Tow Questions - Page 2

Rrickim63 · 02-06-2014, 11:49 PM

Agree with above. Lower revs don't equate to lower temps.

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wingriders · 02-06-2014, 11:52 PM

Do you have a 'fuel economy' setting on your instrument cluster? You could reset that once on flat highway in OD and travel a few miles, then lock out OD and reset your fuel economy and see how it compares to the other. I have a diesel engine and checked my fuel economy pulling my trailer and found fuel economy better when I locked out 6th gear and travelled in 5th gear. The engine wasn't working as hard with the weight and wind resistance. Something for you to try and hope that gives you some peace of mind towing.

Ditchooker · 02-07-2014, 01:25 AM

Check the manual about towing, it may state specifically if you can or connat use it, being a van and not a truck, I would be inclined to think not.

puff · 02-07-2014, 02:20 AM

Do as you like but most if not all manuals I have seen regardless of truck or ??? stat NO towing in O.D. Lower RPM's turn water pump slower turn oil pump slower turn fan slower turn power equipment slower which means less coolant moving means hotter coolant less oil flow slower fan means air movement is less adding more heat. These same principles apply to fluid from your tranny to the rad as well and those temps go up also.

ironj · 02-07-2014, 07:51 AM

The tow\haul on mine has no impact od...temps are stable even towing in 100+ ambient temps?...nor does the owners encyclopedia say NO towing in Od....you can however lock out ANY Gears you choose independently of using the tow/haul button?

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puff · 02-07-2014, 03:20 PM

[QUOTE=ironj;538426]The tow\haul on mine has no impact od...temps are stable even towing in 100+ ambient temps?...nor does the owners encyclopedia say NO towing in Od....you can however lock out ANY Gears you choose independently of using the tow/haul button?

Iron that may be well and true for your Full Size Truck with a monster diesel engine but we are looking at a Dodge Caravan doing the pulling.

Ultimately the choice of what I can pull, is it too heavy, am I at my max weight, can I safely pull this RV, can I stop it if my brakes failed, am I putting my family at risk are questions every owner must at some time ask themselves. I am sure everyone here, including myself have seen some questionable setups and laughed or at least shaken their head at.

I think I would be asking the Chrysler Mechanic what he thinks and go from there. The salesman will tell you anything to get the sale or make a new one.

I hope you get the right answers..!

acadianbob · 02-07-2014, 05:08 PM

I don't know if there IS one right answer regarding transmission strategy. Vehicles may behave differently. I will say that my F150 transmission runs at 195 degrees; whether towing or not. The gear that I run in doesn't make any difference; speed makes no difference; outside temperature makes no difference. It will climb a few degrees on a long, hard climb on a very hot day. But your vehicle may perform differently. . . .

To me the keys are: 1) make sure your engine is in the powerband it needs to pull the load 2) make sure your transmission is "hunting" for the right gear. If it is constantly upshifting and downshifting; go down a gear.

ironj · 02-07-2014, 07:23 PM

[QUOTE=puff;538617]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironj

The tow\haul on mine has no impact od...temps are stable even towing in 100+ ambient temps?...nor does the owners encyclopedia say NO towing in Od....you can however lock out ANY Gears you choose independently of using the tow/haul button?

Iron that may be well and true for your Full Size Truck with a monster diesel engine but we are looking at a Dodge Caravan doing the pulling.

Ultimately the choice of what I can pull, is it too heavy, am I at my max weight, can I safely pull this RV, can I stop it if my brakes failed, am I putting my family at risk are questions every owner must at some time ask themselves. I am sure everyone here, including myself have seen some questionable setups and laughed or at least shaken their head at.

I think I would be asking the Chrysler Mechanic what he thinks and go from there. The salesman will tell you anything to get the sale or make a new one.

I hope you get the right answers..!

You specifically said "truck"...so I thought u meant all trucks (I dont consider a mini van a truck...lol)...

In the end regardless of where the button is or gear that trannys life is gonna be either shortened or require a lot of maintenance more than likely....

All comes down to what the op is comfortable with....not like a good majority of members here arent way over loaded regardless of vehicle....

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Ida Ratherbe Camping · 02-07-2014, 07:58 PM

I feel like a couple of trips and the OP will answer some of his own questions. Will probably start looking for a heavier TV. I pulled a pup that weighed 1800 dry will a Nissan Quest. It would do it, but not very comfortably. IMO

Crusadernoob · 02-07-2014, 08:29 PM

Not real sure on your minivan, but as far as most vehicles I work on the electric fans usually kick on around 230F this is normal operation. Trans temps will usually be 100F over ambient with a good cooler, the problem will be you will be towing very heavy with that vehicle, maxing out everything. You will see hotter trans temps with hotter coolant temps due to the fact that your trans fluid will be getting hotter and hotter due to the fact that your trans fluid runs through your radiator, and if you are lucky through an auxiliary trans cooler, over time they won't keep up, you will absolutely need to change out your fluid much more frequently for any kind of longevity. My TV temps won't even come up to operating temp till I drive for 30 minutes, I actually restrict my air flow (across my radiator only) to maintain 200-215F ECT and my trans usually falls in at 150F most engines like warmer ECT but you need to be able to control it.

VicD · 02-08-2014, 11:09 AM

We drove approximately 75 minutes yesterday. Coolant reached around 205, which is normal. Transmission peeked around 185 in traffic, but settled down to 165 on the highway. Didn't do O.D. Quick braking on wet roads, too, which was a surprise. So far so good.

dsrace · 02-08-2014, 06:13 PM

temps sound good and brakes must have worked good this time. if you plan on keeping the van get the trans flushed now with good synthetic fluid put back in it and change the factory external trans oil cooler. replace it with a heavy duty aftermarket one maybe with a fan on it for real hot days but for now temps sound good. if your even thinking of replacing the tow vehicle but want the capacity of the van look at excursions or suburban's and look for the 3/4 ton ones! regardless of what others may say 3/4 ton is no rougher than 1/2 ton with good shocks.

Crusadernoob · 02-08-2014, 07:08 PM

Sounds good but just make sure to keep an eye on it when warm weather gets here, it makes a big difference when you got 95 degrees and 95% humidity, a/c kicking. I would also suggest synthetic trans fluid also, if you got a lot of miles give the cooling system a good flush and blow out the cooling stack also, you would be surprised how much debris will come out of it.

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