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FedEx Freight | KWs heaters

Slackdragon

Slackdragon

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I need some help here, I'm cold or burning up in this new KW tractor. I've tried to run the heat control in the blue with the fresh air on and without the fan blowing and still I'm running the window up and down, only 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch to cool it down, if I turn anymore to cold it gets really cold! any ideas short of turning off the water valve are welcome....I think KW ment to heat the cab and both trailers with this heater.
 
Man it seems to be a 'truck' thing. The old Volvo's (as you know) take forever to stabilize at one setting... Either too hot or too cold... Its like there is 200' of water hose between the valve and the heater core....
 
Now i drive with my window open all year,i think the KW heater is a bit better than the Volvo's,but yeh it doe;s get toasty,i myself with the window open have the heat control button { blue/red knob } just after thr blue partially in the red,hope that help's.:wavey: :3dflagsdotcom_usa_2
 
slack i keep the knob a little bit more towards the blue between 11 and 12 oclock and don't turn the blower on ,or turn it on on its lowest setting using the defrost and feet vent selection on the other knob and it stays pretty comfortable like that.it seems if you use the dash vents or just the feet or just the defrost it gets to hot in certain areas and still cold in others
 
slackdragon said:
I need some help here, I'm cold or burning up in this new KW tractor. I've tried to run the heat control in the blue with the fresh air on and without the fan blowing and still I'm running the window up and down, only 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch to cool it down, if I turn anymore to cold it gets really cold! any ideas short of turning off the water valve are welcome....I think KW ment to heat the cab and both trailers with this heater.
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I drive a city unit, (freightshaker) turning the knob on the dash from blue to red doesnt even work, you have to raise the hood and manually pull the slide bar at the end of the cable out for cold and in for hot. In north TX in fall and winter you have to have defrost in the am and these heaters work too well :Flame-On: so you barely move it to the red side and drive with your window cracked a couple inches more or less depending on the temp. outside, and then by mid morning it gets too hot so you raise the hood at one of your stops and slide the bar back out. Our city units have always had good heaters, (not really needed in TX) but never had any a/c until 2001 and I got assigned to one in '04. Gotta love it :wink1:
 
14wheeler said:
slack i keep the knob a little bit more towards the blue between 11 and 12 oclock and don't turn the blower on ,or turn it on on its lowest setting using the defrost and feet vent selection on the other knob and it stays pretty comfortable like that.it seems if you use the dash vents or just the feet or just the defrost it gets to hot in certain areas and still cold in others
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I've always ran just floor heat unless to get a quick defrost, Ill try splitting the air. I've been running with the blower off, ran it with the fan on the first notch in the volvo THANKS EVERONE for the help :1036316054:
 
First things first. Is the temperature control knob really doing anything? Some of our newest hand-me-downs have had an issue with the knob no longer being connected to the cable. Have someone watch the end at the water valve to see if it actually moves when the knob is turned.
Beyond that, by the time I really find a setting that is comfortable in winter, I start climbing a hill, the engine water temp goes up, and the windows come down or we start all over again, usually starting with the A/C!
 
Heaven and Hell

Hair,
let's face reality here; the KW has only two temperature settings. Hot as hell or cold as hell...either way, there's no heaven to be found.

Jeff
 
hairbear said:
First things first. Is the temperature control knob really doing anything? Some of our newest hand-me-downs have had an issue with the knob no longer being connected to the cable. Have someone watch the end at the water valve to see if it actually moves when the knob is turned.
Beyond that, by the time I really find a setting that is comfortable in winter, I start climbing a hill, the engine water temp goes up, and the windows come down or we start all over again, usually starting with the A/C!
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I didn't know Sasquatch needed a heater. I thought with all that hair, you would be self-regulated.
 
I found that if I turn the heater valve about a third of the way off its a lot easier to get everthing moderated. Not to hot and not to cold, its just right.
 
Yeah what he said
14wheeler said:
slack i keep the knob a little bit more towards the blue between 11 and 12 oclock and don't turn the blower on ,or turn it on on its lowest setting using the defrost and feet vent selection on the other knob and it stays pretty comfortable like that.it seems if you use the dash vents or just the feet or just the defrost it gets to hot in certain areas and still cold in others
Click to expand...
 
The best way I have found to stabilize the heat level is to turn the control past the point you want it and then slowly bring it down. In order to turn the heat up you are pushing the valve open with a bendable cable. When you close it you are pulling the valve closed so it is easier to control the amount of water you want flowing. All that said I have heard some of the West drivers commenting they are having problems with the current year KW's that just arrived. I have not had the oppurtunity to drive one yet so I can't tell you what it is that is happening to them.
 
Trailer Trash said:
In order to turn the heat up you are pushing the valve open with a bendable cable.
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The L-unit Freightliners have the same setup. Real pain in the summer. No gate valves to turn water off and cable won't shut it off all the way. To shut water off in summer you have to pop the hood and move valve lever by hand. It moves 1/2 inch farther than the cable moves it
 
FredEx, there should be a 1/4 inch sheet metal screw that holds a clamp on the cable. Loosen the screw and slide the cable away from the arm on the valve. Move it far enough that it allows the valve to completely shut with some of the inner cable still sticking out. Retighten the screw on the clamp. That should take care of the water flow throught the heater core. Because the heater and a/c is partly located on the engine side of the firewall, few if any tractors where it isn't, you are always going to get some heat from the engine compartment. You can mitigate this somewhat by putting insulation around the outside of the heater box.
 
our new KW's every monday morning have large puddles of antifreeze under them. The shop tells the drivers this is normal for new trucks.
 
Thats baloney... the old trucks do it too... If my car did that, I'd be under the hood tightening hose clamps or whatever... I hate going to our 'shop' because they treat you like dirt... I have found,, keep writing up the problem, and sooner or later HRO will send an email and tell you AND the shop to get it fixed...
 
After all of the advice here I have been splitting the air in the new model KW, 1/2 floor and1/2 defrost, The AC is on like this and I am running at the zero mark between the red and blue with low fan,also regulating air with the window like in the VOLVO It is working pretty good so far and I haven't shut off the water valve yet. I don't think I'll need to until June or July around here...THANKS FOR THE HELP
 
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