Last weekend, I took my Land Cruiser on a camping trip to the Sierras, and I kept a close eye on the engine temperature using my OBD2 scanner. With ambient temperatures hitting the mid to high 90s, and the vehicle loaded up for a long weekend, I was particularly interested in how the engine would perform, especially when climbing mountain passes. The Land Cruiser isn’t exactly lightweight, equipped with dual batteries, front and rear bumpers from Slee and 4×4 Labs, White Knuckle sliders, and a Slee belly pan. On top, I had a Maggiolina Grand Tour RTT mounted on three Yakima bars, plus a tandem kayak. The rear held a Yakima bike rack with two bikes. Inside, it was packed with my wife, myself, a fully loaded ARB fridge, and all the camping essentials – you know, beer, sleeping bags, clothes, and everything else. While I didn’t weigh it this trip, I know this setup has tipped the scales at around 7200 lbs before.
During normal cruising at 70 MPH on relatively flat ground, the engine temperature, as read by my OBD2 scanner, consistently hovered around 194F. However, as we started tackling some of the mountain passes, the Etc Temperature Obd2 readings began to climb. I observed a steady increase up to the 210-212F range. I even saw a peak of 214F for a brief period when we were on a particularly steep section. What was reassuring is how quickly the temperature responded; as soon as we crested the passes and started descending or driving on level ground again, the temperature would swiftly drop back down to the upper 190s.
For a ’96 Land Cruiser with what appears to be the original cooling system, these ETC temperature OBD2 readings seemed pretty normal to me. The previous owner was meticulous about maintenance, regularly flushing the coolant, and the vehicle came with a comprehensive service record. It’s clear it’s been well cared for. Despite the age of the components, the engine ran flawlessly throughout the trip, never missing a beat even under load and in the heat. I do have a full set of new cooling system components – hoses, thermostat, water pump, radiator, and more – waiting to be installed over the winter. I’m curious to see if these new parts will make any noticeable difference in ETC temperature OBD2 readings on next year’s Sierra trips.
