Hey all,
Long time lurker with an ‘03 LC 100, 338K miles. Really appreciate all of the advice given over the years, looking for a little guidance here as I tackle my next project. Sorry in advance for the long post.
Planned out a major move a few months ago and finally made it happen this past week.
Did all of the basic maintenance of fluid flushes etc. before the trip..even dropped in a rebuilt rear diff 2 weeks beforehand. I hitched a 6x12 u-haul trailer to the back and loaded it up. GVW was probably close to 10k lbs between the truck and the trailer. In hindsight, maybe a little too much for this old beast.
Drove from the northeast down the coast and into Louisiana over 3 days (1500+ miles). Car did very well for the first leg, only requiring occasional downshifts on steeper hills through Birmingham, AL. I averaged 13mpg through 3 fill ups and it never skipped a beat.
We spent the night at a hotel in Birmingham and the next morning, before I even got onto the freeway the car was starting to overheat. Pulled into a Shell and waited for it to cool down. No visible leaks, oil levels good and radiator looked clean. Topped off coolant reservoir and decided to get back onto the road. Figured outside temps were 100+, car is probably not too happy with the load but I’ll be gentle. The car would overheat whenever under load on a hill. But as I coasted, I could see temps coming back down. I blasted the heat with the windows down to help dissipate from the engine compartment through Mississippi and into Louisiana. I never let the temp gauge hit red. After I arrived, I parked the truck overnight, emptied the trailer, and drove local roads 3 miles to the u-haul lot to drop it off the next day. The car overheated in less than 3 miles at city speeds. I coasted into the lot and shut it off to let it cool down a bit. After the gauge was closer to the middle, I blasted the heat again, and limped it home.
Started it up this AM after another 8+ hour cooldown and it’s still overheating within a couple of miles.
-Radiator fan kicks in, temps do not drop sufficiently. Don’t know when clutch was changed but it does spin freely with vehicle turned off, even when hot.
-I do not know how old the radiator is. Figure might be good PM to replace anyway. Is Denso the gold standard here too or have folks found luck with aftermarket?
-I know the gauges are not reliable on these, but I have made it a point to never let the needle hit red in hopes of preventing head warpage.
My thought process based on reading so far is as follows:
Thermostat—>Fan clutch—>Radiator
Should I just do all 3? I’m dreading the answer to this—but from what I’m reading, head gaskets aren’t really as common on these, right? Or am I missing something and in for a world of hurt?
Long time lurker with an ‘03 LC 100, 338K miles. Really appreciate all of the advice given over the years, looking for a little guidance here as I tackle my next project. Sorry in advance for the long post.
Planned out a major move a few months ago and finally made it happen this past week.
Did all of the basic maintenance of fluid flushes etc. before the trip..even dropped in a rebuilt rear diff 2 weeks beforehand. I hitched a 6x12 u-haul trailer to the back and loaded it up. GVW was probably close to 10k lbs between the truck and the trailer. In hindsight, maybe a little too much for this old beast.
Drove from the northeast down the coast and into Louisiana over 3 days (1500+ miles). Car did very well for the first leg, only requiring occasional downshifts on steeper hills through Birmingham, AL. I averaged 13mpg through 3 fill ups and it never skipped a beat.
We spent the night at a hotel in Birmingham and the next morning, before I even got onto the freeway the car was starting to overheat. Pulled into a Shell and waited for it to cool down. No visible leaks, oil levels good and radiator looked clean. Topped off coolant reservoir and decided to get back onto the road. Figured outside temps were 100+, car is probably not too happy with the load but I’ll be gentle. The car would overheat whenever under load on a hill. But as I coasted, I could see temps coming back down. I blasted the heat with the windows down to help dissipate from the engine compartment through Mississippi and into Louisiana. I never let the temp gauge hit red. After I arrived, I parked the truck overnight, emptied the trailer, and drove local roads 3 miles to the u-haul lot to drop it off the next day. The car overheated in less than 3 miles at city speeds. I coasted into the lot and shut it off to let it cool down a bit. After the gauge was closer to the middle, I blasted the heat again, and limped it home.
Started it up this AM after another 8+ hour cooldown and it’s still overheating within a couple of miles.
-Radiator fan kicks in, temps do not drop sufficiently. Don’t know when clutch was changed but it does spin freely with vehicle turned off, even when hot.
-I do not know how old the radiator is. Figure might be good PM to replace anyway. Is Denso the gold standard here too or have folks found luck with aftermarket?
-I know the gauges are not reliable on these, but I have made it a point to never let the needle hit red in hopes of preventing head warpage.
My thought process based on reading so far is as follows:
Thermostat—>Fan clutch—>Radiator
Should I just do all 3? I’m dreading the answer to this—but from what I’m reading, head gaskets aren’t really as common on these, right? Or am I missing something and in for a world of hurt?
