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Old 01-03-2009, 01:22 PM   #11
Bill
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Jason -

You are asking good questions. In my experience (and I hope others will chime in), the answers are not obvious and in some cases they are even counter-intuitive.

For example, "If I slow down, will it lower the temperature?" You would think so, since less power is being transmitted through the transmission. But if you slow down, there is less air flowing through the transmission cooler, so less cooling is happening, and the situation may in fact get worse. On my last trip, going over one particular pass, I found that there was a broad "sweet spot" at around 40 mph. It wasn't very pronounced, but it did seem that going slower than 40 actually caused the temp to rise - and struggling to go faster than 50 also caused the temperature to rise. But I'm sure this was true only for the particular load and the particular grade and altitude that I was encountering at the moment. Different conditions would have changed the answer.

Stopping entirely should help. Put the transmission in Park and leave the engine idling so that the fan will blow air through the radiator and the cooler.

Manual downshifting to a lower gear may help.

Yes, a cool day will result in a cooler transmission, since the cooler air will remove more heat. The worst condition is obviously high altitude (thinner air doesn't remove as much heat), steep grade (where the tow vehicle is struggling), and a hot day. Relax any of those demands, and you'll do better.

As Lars points out, don't use overdrive except on very flat terrain, and don't let the engine RPM drop too far. Either one will let the torque converter slip, which is the primary source of heat in a transmission. On the other hand, my personal preference is not to let the engine scream up to high RPMs, either - it is hard on the engine, especially when it under heavy load.

Don't get too bogged down in the details of all this, and certainly don't get yourself over-stressed. All of this is best handled by simply observing what is going on, with your particular tow vehicle, your TM, and your load - and then changing something to see if it helps. The advantage of the gauge is that you can perform those experiments and see what happens - without a gauge, you're flying blind. And in the worst case, of course, the gauge keeps you from blithely descending into disaster.

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Old 01-03-2009, 10:26 PM   #12
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When towing in the hills, avoid situations where the transmission is frequently changing gears. When this starts happening, then shift down one gear to prevent the "hunting". This might require that you maintain a somewhat lower pace to avoid over revving the engine when it flattens out a little.
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Old 01-04-2009, 10:34 AM   #13
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Am unsure about overdrive. I normally tow in o.d. and have never had a problem. Should I be concerned? What would be the mpg impact?
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Old 01-04-2009, 07:58 PM   #14
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In my experience, overdrive produces better MPG when the transmission stays in overdrive. In other words, it doesn't shift in and out of OD, in the manner Wayne describes. But if you start going up and down small hills, and the tranny starts shifting in and out of OD ("hunting"), the MPG advantage disappears, and the tranny temp goes up. If it gets out of hand - and you don't know what's happening if you don't have a gauge - think future expensive damage.

The transmission control computer is programmed to get best mileage out of the vehicle alone, when it is not towing anything. In most cases, it doesn't know how to handle the weight of a trailer, and keeps pretending that the vehicle is unloaded. In other words, when you add a towed weight (the TM, in this case), the computer control no longer optimized. Vehicles with a "tow/haul mode" are a different story, and this is one of my few gripes with my Explorer.

The price of a few extra gallons of gas is trivial compared to the price of a transmission rebuild.

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Old 01-06-2009, 05:34 PM   #15
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Quote:
6) Considering air bags for back to smooth out ride post-WDH adjustment, but doesn't sound like it's worth it according to others on the forum.
Jason
The Airlift 1000 kit I installed on our '02 Honda Odyssey made a HUGE improvement in ride comfort. Very little of that "something's back there" feeling now. The wife and kids are very happy with this mod. I run them at 30 psi when towing and 10 when not. You'll know after the first 100 miles on a bumpy paved road if you should add the bags. The WDH adjustments can only do so much. Good luck
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Old 01-06-2009, 06:16 PM   #16
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I second that. I've had the Airlift system for years and it's great. Some love a WDH and say they are a cure to heavy tongue weight. Some hate them and say they are a bandaid to hide other issues. The same can be said for air bags I suppose. Do what works for you. When your vehicle feels safe to operate while towing, you have done your job.

The same can be said for sway control. The TM doesn't need a sway control because it is designed well. Other trailers need it.
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