Went to the Post Office today and the cunstruction on the scinic highway has slowed the traffic down for long delays as they are paving along with their other projects.

So I decide I will bypass them and go up Palmer Mill Rd. cut accross the top and down Alex Barr Rd. That more than doubles my traveling but it's a nice day and I haven't been that way for some time. Palmer Mill is so steep that the Cheesemobile (89GL-10 turbo FWD wagon) wouldn't climb it. Not enough traction!! I was shocked!! As I was turning around to drive down the hill I decided to back up it. FWD will go up a hill better in reverse so off I go. After about 1/3 of a mile she overheats. What the heck??

So I stop, open hood and check it out. Not steaming yet just the gauge regestering HOT. So I get back in and coast down hill with engine off to get air movemet and soon restart engine. Temp gauge quickly drops and returns to normal.

I pull off on a side road in Bridal Veil that goes up to the old pump house. It's like a RV path and I take it as far as I can. Get to the end and put it in neutral and coast backwards and the temp starts risiing. It's only a short distance and I'm going forward again and the temp drops to normanl.

Still not wanting to deal with the construciton traffic I decide to do the freeway to Corbett and down from the other side. Corbett hill is steep and at least 2 mills of nothing but up hill. Not a bit over normanl opperating temp on the gauge.

Whats with this reverse overheating?

Check the front tires when I get home and the one is showing definate signs of gravel wear from where I smoked it a few times trying Palmer Mill Rd.

A new learning experience for me. Stumpy

the soob don't like backwards - no air for radiator in correct direction :-\

and if its an auto tranny it makes things even worse...

 

who would have thought cars werent made to drive in reverse for miles at a time?

Should still cool itself - probably your radiator fan isn't kicking on.

 

GD

I've been able to climb some slopes in reverse better than forward in 4wd offroad cuz of the extra weight up front gives much more traction. Also, how's your struts? Mine are so shot the front end hops like a basketball taking off easy.

Yes it's an auto.

What do you mean there not built for long back ups? I love reverse drives!!

The electric fan is defiantly kicking on. I was wandering what was running until I opened the hood and the fan was on. I had left the key on accessories.

I have used reverse in other 4X4's for tough up hill runs. But my soob is a 2 wheel drive and it does pretty good off road, all considered.

Struts seem to be in decent shape on the front but the rears are gettng weak.

Stumpy

Hmmm maybe the coolant level is low that when the front is facing down and the engine is over load all the coolant goes into the radiator and the water pump cant pull enough of it? When its face up gravity kinda feeds the water pump? Just a theory, I've never experienced anything like that... though I DO know about GL's breaking traction in FWD with cheap tires (my GL's stock tires when I bought it were junk)

you drove a car for 1/3 of a mile in reverse:eek:

you drove a car for 1/3 of a mile in reverse:eek:

Up a steep windy gravel road at that. Am fairly indiferent to direction as long as it gets me where I'm going.

Water level is normal, Flow. Not sure what to think about it overheating. If it's the water pump or some other part of the cooling system I would think it would over heat at other times as well.

I drove it the day before up to Corbett when it was 104degrees out here. If it was going to over heat that should have been the time. Temp gauge never went above it's normal range.

Stumpy

It's because these cars have just enough cooling to keep from burning up. The system wants cool air to come in through the front, the electric and mechanical fans draw it in that way. But, when you're backing up, you're building a pocket of heated air in front of the radiator that keeps getting sucked back through it, heating up more, until the car overheats. You have air coming underneath the car that is being heated by the exhaust, and then mixed with the air the fan is drawing through under the engine, going under the front bumper, and getting sucked back through the radiator by the fan.

I've run into similar issues with construction equipment, if it's facing into a stiff headwind (about 20-25mph), then the machine will tend to overheat since the fan pushes out. Took a while to explain that to a guy who called my out twice in two days to "fix" a bulldozer. He kept saying, it only overheats when I'm pushing down the hill...........

4X4 Welder, that makes sence but SUCKS!

There have been times 4 wheeling where I had to back up quite a distance before I could turn around or in a couple cases for better traction up hills.

Stumpy