in front of the radiator.

What did Ram do to dramatically raise the towing limits in the 5th gen ED while meeting SAE j2807 standards? Bigger radiator.. nope, bigger oil cooler nope in fact the ED now only carries like 7 quarts instead of 10.5. Ram simply relocated the intercooler away from in front of the radiator as Buick & Ford did.

This does not mean it’s a simple task to relocate ours and large oil cooler is still an optional way of mitigating the problem.

See less See more

Reactions: 3

r3gill

· #12 · 23 d ago

This is the type of grill I am happy with, both looks and performs flawlessly towing my TT.

Cloud Tire Sky Wheel Car

See less See more

Reactions: 2

DATA

· #13 · 23 d ago

Brokedownbutgood said:
Ive tried multiple setups over the years including external oil coolers. For me the best setup so far is a free flowing grill with a lower temp thermostat and large aluminum radiator. The external oil coolers work well but add potenial leak points and can make it hard to warm up without added thermostat. They also make oil changes a pain if your like me and want all the oil out I can. Hopefully I well be pushing mine somewhat hard this weekend and see how it does with temps around 90 F.

Keep us updated please. Thank you.

Reactions: 1

Da_Pack

Discussion Starter · #14 · 22 d ago

Brokedownbutgood said:
Ive tried multiple setups over the years including external oil coolers. For me the best setup so far is a free flowing grill with a lower temp thermostat and large aluminum radiator. The external oil coolers work well but add potenial leak points and can make it hard to warm up without added thermostat. They also make oil changes a pain if your like me and want all the oil out I can. Hopefully I well be pushing mine somewhat hard this weekend and see how it does with temps around 90 F.

I have seen through other threads the radiator you have--looks like a sweet set-up. What lower temp thermostat are you using? I would like to source one, however the only one I can find is the GDE 88 C thermostat (which requires their most-current tune option).

Dieseldragon

· #15 · 22 d ago

SlowRoller said:
What app did you use for the road profile? I think others would appreciate the info also.

Hi: SlowRoller... Is there an app to use to profile the "Hot under the collar" feeling I get when towing. I know it's caused by the other "Id. jets" on the road. They'll do anything to get by us...ANYTHING!!!
Dieseldragon North shore of Lake Erie.

Wheel Tire Sky Vehicle Plant

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Brokedownbutgood

· #16 · 22 d ago

Da_Pack said:
I have seen through other threads the radiator you have--looks like a sweet set-up. What lower temp thermostat are you using? I would like to source one, however the only one I can find is the GDE 88 C thermostat (which requires their most-current tune option).

The only lower temp thermostat I was able to find is from GDE. So I switched to there current tune for a while.

Reactions: 2

Bounty Hunter

· #17 · 22 d ago

I run the same grille as @r3gill and am happy with it.

If I wasn't so happy with my large oil cooler, I'd probably relocate the intercooler to the vast open space behind the front bumper. The stock intercooler location definitely heat-soaks the radiator and remaining cooling stack.

Reactions: 1

r3gill

· #18 · 22 d ago

Talking about Intercooler relocation, has anyone tried this endeavor yet?

Reactions: 2

r3gill

· #19 · 22 d ago

Dieseldragon said:
Hi: SlowRoller... Is there an app to use to profile the "Hot under the collar" feeling I get when towing. I know it's caused by the other "Id. jets" on the road. They'll do anything to get by us...ANYTHING!!!
Dieseldragon North shore of Lake Erie. View attachment 94568

She's the real longhorn, we people with a longhorn grill can only pretend to be a longhorn,, my next truck will be a pearl white longhorn if they keep making em with chrome bumpers.

phprof

· #20 · 21 d ago

I have a solution and you won't like it.

Ram 2500 with the 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel. You will never have another overheating problem with that trailer.

Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 30 Posts