Do you tow your T&TT in overdrive?

[halfdome, Danny]

I was at a U-Haul store and was reading a brochure about towing. It says never tow in overdrive due to overheated trandmission fluid. I have a 4.3 liter engine and would like to save as much gas as possible but don't want to have to repair/replace my automatic transmission. Do you or did you tow in overdrive? Do you have a transmission cooler on your tow vehicle for towing your T&TT?

[madjack]

both of my tow vehicles are GM products...a chevy s10 blazer and a pontiac aztek...one has a 4.3 v6 and the other a 3.4 v6...both came from the factory with a towing package w/trans cooler and both have auto overdrive transmissions...I find it virtually impossible to tow in overdrive without the transmission kicking out of OD for every little rise in the road I come too, so I tow in 3rd...what am I towing, you ask? A 21' pontoon boat that weighs in at around 2500#s with massive wind resistance...about twice what a TD weighs. From my experiences and what I have read I would not tow in OD...you can test this...tow in OD and see how often the tranny kicks outta OD...if it does so on a regular basis then tow in 3rd and save tranny replacement money for something else...exactly .02789 cents worth of opinion....
madjack

[toypusher]

My 02 Tacoma 4x4, 4cylinder does not seem to even notice my Cubby behind it. It always shifts on almost any hill anyway. I have not noticed any difference when towing the Cubby. The only time I really notice is going downhill, it picks up speed a bit faster with the teardrop back there.

[Arne]

My Odyssey supposedly has a brain that tailors shifting patterns to my driving... my towing the tear is no different than someone who lives in a more hilly area, so I let the transmission do its thing. It does downshift more, but that is its job....

And, I have installed the largest trans cooler that would fit, so overheating the fluid should be no more of a problem than if I did live in that hilly area..

[Dennis T]

My Mercury Mariner does quite well towing my Little Guy. Going up hills or mountains it downshifts but that is to be expected. I use the cruise control also. Have not seen any real change in mileage except when I go north to ADK. Low mileage on the way up but back to normal on the way back. No flat land getting there.

Dennis T

[TomS]

I pondered this very question while towing our Cubby during our Florida trip in November. In addition to the TD we also had a 16 ft. canoe on our Toyota Rav/4. So we had a lot of wind resisitance.

We started the trip with the O.D. off. Our gas mileage was the abysmal. We left Worcester with a full tank. By the time we made to the Tappan Zee bridge (about 200 miles) our tank was almost empty. After that we turned the O.D. on. Our gas mileage improved by about 15-20%.

I noticed that using the cruise control in steeper terrain put a big strain on the car. When climbing hills, the transmission kept down shifting and increasing RPMs to maintain speed. So, we turned cruise control off when driving in hills. We towed the Cubby a total of 3,000 miles with no problems.

I'm not a mechanic. But, I think you'll do more damage to an automatic transmission with improper use of cruise control than towing in overdrive. Speaking of mechanics, I talked to mine about adding a transmssion fluid cooler. He said based on the weight of my trailer, he didn't think I needed it.

Halfdome, I wouldn't have any concerns about towing a TD with a 4.3 Liter engine. My engine is 1/2 that size.

[campadk]

We have a Jeep Liberty with towing package and O/D on/off button. I take O/D when towing our 2,400lb boat and keep speed to about 90Km/hr.

With the tear in tow (about 1,200lbs?) I don't bother taking off O/D unless I'm in some hilly section. The Liberty is rated at 5,000lbs with the towing/cooling package.

Previously we had a PT Cruiser and towed the tear in 'drive'. Should have been in 3rd though! The general rule seems to be that if your towing anywhere near the towing capacity you should not be in O/D. Definately hard on the transmission when your putting it under excess load.

[Arne]

My take on coolers is any car can benefit from them. The biggest killer of transmissions is overheating the fluid (which comes from over heating the transmission). Granted, under normal conditions, it should not be a problem, but anyone who tows any trailer or lives in an area where the engine has to 'work' will see a definite rise in trans. temp. And it doesn't take more than 15-20 seconds of tire spinning in snow, or a steep driveway to see a definite rise in internal temperatures.

http://tinyurl.com/9bwuh

[halfdome, Danny]

Madjack, I too have a s-10 Blazer but don't know if it has a transmission cooler. I had some update work done on it as it felt like a mule kick from first to second after highway speeds and the first stop. I could stop it if I turned it off opened the door and then started the engine again. AAMCO wanted 4k to do a total rebuild when all it took was a $325 repair by a local transmission shop. It has been fine for 2 years now. It's a 1999 4.3 liter and LT package with a factory trailer hitch. I don't even know if it has wiring for towing. I figured I'd deal with that issue when I finish my Teardrop. How would I know if this Blazer has one, my Blazer before was a stick like most vehicles I've owned.

[madjack]

HD...look for steel lines that run into the radiator from the transmission...if so, it has an intergral cooler...this is not to be mistaken for steel lines running to the AC condenser...
madjack

[s4son]

I would like to hear from any Honda Elements owners about their towing experiences. I don't think they have overdrive on the automatics but any stories, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Scott F.

[halfdome, Danny]

MJ, Thanks I took a look and there are two steel lines that go under the engine from the radiator and one other on the right side, so I must have a cooler. I should have remembered that since I had to flush the radiator several times to rid the system of the red sludge that the Dex fluid caused. I also had to have the heater core & water pump replaced for the same reason. I will never put that DEX S**T in any of my vehicles, only the regular coolant.

[Arne]

As far as I know, all automatic transmissions run lines to the radiator.. but that only can cool it down to about 220 degrees, if lucky. That's making the erroneous conclusion that it will take it down to the rad temp, which is highly unlikely....... a cooler out in the ambient temp can knock it down to 150 or so..... it has a bigger core (i'm not talking about a wimpy oem single tube job, like my Oddysey calls a cooler), so will fluid takes in it longer and cools more.

[doug hodder]

Halfdome....I'd be willing to bet that they put that pamphlet out to cover themselves because of a lawsuit somewhere down the line....I think it is one of those "just use your head" type of things....I pulled my tear...1300# 2600 miles round trip to Minden and a good portion of the time nearly 80mph...with a 2000 Ford Ranger 4L 4WD with 90K + on it in overdrive...no problems..also pulled a boat 17' and loaded with tools from Denver to Ca...all in OD....and if you don't have a cooler...you can get an aftermarket one pretty reasonable......just my opinion...Doug

[halfdome, Danny]

Thanks Doug, It's good to know that a 4 liter can pull a tear in overdrive. It's just the two of us and we don't carry a lot of gear. I'll put it in [3] going through the Siskyous & Mt. Shasta area on our yearly trek to Yosemite. Most of Washington and Oregon is pretty flat along I-5 and overdrive sounds like it would be OK. Danny