4106 Radiators - Tips for maximum cooling?

[TomC]

Besides the misters, what really cooled the radiator was making sure hot air did not recirculate back into the radiator. I sealed everything off with Gorilla Tape-like really strong duct tape. Usually have to redo it every year. Good Luck, TomC

[olebusman]

I installed a 6 row rad in my 06 with e 6V92 and a Teal o-drive. It did not change the temp it run at all so I installed a 10 blade fan with a good shrould and that worked for me. I had just replaced my core before changing engines. It was a stock 4 row core. So the more core rad did not help me at all.  Good luck    olebusman

[technomadia]

I installed a 6 row rad in my 06 with e 6V92 and a Teal o-drive. It did not change the temp it run at all so I installed a 10 blade fan with a good shrould and that worked for me.

Where did you get a 10 blade fan / shroud?  I have not seen one of these on a 4106 before.

Cheers,

   - Chris

[Barn Owl]

My bus has a seven core with an eight blade fan. You are limited to the depth of the radiator by the tanks, but you can increase the length by a few inches. The PO did that with mine, probably added three or four inches, and made some strange lower radiator screen mount modifications that looks terrible, but has worked. Nothing to base it on, but I cannot see how a slightly taller radiator would be worth the trouble, but the PO of my bus got talked into it. My father's bus has a non-stock fan. I have never counted the blades but it is more than eight I am sure. In addition to the larger radiator, installing a Hayden 1290 or 1260 in-series with the oil water cooler to your transmission, will give you one of the best cooking returns on your dollar.

[Barn Owl]

If you experience high engine temps and you have the original, functional bus heat, you can open your bus windows and turn it on. Not very comfortable, but better than a trashed power plant. Does anyone know how large the heater core is compared to the radiator? Must be big to heat that much space.

[06 Bill]

Chris  I re cored my 4106 with stock dimension core with seven tubes staggered & wrinkled. Thermostats are 160* left
from probs before re core. Also 8 blade fan without fluid coupling. On a normal day temp gauge barely comes off pin.
Have to partially cover rad to get heat and defrost in cool weather. Pulling up arches national monument towing a full
size chevy Impala, did get to 175 on it's own. Been just great not to have to think about it heating up.    06 Bill

[olebusman]

 My fan came from Superior Turbo & Injection in Detroit( 313-842-4616), not connected just good service. The shroud I made from the 1982 flex my engine came from. Get lots of pitch in the fan as you can't hear it anyway. Shroud is fiberglass and several cuts and glassing later it fits like a glove. olebusman

[luvrbus]

I have a direct drive for a GM to replace the torus set up but I don't have the rubber block or the clutch

[technomadia]

On a normal day temp gauge barely comes off pin.
Have to partially cover rad to get heat and defrost in cool weather.

Sounds like you have done a great job with heat removal...  But - isn't over-cooling the engine (and transmission) also a potential problem as well? I've been warned that rigging the radiator fan to always run at full speed can actually end up doing more harm than good.

Thoughts?

  - Chris

[06 Bill]

May be running cool but has done so for well over 100k miles. Runs the same now as it always did. 06 Bill

[2xclutchin]

I am not discounting your running cool Bill, but...

An engine, gas or diesel, is designed to run most efficiently at a certain temperature, and working an engine hard while things are cool can make things go bad, quickly, or slowly with a quick finish. If things don't warm up and swell, then things don't fit quite right.

Couldn't tell you a thing about the transmission side.

Now, I shall go hide again.

[Gordie Allen]

If you experience high engine temps and you have the original, functional bus heat, you can open your bus windows and turn it on. Not very comfortable, but better than a trashed power plant. Does anyone know how large the heater core is compared to the radiator? Must be big to heat that much space.

My 4104 has a 28"x26"x 3" OTR heater core.  Actually I couldn't find a replacement for the OEM core for less than $500, so I used 2 Thomas school bus heater cores to replace the trashed OEM core.  That's the size of the fan opening.  Although I haven't completed this yet, I'm fabricating a "dump door" on the bottom of the driver's side heating duct.  If needed I can close the interior ducts and open the "dump door", turn the heater on high and effectively add an additional radiator that's almost the size of the engine radiator (not as many rows, but close in sq. in.).

[niles500]

Barn Owl gives an important piece of info - in an emergency, say your climbing a grade where it is almost impossible to turn out and your coolant is about overtemp, engage your heat and it will dump tremendous amounts of heat into the cabin and save your mill, a cold beverage and the knowledge that you saved $$$$$$$$$ not cooking your engine is worth the temporary inconvenience - HTH

[06 Bill]

In my estimation as a 30 yr Mercedes Benz tech. 10 - 20* of temp difference is a non issue. To me it is also
less of an issue in the middle of a normal heat range 160 - 180. A very few degree difference is a big issue
if you are near your boiling point depending on what pressure you are running. At any rate I am not going to
change anything, been to good to long. I try and not over fix at 76 like I did when I was 26.   06 Bill

[Ed Hackenbruch]

 I have opened the windows and turned on the heat several times over the years when the temp gauge has started climbing over 180 degrees.....in fact did it just a week ago when climbing westbound over McDonald pass in Montana.