95 pathfinder heats up alittle going up hill in a load

[fearkobe]

hi i have a 95 pathfinder automatic and with aload enough to make the rear end sag i noticed going up hill it getting alittle hotter. is this normal? my gauge reads alittle colder than normal with out aload but when i go up hill with aload the gauge goes up half way. thanks

[Precise1]

Not terribly unusual, this is why you often see motorhomes on the side of the road 1/2 way up or at the top of a steep grade. That said, if your cooling system is working correctly, you shouldn't see much of an increase or at least not enough to cause problems. Part of it is the extra load on the motor and maybe reduced speed (therefore cooling effect) and part of it might be that the tranny is getting hot and putting the extra heat into the radiator cooler, increasing the temp of the coolant.

The things to check would be that your coolant is in good condition and at the proper level, that the radiator cap is holding the proper pressure, that there is sufficient flow through the radiator, that the tranny fluid is in good condition and that the tranny cooler has proper flow.

Something most people suggest is to plumb in an aftermarket tranny cooler but opinions differ on how. I personally recommend a fitler on the tranny out line into the radiator cooler, into an aftermarket cooler and back to the tranny with a temp gauge installed. It's not a big deal and not 1/10 the cost of a replacement tranny, much less the hassle. There are plenty of threads around here that discuss all that...

 

B

[adamzan]

That seems kinda normal. When was out that way with my pathy, the temp gauge would go pretty much to 3/4 climbing grades with the AC on. It never once boiled over and I had good coolant. I wouldn't say it was "loaded down" but I did have a lot of stuff as I was driving cross country, through the desert, in the summer.