Transmission cooler

Okay, I have seen alot of talk about transmissions and transmission coolers.  I recently bought a trailmanor and had some overheationg issues coming back through the mountains of TN.  The rpm guage redlined several times where I had to slow down and the temp raised up to the top of the meter.  We had to actually stop overnight to let the engine cool down.  I saw somewhere on the message board that a vehicle was rated at 3500# before transmission cooler was added and went to a 5000# rating after the transmission cooler was added.  Here are some questions:  With the description I have given will adding a transmission cooler take care of the problem or am I also going to need a transmission as well.  I fear the worst.  Any reccomendations on transmissions or coolers? :P
tshogan

I am no expert but you said that the tack red lined a number of times and the temp was hot. These things relate to the engine, not the transmission. However the transmisson may play a part in the cause.

What is happening is you are over working you motor. Adding a trans cooler will not help in that area. You may try adding a trans cooler and adding a heavy duty cooler to you engine but I don't think that will help all that much. If I were you I think about getting a little heftier tow truck. I know that is not what you wanted to hear but from what you said, that is my advice.

[Denny_A]

I am going to echo Windbreaker. You are hauling the equivalent of a 3326 with a minivan. Most minis are limited to 3500 lbs max tow weight - with a xmission cooler!

If that is your case (you indicated minivan in an earlier post), then the hills of TN would severely strain the engine. Very high RPM would be frequently needed to develop needed torque, hence eventual high coolant AND xmission oil temps .

I tow a 2720SL with a Honda Odyssey, and am very careful to keep the combined weight within limit. Even so, when leaving a campground site on a river, I had to climb a very steep grade (guess about 15-20%). By the time I reached the top of the 200+ft climb, I was in first gear and at 5000 rpm to maintain 5mph. Had I been towing a 3326 - no way! I've been thru TN many times, and would NOT want to be pulling  a 3326 (or TM28 ) with my Honda.

So, it "seems" that a vehicle with at least 5000 lb towing capacity is in order.

Denny_A

[mjlaupp]

Any vehicle with at least a 3 liter engine and a 3500 lb. towing capacity should be able to handle the smaller TMs. I towed my first one home with my 1990 2.8 liter Isuzu Trooper II. I bought a 5.4 liter F150 to tow with since I didn't want to slow down (gear down) to 30 mph to top the Ozarks.

You can install a transmission cooler, engine oil cooler and an auxillary electric radiator cooling fan to help keep things under control. Is the AC compresser clutch switching out when the vehicle is under a heavy load going up the mountain?

If you are redlining the engine then you may need to let up on the pedal a bit, or the engine and transmission may be hunting for the proper gear to make it up the mountain. If you have an automatic transmission and the option of locking it out of overdrive, do so while driving in the mountains. Additionally, check the brakes on both vehicles to make sure they are not binding.

MJL

What exactly are you towing with? If as indicated it is a standard mini-van, then you are more than likely overheating your engine as your radiator is not sized correctly to handle the additional heat load from towing the TM behind you.

Yes, you can add an electric cooling fan, an engine oil cooler AND a trans oil cooler - AND that may help some, but, if you do this continuously, then you will eventually stress your engine components and suffer a pre-matuer failure.

I would recommend that you take your trailer to your local vehicle dealer and ask his advice. It could be that you should upgrade your tow vehicle slightly.

Sorry, but it is better to be safe than break down while you're out somewhere.

Just my two cents worth anyway.

Gregg

[Bill]

Have you weighed your rig on an actual scale?

Your TM will weigh several hundred pounds more than the manufacturer's stated weight, because the mfr's weight is the dry weight (this means no food, clothes, water, dishes, TV, microwave, bed linens, etc) of the bare bones unit (meaning no factory options like spare tire, awning, TV antenna, air conditioner, etc).

And how much weight are you putting in your tow vehicle? The weight of people, plus all the stuff in the back seat and the "way back"?

You really need to weigh the entire rig in ready-to-roll condition - tow vehicle, plus trailer, plus all the cargo in both, plus the people in your tow vehicle. My guess is that you are badly outside of your tow vehicle's Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). There is very little you can do about this. Added coolers, fans, etc, are a Band-aid, and may enable you tow with reasonable comfort in the flatlands. But once your route takes you over mountains higher than the I-95 overpass outside of Daytona Beach, you are going to be unhappy, and so is your tow vehicle.

The sad fact is that all trailer manufacturers understate the weight of their rigs (by quoting the dry barebones weight), and all car manufacturers overstate their towing capacity (by describing flat-and-level conditions with no on-board cargo). If you look at the two ratings at the same time, you better see some SUBSTANTIAL margin, just so that you'll break even in the real world.

Unfortunately, if you are near or over your tow vehicle's GCWR, my advice is to trade up now, while it still has some good trade-in value. You don't have to get an elaborate tow vehicle, but it should have some margin. I consider 5000 pounds towing capacity to be a minimum. And if you can get it, it should have a factory-installed towing package (which will include a higher-ratio axle, something you can't retrofit in your current minivan). Remember, if you blow the engine and/or trannie on your current vehicle, you will be forced to trade up - and it will be worth a LOT less.

As Gregg said, "Sorry, but it is better to be safe than to break down while you're out somewhere" near Burlap, East Dakota. And that is where it will happen, for sure.

Bill

Tshogan, what is the exact make, model, and year of your tow vehicle, as well as the engine size? TRUST ME, if there's a way to cool it better, I will know how. Also, if it is a caravan/town and country or similar, (chrysler), I need to know what side the outlet of your radiator comes out on, the driver or passenger, (yes, please use those terms, it's easier, and less confusion), (that would be the lower hose), and what side the filler neck is on. (Where the antifreeze goes in). (Depends on the year). I read back on all your posts, and all I know is it's a minivan. Lol, you guys forget there is a person in this room that specializes in cooling an engine and transmission in the room for a living.....   ;D Trust me, if there is a larger radiator available with more cooling capacity, or a larger transmission cooler which can work in conjunction with an external, I'll know about it, and am a good source for it as well. (Ask Oilspot!) You can also email me at: [email protected] if ya like, I'd be happy to look into it for ya! Another thing, a lot of the aftermarket companies are offering high efficiency cores in their radiators with higher fin counts, dimpled tubes to create more surface area, etc. Give me a shout, certainly can't hurt........Hope to be of some help......


[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails.........[/glow]

Thanks for all the replies.  Here are some mre details.  It is a 1994 Mercury villager 3.0 liter.  The towing capacity is 3500# and that I assume is "without" the transmission cooler.
"Villager 3.0 V-6 3,500a" is what I find on the trailmanor website. a-Towing package required with weight-distributing hitch.
This is from the trailmanor website
MERCURY
Vehicle Engine Tow Limit (lbs.)
Grand Marquis 4.6 V-8 2,000
Mountaineer 4.0 V-6 5,860a,c
Mountaineer 4WD 4.0 V-6 5,640a,c
Mountaineer 5.0 V-8 6,700a
Mountaineer AWD 5.0 V-8 6,460a
Villager 3.0 V-6 3,500a
aTowing package required with weight-distributing hitch.
bLoad-carrying hitch required. Automatic transmission cooler
required.
cWith optional towing package.
According to this, it does not require a transmission cooler, but the title of the trailmanor shows two weights, 3,055 unladen weight and 4,400 GVWR
I fear that the weight I go by is the second one.
The radiator neck and hose is on the drivers side
Another trip was taken from Nashville to Knoxville without the trailmanor, (wife left her purse at a restaurant)  and the mini-van still acted up doing the same thing.  Going to have someone look at it to see what is wrong and explain what happened.  If I can change some things to the mini-van, great, if not, it looks like we will be hunting for a bigger tow vehicle, although I don't like that idea very much.
tshogan

You got a great deal on your Trailmanor.  Have you thought about listing it for sale to see what you can get out of it, and then buying a smaller Trailmanor, rather than purchasing a new car?

Just a thought.

Happy trails!

Joan

Joan,
The thought has crossed my mind.  We are looking at what we can afford and what is more cost effective.  The tow vehicle is going to need to be fixed or traded.  If the tow vehicle is alot to fix, trading it may be the way to go.  I'm not sure if we would want to go to a smaller trailmanor.   With 3 kids it would be tight quarters.
Scott