Temps in AZ for an 80 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Threads
17
Messages
117
Location
Buckeye, Arizona
Quick question, what temps are your 80’s running at in the high temps? my gauge never goes above half but curious to temp readings if your running a scan gauge. This past week with 115 and driving with AC will definitely test the cooling system. Thanks
 
Most factory auto gauges/sensors work on voltage bands, and wont uniformly move with the changes in temp. I don't recall ever having any cooling issues with the 1FZ-FE in my 97 before the swap, so I never thought about it. In stock configuration, the 80 has been engineered to survive African heat and be reliable enough to always get you home.
 
Mine runs anywhere between 193 and 209 with the higher teams pulling the grade up I17. Invest in a Scangauge or UltraGauge and watch how the engine reacts to load. When driving up I-17 I am usually in second gear or even first keeping the engine below 4500 rpm and above 3000 rpm and the truck runs cool.
 
Mine runs anywhere between 193 and 209 with the higher teams pulling the grade up I17. Invest in a Scangauge or UltraGauge and watch how the engine reacts to load. When driving up I-17 I am usually in second gear or even first keeping the engine below 4500 rpm and above 3000 rpm and the truck runs cool.
I remember making the climb to Flagstaff in the right lane with the motor singing away in 2nd gear at 50mph......

Of course when my original engine was finally torn down, I could see why it was so down on power.
 
Totally depends on the truck, its setup, and how heavily modified.

I would define mine as heavily modified, mostly as experimentation to see how I could get the system to perform. With a stock thermostat I usually saw 184-193° most of the time and it was more often at 186° than anything else, but very occasionally climbing to 198°. With the current 170° thermostat, I see 172-186°, usually 177° most days.
 
In stock configuration, the 80 has been engineered to survive African heat and be reliable enough to always get you home.

Not really a fair comparison to a US model load with emissions. These automatically run at higher temperatures. Which means they very possibly run hotter in the heat than one that doesn't have all the extra emissions stuff packed under the hood and in the exhaust.
 
Ive been thinking about a new radiator, it runs fine on flat ground but while climbing hills temps get up to 220* is the Koyo A1918 still the go to rad?
Im asking since the AZ boys would know best about the heat.
 
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Ive been thinking about a new radiator, it runs fine on flat ground but while climbing hills temps get up to 220* is the Koyo A1917 still the go to rad?
Im asking since the AZ boys would know best about the heat.
Depending on the year of your 80, you could try just flushing the rad out really well. There are rebuilders out htere that can refurbish copper rads if yours is an older 80. There are also replacement ones from Mishimoto, BeCool, and Ron Davis that are sitting at varying price points.
 
Not really a fair comparison to a US model load with emissions. These automatically run at higher temperatures. Which means they very possibly run hotter in the heat than one that doesn't have all the extra emissions stuff packed under the hood and in the exhaust.

I don’t know that I buy that. My 80’s temps didn’t change after removing the smog components and one of the 80s we’ve had in the shop has no EGR or cat and still runs the same temperatures it did before they were deleted.
 
Ive been thinking about a new radiator, it runs fine on flat ground but while climbing hills temps get up to 220* is the Koyo A1918 still the go to rad?
Im asking since the AZ boys would know best about the heat.
I’ve put probably a dozen TYC 1918s into 80s over the last couple years. It has the biggest core I’ve found, seems to have the best results.
 
So you like the TYC over the Koyo? Ive been on all the rad threads most of the morning researching & most of them are just installs with not much reporting back on actual results.
Thank you for you reply.
 
Just thought about the fact that I have the original one from my 97 if you want to swap it and see if it makes a difference. I have it as a spare.
 
So you like the TYC over the Koyo? Ive been on all the rad threads most of the morning researching & most of them are just installs with not much reporting back on actual results.
Thank you for you reply.
I went from a koyo that got hit by something and had 3 rows pinched closed to a tyc and saw no noticeable difference and I monitor temps obsessively. The core on the tyc is definitely thicker. 2 years, no issues, and dirt cheap.

on a hundred series the tyc core is really thin, I put CSF radiators in those.
 
Posting this here, as it's specific to AZ heat as it pertains to your question;

Just got back from a 3k mile road trip which included 6hrs of desert (Flagstaff to Albuquerque) and back. I noticed a few things, but first my setup;

1. New TYC 1918 radiator installed last year, $127 on Amazon. New OEM radiator cap, new hoses, PHH, Heater Valve and various small hoses. Fresh Toyota Red, 50/50 mix. New Thermostat, Water Pump installed earlier this year.
2. Blue fan clutch, unmodified, OEM fan original to the 1996 truck.
3. New Factory short block installed in Feb, rebuilt head, valve lash set, etc.

Cooling performance at highway speeds - Ambient temps over 100F, IAT around 160F;

1. No AC load, temp stabilized at about 185F over level ground
2. AC on, temp stabilized at about 192F over level ground
3. Hill climbs dramatically increased temps, longer durations pushed it up to 208F
4. Turning off AC at bottom of the start of a climb helped to keep temps down, turning AC back on during the downhill portion helped. When above 210F, I'd let the truck coast downhill which quickly dropped temps back to 199F or so.
5. As outside air temps climbed above 110F, engine coolant temp rises, stabilizing at about 212-214F at 72mph over level ground. This was concerning, and I limited AC use to keep it from rising.

On the trip back to Phoenix, Camp Verde has a hill climb that routinely tops out cooling performance. It was 117F in Phoenix, and this climb brought my temps up to 220F, AC off the whole way and STARTED the climb at 212F. Slowed down considerably, kept my RPMs up the whole way, and it didn't stay at 220 for more than a few seconds, quickly dropping down again to 214F for the rest of the climb. Over the top, it dropped back to 204-206F for the rest of the midday drive home.

I was expecting better cooling performance given the recent replacement of nearly everything related to the cooling system, combined with a new OEM short block, but there it is. It runs hotter than I'd like, but not enough to scare the pants off of me under normal conditions. On climbs, it definitely helps to have a live monitor of coolant temp data to help you adjust your driving style.
 
Posting this here, as it's specific to AZ heat as it pertains to your question;

Just got back from a 3k mile road trip which included 6hrs of desert (Flagstaff to Albuquerque) and back. I noticed a few things, but first my setup;

1. New TYC 1918 radiator installed last year, $127 on Amazon. New OEM radiator cap, new hoses, PHH, Heater Valve and various small hoses. Fresh Toyota Red, 50/50 mix. New Thermostat, Water Pump installed earlier this year.
2. Blue fan clutch, unmodified, OEM fan original to the 1996 truck.
3. New Factory short block installed in Feb, rebuilt head, valve lash set, etc.

Cooling performance at highway speeds - Ambient temps over 100F, IAT around 160F;

1. No AC load, temp stabilized at about 185F over level ground
2. AC on, temp stabilized at about 192F over level ground
3. Hill climbs dramatically increased temps, longer durations pushed it up to 208F
4. Turning off AC at bottom of the start of a climb helped to keep temps down, turning AC back on during the downhill portion helped. When above 210F, I'd let the truck coast downhill which quickly dropped temps back to 199F or so.
5. As outside air temps climbed above 110F, engine coolant temp rises, stabilizing at about 212-214F at 72mph over level ground. This was concerning, and I limited AC use to keep it from rising.

On the trip back to Phoenix, Camp Verde has a hill climb that routinely tops out cooling performance. It was 117F in Phoenix, and this climb brought my temps up to 220F, AC off the whole way and STARTED the climb at 212F. Slowed down considerably, kept my RPMs up the whole way, and it didn't stay at 220 for more than a few seconds, quickly dropping down again to 214F for the rest of the climb. Over the top, it dropped back to 204-206F for the rest of the midday drive home.

I was expecting better cooling performance given the recent replacement of nearly everything related to the cooling system, combined with a new OEM short block, but there it is. It runs hotter than I'd like, but not enough to scare the pants off of me under normal conditions. On climbs, it definitely helps to have a live monitor of coolant temp data to help you adjust your driving style.
How old is that fan clutch? The silicone oil loses performance with age/use.
Did you install foam around the rad? This is critical.
Is the cap holding pressure? The TYC is notorious for issues with cap fitment.

On a lesser note, the fan gets brittle and develops cracks over time. I don't know if performance is degraded prior to it coming apart, but it definitely affects it after. Aisin fans are cheap on RockAuto.
 
Similar to @LongDuck , I put in a brand new Koyo A1918 rad a few weeks ago. Also, a blue fan clutch with 17.5kcst, new belts, hoses, head gasket, rear heater bypass, foam on top of the radiator, etc all in the last 6mos.

Driving southeast out of Las Vegas (long, high speed climb, maybe 2-3% grade) 2 wks ago towards AZ on US 93 in 104* temps at 75mph, my truck hit 221* on the Ultragauge. The factory temp gauge never budged from the middle. On the long grade back to Kingman, truck stayed at 209-213*. AC on, factory gauge never budged.

While those temps are higher than I expected, they aren’t cringe-worthy yet. 185-195 around town in my 1997 on 35’s, stock gears, 35’s, front bumper, winch, and a snorkel here in Flagstaff. Air temps between 35-95*. It seems that the long grades push the truck more than anything else.
 
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My 80 always ran on the ragged edge in summer in Phx. I just don't think the cooling system was up to the task, and that was with modified fan clutch oil. The 100 series was never a concern, and now with a GX, I"m amazed at the amount of foam and plastic "ducting" that forces virtually every molecule of air that goes through the grill to the radiator. Huge difference.
 
Thanks, My 97 runs on 35’s with no other modifications. The stock gauge always remains at half, the ultra gauge ranges between 198 to 210 depending on driving or stopped all with AC on. Definitely rises just stopped and drops once moving. Today numbers would change quickly which was weird, like 204 than 198 and back to 203 in less than a minute. What would you say is the danger temp for the 80.
 
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