Keeping coolant and transmission temps under control when towing in the summer heat

[Tallpaulboise2]

Ok so just so we have a better idea of what you have done.

Tru Cool trans cooler

Higher Wattage fans??? Need more info

tuned at all?

what do you mean radiator hose restriction??

I am ready to purchase a tuner because of the increased towing I will be doing. Is the higher wattage fan to go on the drivets side? I noticed the passenger side fan hit high but not the drivets side. The restriction remark was a response to a thread I was reading.

 

[03_GMC]

I am ready to purchase a tuner because of the increased towing I will be doing. Is the higher wattage fan to go on the drivets side? I noticed the passenger side fan hit high but not the drivets side. The restriction remark was a response to a thread I was reading.

So for a tuner you need to find a local tuner who uses HP Tuners and can change your cooling fan parameters.
I am not sure what exactly you mean by the higher wattage fan. Did you buy new fans or is one of your not working correctly?? Also I’m still not following the restriction question. Are you referring to the thermostat for the coolant or asking if you. We’d bigger hoses or a better water pump?

 

[Geotrash]

I have a 2011 Yukon Denali that had high trans temps when pulling my new trailer. Installed the TruCool and no more trans overheating. Now the engine temps are rising to 225 as soon as I get going down the highway. I thought the higher wattage fans were to be used for in town cooling. Mine are fine in town and cool right down when I get my speed down or get off the highway. What kind of restriction do I need in the radiator hose or should I just purchase a OEM item? I purchased this vehicle a few months ago, didn’t find a trans replacement on the Car Fax but it does have a 2020 sticker on it.

Thanks to @03_GMC for asking helpful clarifying questions.

What you're experiencing with the Tru-Cool and towing is exactly what I experienced as well. And by asking about the restrictor, I assume you mean that you're thinking if installing a Cold Case radiator and want to know what to put in that little hose that goes back to the coolant tank. Before worrying about replacing the radiator, here are the steps I would take if I were in your shoes right now:

1/ Open up the lower grill so that air can flow easily through it to reach the Tru-Cool when you move it there.
2/ Move the Tru-Cool to be mounted behind that lower grille.

Keep everything else, including your cooling fans the way they are for now, and go do some more towing. My bet is that you'll be just fine without having to take any further steps, unless you're in the desert (115ºF outside).

If you do decide you want to upgrade the radiator anyway, all you need is a small brass fitting that will fit snugly inside the hose and has a small hole in it (1/8" is enough) to allow a small amount of coolant and steam to pass through the hose back to the recovery tank, yet is too large to slip through the hose and into the recovery tank, because that would be bad. I found such a fitting on the Dorman parts tree at my local Autozone.

As for the cooling fan motors and settings, I didn't end up changing mine at all. So that's the final step I will take if I run into any more cooling issues. I already bought the 700W fan motor for the driver's side, and the fam blade to go with it, but haven't installed it yet. I also haven't changed my fan speed settings yet with a tune.

 

[03_GMC]

Thanks to @03_GMC for asking helpful clarifying questions.

What you're experiencing with the Tru-Cool and towing is exactly what I experienced as well. And by asking about the restrictor, I assume you mean that you're thinking if installing a Cold Case radiator and want to know what to put in that little hose that goes back to the coolant tank. Before worrying about replacing the radiator, here are the steps I would take if I were in your shoes right now:

1/ Open up the lower grill so that air can flow easily through it to reach the Tru-Cool when you move it there.
2/ Move the Tru-Cool to be mounted behind that lower grille.

Keep everything else, including your cooling fans the way they are for now, and go do some more towing. My bet is that you'll be just fine without having to take any further steps, unless you're in the desert (115ºF outside).

If you do decide you want to upgrade the radiator anyway, all you need is a small brass fitting that will fit snugly inside the hose and has a small hole in it (1/8" is enough) to allow a small amount of coolant and steam to pass through the hose back to the recovery tank, yet is too large to slip through the hose and into the recovery tank, because that would be bad. I found such a fitting on the Dorman parts tree at my local Autozone.

As for the cooling fan motors and settings, I didn't end up changing mine at all. So that's the final step I will take if I run into any more cooling issues. I already bought the 700W fan motor for the driver's side, and the fam blade to go with it, but haven't installed it yet. I also haven't changed my fan speed settings yet with a tune.

Anybody know the factory cfm of the cooling fans??

 

[alpha_omega]

Anybody know the factory cfm of the cooling fans??

For those with a towing pkg a single fan motor “should” be pushing 650 cfm at a 7.5 Amp draw.

 

[alpha_omega]

I’m finally getting around to installing a Tru-Cool on my 2011 Denali and will be doing a fair amount of towing with it (either horses or my 16’ enclosed trailer both are V-nose/wedge shape). Living in Michigan I don’t have the mountains or desert heat that some of you other guys deal with, but at the same time I don’t want to run into any of the issues you all have been fighting - regarding having too low of temps in exchange for too high of temps.
I guess my main question is, even for me living way out in “deer zone” (at risk of one of those rodents clipping the bumper and taking out my new TruCool) would you still recommend installing the new 40k down at the bumper grill vs the location that some others have used directly in front of the radiator, but with enough of a stand-off to prevent it from rubbing and allow a little better airflow?
I did install a B&M deep trans pan, wrapped the exhaust pipes near the transmission as well as wrapped the trans coolant lines in order to help keep as much excess heat away from them as possible. I still planning on running through the OEM radiator cooler and will be installing a cold weather bypass for the TruCool 40k. However, I just don’t want to sacrifice trans temps for engine coolant temps. Neither are a good idea.

 

[Doubeleive]

I’m finally getting around to installing a Tru-Cool on my 2011 Denali and will be doing a fair amount of towing with it (either horses or my 16’ enclosed trailer both are V-nose/wedge shape). Living in Michigan I don’t have the mountains or desert heat that some of you other guys deal with, but at the same time I don’t want to run into any of the issues you all have been fighting - regarding having too low of temps in exchange for too high of temps.
I guess my main question is, even for me living way out in “deer zone” (at risk of one of those rodents clipping the bumper and taking out my new TruCool) would you still recommend installing the new 40k down at the bumper grill vs the location that some others have used directly in front of the radiator, but with enough of a stand-off to prevent it from rubbing and allow a little better airflow?
I did install a B&M deep trans pan, wrapped the exhaust pipes near the transmission as well as wrapped the trans coolant lines in order to help keep as much excess heat away from them as possible. I still planning on running through the OEM radiator cooler and will be installing a cold weather bypass for the TruCool 40k. However, I just don’t want to sacrifice trans temps for engine coolant temps. Neither are a good idea.

i have been mulling over the idea of trying to space it more forward from the radiator or turning it sideways versus putting it down below but haven't even had a chance 2nd heatwave hit right behind the 1st, miserable outside right now unless I get up very early. not sure if moving it forward would cause more issue or less or even just angling it a bit lower. I need to get the grill off and experiment.

 

[03_GMC]

I’m finally getting around to installing a Tru-Cool on my 2011 Denali and will be doing a fair amount of towing with it (either horses or my 16’ enclosed trailer both are V-nose/wedge shape). Living in Michigan I don’t have the mountains or desert heat that some of you other guys deal with, but at the same time I don’t want to run into any of the issues you all have been fighting - regarding having too low of temps in exchange for too high of temps.
I guess my main question is, even for me living way out in “deer zone” (at risk of one of those rodents clipping the bumper and taking out my new TruCool) would you still recommend installing the new 40k down at the bumper grill vs the location that some others have used directly in front of the radiator, but with enough of a stand-off to prevent it from rubbing and allow a little better airflow?
I did install a B&M deep trans pan, wrapped the exhaust pipes near the transmission as well as wrapped the trans coolant lines in order to help keep as much excess heat away from them as possible. I still planning on running through the OEM radiator cooler and will be installing a cold weather bypass for the TruCool 40k. However, I just don’t want to sacrifice trans temps for engine coolant temps. Neither are a good idea.

So with how mine is mounted it’s far enough back that slapping a rodent or two wouldn’t damage it. The one thing I haven’t done is wrap my long tubes and cross pipe. You can see I paid the price for that a few posts ago. I just love the way headers looked unwrapped but I may need to let that go. I know some guys were looking into mounting the Tru Cool sideways but I think upgrading to 3-4K cfm fans would be a huge help.

 

[03_GMC]

For those with a towing pkg a single fan motor “should” be pushing 650 cfm at a 7.5 Amp draw.

Wow if we are only moving 1300cfm total then a cooling fan upgrade may be one of the best upgrades yet. @Geotrash i nominate you to change your before the Yellowstone trip lol

 

[Geotrash]

Wow if we are only moving 1300cfm total then a cooling fan upgrade may be one of the best upgrades yet. @Geotrash i nominate you to change your before the Yellowstone trip lol

Shit, that would mean dumping the coolant again! Lol.