DBDLS
Well-Known Member
Working for a company that has a fleet (15+) of Cat 24M motorgraders operating in the oilsands of Alberta. Some of the machines are approaching 40,000 hours and others are in the mid 20’s. Last winter, probably because of the extra cold winter temperatures, the radiators started plugging up with tar. I would say some eventually had next to no airflow. Hard to believe but we were having overheating problems in sub zero weather. It took the shop a while to develop a protocol to properly clean out the rads but they seem to have got that figured out. They have also changed the radiators to a Mesabi product and removed the belly pans and are installing heat blankets over the mufflers, turbo and exhaust manifolds to help out. It seems now, no matter what they do they cannot get these mechines to run at cooler temperatures. Usually it is the transmission and torque that overheat first, soon followed by the engine itself. Some machines are so bad they will start overheating just travelling around. These things are running so hot they are burning the paint right off the engine compartment doors. Does anyone have any ideas?