running hotter after winch install?

[runningonemptyy]

2021 JL, 3.6 manual, 4500 miles. engine temp always 195-197 no matter what. off-roading would go up to 210.
had 12k lbs winch installed today by professional shop. instantly she’s running 205-212 and went as high as 222 idling in the driveway.

what’s going on here?

lmk y’all’s thoughts
thanks

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[Windshieldfarmer]

I have the same set up…cooling was not impacted. Have you opened the hood to see if a piece of plastic or paper got sucked up against the front of the radiator. There is no reason the install would have involved the cooling system.

 

[runningonemptyy]

i have verified the radiator is free of obstruction

 

[Capricorn]

2021 JL, 3.6 manual, 4500 miles. engine temp always 195-197 no matter what. off-roading would go up to 210.
had 12k lbs winch installed today by professional shop. instantly she’s running 205-212 and went as high as 222 idling in the driveway.

what’s going on here?

lmk y’all’s thoughts
thanks

Probably a coincidence. Have you stopped using A/C since the weather is cooling down at the same time. With A/C running, fans cool the engine down and coolant temps remain lower.

 

[runningonemptyy]

Probably a coincidence. Have you stopped using A/C since the weather is cooling down at the same time. With A/C running, fans cool the engine down and coolant temps remain lower.

before it ran 195-197 without climate control running. now under the same conditions i’ve observed this engine temp hike starting when i drove the car home from the winch installation. i’m noticing now it’s very much all over the place it goes 195-215-205-220-197 within a few minutes and it doesn’t seem dependent on any particular speed.

it has not yet passed a safe temp but this is definitely not what it was doing this morning or the past 3 months i’ve owned it.

 

[guarnibl]

You could unplug it temporarily to see if that helps. I mean, seems unlikely -- but a variable nonetheless. It's not an airflow issue.

 

[Capricorn]

before it ran 195-197 without climate control running. now under the same conditions i’ve observed this engine temp hike starting when i drove the car home from the winch installation. i’m noticing now it’s very much all over the place it goes 195-215-205-220-197 within a few minutes and it doesn’t seem dependent on any particular speed.

it has not yet passed a safe temp but this is definitely not what it was doing this morning or the past 3 months i’ve owned it.

I also assume your coolant level is OK? Some variable change like traffic or route can contribute to this. Or maybe you are watching this much closely since the winch install.
BTW, great color. My 2021 Gladiator Mohave is also Sarge Green.

 

[runningonemptyy]

i’ve always kept an eye on my temp gauge which is why i know when it changed. coolant level is fine. routes/traffic have not changed.

thanks, i love the color. classy and hides scratches.

 

[Rock Hopper]

From the photo it isn't an airflow issue and highly unlikely that it has anything to do with the winch itself. I think I would take it back to the professional shop and have them take a 2nd look. Perhaps they accidently did something to cause it to act up. There is obviously something going on for the temps to fluctuate like that.

 

[runningonemptyy]

From the photo it isn't an airflow issue and highly unlikely that it has anything to do with the winch itself. I think I would take it back to the professional shop and have them take a 2nd look. Perhaps they accidently did something to cause it to act up. There is obviously something going on for the temps to fluctuate like that.

the shop didn’t seem overly concerned when i mentioned it. but i agree that something happened. anything you can think of that i can check that may have gotten jostled during the installation?

 

[Rock Hopper]

the shop didn’t seem overly concerned when i mentioned it. but i agree that something happened. anything you can think of that i can check that may have gotten jostled during the installation?

That's a tough one without being there to look at it. Only the guy that installed your winch will know what he did while under your hood. The only thing that comes to mind is It might have something to do with where he routed your cables-perhaps he bumped something or knocked a connection loose? There really is no wiring in the bumper except to disconnect one plug when removing and reinstalling the bumper. Its hard to say.
While it could be another issue (unrelated) the fact that it happened right after the install is just too coincidental. You may save yourself a lot of diagnostic time by talking with the installer in person.

P.S. looks like they did a nice install. It's a pretty tight fit especially with the cables around the grill.

 

[runningonemptyy]

That's a tough one without being there to look at it. Only the guy that installed your winch will know what he did while under your hood. The only thing that comes to mind is It might have something to do with where he routed your cables-perhaps he bumped something or knocked a connection loose? There really is no wiring in the bumper except to disconnect one plug when removing and reinstalling the bumper. Its hard to say.
While it could be another issue (unrelated) the fact that it happened right after the install is just too coincidental. You may save yourself a lot of diagnostic time by talking with the installer in person.

thanks for your input. i’ll bring it up with the shop again tomorrow and revert.

 

[Kreepin1]

Have them check for any codes. I had the thermostat go out on my JK with 3.6 at like 50k miles, as I recall it threw a code.

 

[John VonJeep]

WAG: Any chance that your winch changed the rake on your front end (esp if you're not running stronger springs)? It's a lot of weight cantilevered off your front end. Could that have changed your aerodynamics and, hence, your cooling?

(As others have suggested, some change in electrical load or a thick cable blocking airflow are the only other things I can think of.)

Good luck getting this sorted. I hate these kind of gremlins.

 

[runningonemptyy]

no codes.

WAG: Any chance that your winch changed the rake on your front end (esp if you're not running stronger springs)? It's a lot of weight cantilevered off your front end. Could that have changed your aerodynamics and, hence, your cooling?

(As others have suggested, some change in electrical load or a thick cable blocking airflow are the only other things I can think of.)

Good luck getting this sorted. I hate these kind of gremlins.

how would you check this?

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