Do I Need My Radiator Shutters?

[jmblake]

I am getting ready to put my new radiators in and was wondering if I actually need the shutters. They are in fair to poor shape but they do work. Most of or traveling is in the summer other than a trip south in the winter about every other winter. Probably 90% of the time they are open anyways and if I don't need them I will let them off. I priced new ones from MCI and they were around $500.00 each, allot of money for all the more they are closed. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks Jason

[Lin]

If they work, I would keep them.  Mine did not, so they are gone.

[jmblake]

They do work just not in very good shape, the frames are ate out around the bottom and the bushings are realy wore. Thanks Jason

[Chopper Scott]

Mine are gone. If you lived in Canada and you drove it daily through the winter then I could see needing them. Other than that I wouldn't worry.

[jmblake]

That was my thoughts Scott, 95% of our traveling is in the summer.

[Chopper Scott]

And the good point of getting rid of them is eliminating another air leak!

[RickB]

Jason,

Being that I don't drive my bus very often in the winter. I decided to cap the air supply to my shutters and not use them although they work well. Here was my thinking, If 180 degrees is an acceptable temp to run a dry sleeve motor at and my motor always seems to end up right about there throughout the months that I use it, why risk an overheat by coming within 10 degrees of my temp shutdown preset. I know some folks here will probably disagree but I feel that it gives me time to realize I have a problem and if I had a wet sleeve motor I would most certainly unhook the shutters. On a hot summer day, you can go from 185-190 degrees to 210 pretty quickly and with a wet sleeve you might just have cooked your o-rings and allowed coolant into places where you don't want it. My advice would be to get an IR gun and shoot the inlet and outlet of your thermostat and both your radiators, also feel for cold or hotspots on the radiators themselves making sure to not shoot reflective or shiny parts (gives false readings) and if that seems to match your dash gauge relatively well, take her our get her up to full operating temp and see if you aren't right around 180 degrees and if you are I'd leave it be. Of course if you are planning on driving it in the winter disregard everything I just wrote because if your cooling system is working correctly you will struggle to even get it to 150 which is way too cold for these motors too run.

I know some folks think 200 degrees is just fine for their bus but they have alot more guts (and probably money too ) than I do.

I'd be more concerned that your whole system isn't allowing air around the radiators instead of through them. Do the paper test. hold a piece of paper next to your radiator grill and the suction of the cooling system should pull it out of your hand at about 6" to a foot and it should hold it there

Just trying to help
Rick

[jmblake]

Thanks Rick
I have the engine out right now getting it ready to put a 740 Allison in so I can't take it out for a ride. But the temp always run around 180 -190 pretty consistently, I just got my new radiators from diesel radiator in chicago as you suggested, and I got new seals for around them so I should have good air flow. If I ran in the winter alot I could see putting them back on but for once every other year I just don't think I should need them. Thanks Jason