Do I need Tranmission Cooler on Pathfinder

I just bought a 1999 2619, and have a Nissan Pathfinder with a 6000# tow rating. I was wondering if I need to get a Transmission Cooler installed on the Pathfinder if I am planning to take it 9 hours from Florida to the Carolina's? Thanks for the help, I am a newbie at this.

Joel

[ShrimpBurrito]

Yes. In my opinion, anything less than a F-250/Chevy 2500 type truck needs an auxiliary tranny cooler to tow a TM. They're cheap, easy to install, and provide thousands of dollars of protection. If you can change your oil, you can probably install it yourself.

However, if you're only planning on towing it once for those 500 miles, it's not a hot day, you stayed out of overdrive, took hills slow, and you'll never tow it again, I doubt the world would end if you skipped it.

Dave

I'd check with a good Nissan dealer.
Also and this is good news, since you don't have the height of a regular trailer that helps reduce strain on your transmission.

Originally Posted by katzman2u

I just bought a 1999 2619, and have a Nissan Pathfinder with a 6000# tow rating. I was wondering if I need to get a Transmission Cooler installed on the Pathfinder if I am planning to take it 9 hours from Florida to the Carolina's? Thanks for the help, I am a newbie at this.

Joel

I towed a 10Ft motorcycle trailer with two 800 lb motorcycles to the Catskill Mtns and back to MD with a Jeep Grand Cherokee ( 6cyl) without (AUX) trans cooler. Did not use overdrive . No problems on trip, however apparently melted a plastic (???) valve on the Trans fluid system and had to do a major overhaul within 1000 miles as Trans would not shift. An Aux cooler IS NOT the same as the standard small cooler that is std on many vehicles.

[Bill]

Wow, Bob, I hadn't heard that story!

As can be seen HERE, the transmission fluid temp should never be allowed to get above 200-220 degrees. If a plastic plug melted, it appears that the temp was well above 300 degrees!

This emphasizes two things, to me, at least.

First, every tow vehicle except the very largest needs an aux transmission cooler for towing a TM.

Second, it is a really really good idea to have a transmission temperature gauge in your tow vehicle. They cost well under $200, install in a minute or two, and enable you to see problem situations like yours before they occur - and before you are stuck with a $2000 transmission rebuild.

Many people say "I towed over the mountains with a heavy load on a hot day, and my transmission never had a problem." Wrong interpretation, in my estimation. You're not saying that the transmission didn't have a problem, only that it did not have a catastrophic failure. But you have no idea what else is going on inside it, and what problems actually occurred. Unless you have a temp gauge, you have no idea how hot it got, whether the fluid burned and gunked, or whether it is heading for a failure.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

Yes, do not underestimate the heat that towing can create, especially in the mountains. Years ago I towed a 15-foot Boston Whaler (about 1,500 lbs) with my manual-tranny Jeep Cherokee. I think the tow rating was at least 3,000-3,500 lbs. I drove from San Diego to Portland, OR, through some mountainous areas, but in the dead of winter -- there was snow on the ground.

When I arrived in Portland, the paint on the engine oil filter was all blistered, which I had never seen before. So obviously, that oil was smokin'. And it would have been FAR worse if it were another 60 degrees warmer, which it would have been on a typical 80 degree summer day.

Dave

[rvcycleguy]

your talking about towing a 3000+lb trailer with a Pathfinder that weighs probably 3500-4000 lbs for a Gross Combined Weight of possibly 8000lbs? for 500+ miles? yes, you should install a transmission cooler.

When you put the cooler on, see if there is a synthetic replacement fluid for your trans. If so, replace it. It will provide much better protection for your trans (runs cooler and can withstand much higher temps).

Koz

[scrubjaysnest]

Tranny cooler is cheap insurance, had a 20ft motorhome once with the factory tranny cooler. The floor just above the tranny would still almost blister your hand. Although the tranny never failed, I think we were just lucky.