hot engine

[Tractorat]

Just got back from a 2200 mile round trip from Seattle to Yellowstone to Jackson Hole and back pulling my little 4k lb TT. (BTW, I burned a half a quart of oil on this trip. This truck is only 3 years old with only 42k on it. Its almost brand new. Very dissapointing)

I always keep an eye on the engine temp guage. Pulling the mountains, it usually got no more than a needles width from center, occassionally almost half way to the first hash mark, but always withing the "normal" range.

When I tried to go up the 10% grade from Jackson to Victor ID, after about 2 miles, I noticed that the temp needle was almost on the hash mark (still in the normal range, but not by much) So, I turned around, went back down the hill, and took the long route

When I got the camp at Victor ID, the guy that ran the camp said he pulls his 17k trailer (CTD) over that 10% grade and does not overheat and would not accept the fact that my Dodge got so hot. I checked the coolant level, and it was a little low, but I easily filled it with less than the contents of a 20 ounce water bottle.

Do you think I may have cooked something ? Oil pressure is still the same, power SEEMS to be the same, etc.

Tractorat