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Old 06-19-2017, 09:25 AM   #1
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1999 t444e temp

What temp should my t444e 72 person bus run when climbing a steep grade. Mine runs right around 210 then drops back down to 180 on the down hill side. Any info will be appreciated.

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Old 06-19-2017, 10:46 AM   #2
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That's perfectly acceptable.

As long as you don't go over 215, you're good. 210 and under is ideal.

The fact that it's cooling back down to 180 quickly after it's no longer under heavier load means your cooling system is working well.
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Old 06-19-2017, 10:48 AM   #3
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There is a current thread discussion about this same problem. Actually there seem to be constant discussions on this subject.

In more severe cases some people have their radiator rodded out. First make sure you don't have a big air bubble in your cooling system. Your temps don't sound that far off from normal for climbing long grades. If it's to much of a problem you'll likely need to drop down a gear and slow down to climb those hills.
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Old 06-19-2017, 11:27 AM   #4
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That seems to be the normal range for temperature - Mine (2000 t444e) runs about 180 / 190 - but at 65mph will get to about 210. If I turn on the front heaters - it will drop down a little.


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Originally Posted by Qya1991 View Post
What temp should my t444e 72 person bus run when climbing a steep grade. Mine runs right around 210 then drops back down to 180 on the down hill side. Any info will be appreciated.

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Old 06-19-2017, 11:45 AM   #5
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they like to run warm at high RPMs.. in talking to people ive tried to put rhyme or reason to it... and alot of it seems to be RPM related even on flat ground in hot weather... guys driving medium duty box trucks with Overdrive often dont report high engine temps... school busses that run high RPMs often do report high temps at cruise..

these things are also notorious for bad or misadjusted fan clutches.. where the fans dont engage properly on the highway.. or stay at the minimums...

in the CE / FE busses the radiator is small compared to engine displacement and heat dissipation.. so even on the highway the fan is essential in hot weather.

AT545 transmissions tax the cooling system further as they have a fairly large cooling loop in the radiator dissispating transmission heat into the coolant.

pulling a hill and seeing a temp of 210 isnt out of the ordinary.. your fan should kick in pretty good during that time... and you'll hear it if its working right.
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Old 06-19-2017, 05:50 PM   #6
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Thank you all for the info. Is there an after market fan clutch that anyone would recommend?

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Old 06-19-2017, 06:37 PM   #7
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The Cadillac of fan clutches is to upgrade to a Horton electric EC-450 clutch and the plastic fan, there is a thread in the license and titles section called "got a bus in tx" where I chronicalled my cooling system upgrades.

The easy thing is to take yours off and see if it is adjustable, if it is you can clean the spring cool and adjust it down and see if you get more fan engagement.

Are you sure you aren't getting fan engagement? Do you get a fan roar sound ever? When you first start up the engine and drive off you should get a fan roar on higher rpm for the first minute or two.. and then again when your temp goes above 200 or so
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Old 06-19-2017, 06:49 PM   #8
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No fan roar only comes on every once and a while. Very inconsistent

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Old 06-19-2017, 07:08 PM   #9
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That's how the. Clutch works.. it measures the airctemo coming from the radiator and Turbo cooler, when that air is hot it slowly spins up the fan, it will usually run for short times unless the bus is running hot then should stay on longer. If the spring cool in front is dirty or needs adjustment then it will run less than it should.. if the clutch is all bad it usually won't run at all or only at minimum speed.
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