Elevated Oil Temps when towing - potential solutions

1467 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.

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.

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Da_Pack

Discussion Starter · #21 · 21 d ago

phprof said:
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.

Oh, I would like that very much… however, I couldn’t justify the current prices, and my driving needs don’t warrant a 2500 for the other ~345 days/year I am not towing (this is my primary family vehicle).

Lots of great feedback from very knowledgeable people - nice to have a community willing to share the wealth of information and experience!

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biodiesel

· #22 · 21 d ago

As soon as my AEM warranty expires, I will also be switching to the GDE thermostat. I'm also running a 12-quart system with the AFE oil pan. I'm about to install the Amsoil Dominator Coolant Booster which is supposed to lower coolant temps. I've had my truck derate twice with the Big Horn grille. Since then, I switched to the honeycomb grille. Honestly, I think the GDE thermostat will solves most of my problems.

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Hammer

· #23 · 21 d ago

if I had the sport hood, I'd take the damn plastic inserts out and duct cold air to the intercooler but i hated the look and delete it from my order..... could take air from the air dam on sports and duct up air

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Bounty Hunter

· #24 · 20 d ago

phprof said:
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.

I've seen more 3/4t and 1t trucks on the shoulders of mountain passes than halfers.

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Bounty Hunter

· #25 · 20 d ago

biodiesel said:
As soon as my AEM warranty expires, I will also be switching to the GDE thermostat. I'm also running a 12-quart system with the AFE oil pan. I'm about to install the Amsoil Dominator Coolant Booster which is supposed to lower coolant temps. I've had my truck derate twice with the Big Horn grille. Since then, I switched to the honeycomb grille. Honestly, I think the GDE thermostat will solves most of my problems.

I've never seen coolant temps be an issue, and the oem oil cooler has limitations on how quickly it can transfer heat.

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Bounty Hunter

· #26 · 20 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.

What was the largest oil cooler you used?

130,000+ miles on my oil cooler setup and it's been great. 30' toy hauler averages #8k

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Da_Pack

Discussion Starter · #27 · 20 d ago

Bounty Hunter said:
What was the largest oil cooler you used?

130,000+ miles on my oil cooler setup and it's been great. 30' toy hauler averages #8k

Did you have CFT install your set-up, or did you/another shop do your install?

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Brokedownbutgood

· #28 · 20 d ago

Bounty Hunter said:
What was the largest oil cooler you used?

130,000+ miles on my oil cooler setup and it's been great. 30' toy hauler averages #8k

Exact same cooler you have now just from a different source. Mounted mine behind the bumper and cut an opening in the bumper for air flow. It cooled great but warmed up slow and I hated the hoses.

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Bounty Hunter

· #29 · 19 d ago

Brokedownbutgood said:
Exact same cooler you have now just from a different source. Mounted mine behind the bumper and cut an opening in the bumper for air flow. It cooled great but warmed up slow and I hated the hoses.

I've had no hose issues, and warms up great with the oil thermostat. Wouldn't run one without the stat.

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Brokedownbutgood

· #30 · 19 d ago

Bounty Hunter said:
I've had no hose issues, and warms up great with the oil thermostat. Wouldn't run one without the stat.

Tried with and without a oil thermostat it warmed up quicker with but oil changes sucked and it doubled the hose mess. Managing air flow worked almost as well some custom shutters would have made a huge difference but cost and time were not worth it.

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