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Towing tips for SUVs

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Comments

  • li_sailorli_sailor Member Posts: 1,081
    Most MVs have a 3500 lb capacity, true...but I would say that a bit of margin might be a good thing.

    Mike, you convinced me of the importance of good brakes (including surge brakes on the trailer) when towing. My experience towing 6500 lbs with the Ram 1500 (tow capacity 7300) cross country confirmed that. Even with surge brakes on the trailer the braking was marginal.

    And the fact that a MV will be FWD won't help, I think.

    Dasto...will your trailer have brakes?

    If I were doing that, I would prefer a minimal SUV...4500-5000 lb capacity (there isn't much in between AFAIK, i.e., 3500-4500). I don't know about length, though...Mike is right that, for towing, the longer, the better. Why do you need "short"?
  • catamcatam Member Posts: 331
    GM does make vans based on the full size 1500 platform, the Chevy Express, and GMC Savanna. These vans are full size. The Astro is based on the S10 platform. The likely reason for easy mix and match of parts is GM's parts bin philosophy in design of these lower tech vehicles. They save big$$$ by using the same parts on many different vehicle designs.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    I tow a 2000# total load with my Trooper on flat trips to and from the dump regularly. I wouldn't be comfortable towing a lot more without brakes or even the 2000# with much of a slope...
  • redline65redline65 Member Posts: 693
    I've got a GMC Envoy XL (inline-6, 3.73 rear end). GMC literature says it can tow 5400 lbs. max. However, on the hitch it says 4000 lbs. Is it safe to tow anything over 4000 lbs? Since it has a pretty long wheelbase, would I need any sort of anti-sway equipment to tow a 4000 lb. camper?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Redline,
        The hitch you have is not rated for over 4000 lbs which means that that is your limit. If you want to tow the 5400 as stated in the owners manual, you will need at the very least a hitch that can tow that amount. In addition usually the owners manual will specify other safety devices you will need to attain that 5400lb towing. For instance:

    ATF Cooler
    Weight Distributing Hitch (which is different than a std. hitch)
    Special Oil
    Trailer Brakes

    I know most vehicles are not rated to tow over 1500-2000lbs un-braked.

    -mike
  • richlavoierichlavoie Member Posts: 56
    In Canada, the hitch has a very good description of the capability. It says 4000 lbs without sway bars. I do believe it says 7000 with sway bars, but I don't recall exactly. I know for sure that it says at least 6000lbs. I can doublecheck for you. I am pretty sure it is a class IV hitch. It doesn't say it on the hitch, but your dealer should be able to answer that question. GM would not put a Hitch that can't handle the capability of the vehicle. Ford, maybe (remember a certain tire story...), but GM, although they have flaws, are more professionnel then that!

    GM is also pretty good at staying on the safe side, making sure people have the right equipment like trailer brakes and sway bars for certain weight. The hitch is strong enough to pull anything the vehicle is rated for, and then some. But GM will make sure that you have trailer brakes for trailers over 3000 lbs and sway bars for trailers above 4000 lbs. I find that very responsible.

    Rich
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    paisan...Wrong again. The GMC Safari is S-10 related, not full size pickup related. The engine, transmission, ect are directly from the S-10. The full size van is related to the full size pickup.

    Also wrong again on the tow hitch as someone pointed out. GM rates them with both with dead weight and weight disturbing tow weights.

    And finally, don't assume you need anything over the base vehicle to tow. Both my Chevy trucks with the base engine (V-6) and automatic transmission can tow their full rating (over 5000 lbs for each) with NO optional equipment, not even a transmission oil cooler is required or recommended. GM states the standard cooling system is design to handle to load. I put a transmission oil temperature sensor on the return line to the internal radiator cooler. The standard cooling system can indeed keep the transmission cool. The highest temperature I have ever seen was 210 degrees towing 5000 lbs on the rear hitch, on the beach, in 4x4 lo, in deep sand, in 100 degree heat, with a Subaru hooked to the front tow hook, pulling it out in reverse, all at the same time! By the way, the DIC will inform the driver if the transmission temperature reaches over temp, it must be 260 degrees for 13 min.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    if you are going to tow on flat land once in a rare while in moderate weather, yes, the truck is built for that.

    if you've got hills and a load, you are very, very marginal and should build out extra tranny and oil cooling, uprate the rear shocks at least, and pay attention to the way the vehicle handles, you may need to do more.

    if you're always pulling, you'll kill that truck flat out certainly unless you put an equivalent to the manufacturer's trailering package on it. no question about it.

    and as soon as you start using a hitch, you are in severe service for differentials, tranny, wheel bearings, brakes, etc. and will have to follow THOSE service schedules.

    of course, that's if you want the truck to last the payment book or longer. if you don't care, things are different.
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    I don't agree. I was not towing on flat land or in moderate temperatures and the transmission never got above 210 degrees. In fact, I was in the most sever conditions I think is possible for a tow vehicle and the transmission still did not get hot. When I was towing on-road the transmission never went above 180 degrees.

    The most interesting thing was watching the trans temp vary. The transmission would get the hottest at idle in drive, at a red light for example. Another interesting fact was the higher the engine RPMs the lower the trans temp. Keeping the trans out of overdrive does reduce the temperature too.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    the red light doesn't surprise me at all. stopped at a light you are using fluid bypass through the torque converter, not transferring much power (and that being transferred is burned up as heat by the brakes,) and thus you have a lot of wasted energy that turns to heat in the tranny fluid.

    on the OD, that should be a locked converter, so the temp raise there is a little confusing.

    what kind of load was that, near ratings or a small utility trailer?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    OD only locks up your tranny if it can. Usually when towing a load it's my understanding that a locking TC will not lock and therefore spin the fluid or US/DS causing heat.

    At a red light you also don't have cool air being forced over the ATF cooler as quickly as when you are moving (a fan is drawing air over it but since you aren't moving the air flow is reduced).

    -mike
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    I thought that it was interesting the trans temp was lower out of OD too. I watched the tach close and found the trans in my SUV and pickup lock in third too. It also locks in OD, but my SUV (3.42 rear) and pickup (3.73 rear) engine only turns 1700 rpms at 60 mph. I guess in third the pumps (oil and water) are circulating fluid at a faster rate and keep the overall temps lower.
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    I made my trans temp meter myself from a thermistor I bought at Radio Shack. The thermistor was about $1. Using a heat sinking compound and isolation I mounted it to the outside of the trans oil cooler tube going to the radiator. The thermistor varies output resistance as a function of temperature. If you connect a DVM (digital volt meter) and monitor the resistance it is possible to tell the temperature of the trans oil cooler tube. The termistor will come with a table that converts its output resistance into degrees. If you plot a chart you can tell the temp at any resistance. You can also buy a DVM (from Sears for example) that has a thermocouple calibrated for the meter so the meter will read temperature directly.

    I believe this method will be more accurate than a trans pan fluid meter because the hottest fluid temp should be going to the cooler.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I put one in the line from the trans to the cooler on my sports car for monitoring the temp. I agree the fluid going to the cooler will be the absolute hottest it could be at any given time, so if those temps are in good shape then you are good in the trans itself.

    -mike
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    Most of my towing is very close to the maximum rating on both the SUV and pickup. The tow weight is about 5000 lbs and my 4x4 Silverado with V-6, auto, and 3.73 rear without HD shocks is rated at 5000 lbs, with HD shocks it is 5500 lbs. There is no tow package available other than a hitch and plug. So I emailed GM to make sure I did not need any other equipment since this was a new truck and did not want to void the warranty. The response was no extra equipment is required. This is the same for my SUV too, a 99 Blazer. In fact, the dealer said if I installed a trans cooler (and they did not do it) I could be liable for a transmission problem because none is required and I may cause a problem! There are 82k miles on the SUV with a lot of towing and no trans problems. I did change the fluid at the recommended 50k, that is the towing interval.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    your particular truck. happy hauling!
  • vsimon1vsimon1 Member Posts: 3
    I have an 02 TB with the 3:42 diff. I've been towing a 25ft Jayco Light RV with weight dist. and sway bars locally here in Ohio.The hitch is a class 3. The trailer loaded up weighs in at around 4,200+ lbs and has brakes. Can anyone or everyone that has a similiar towing setup for their TB or ENV tell me whether or not this vehicle would be able to tow to Myrtle Beach without damaging the tranny or diff? Would I need a trans cooler? We only tow the trailer about a dozen times or so during the nice weather. The wife who apparently knows everything and was a Rocket Scientist in a previous life swears the TB will do it without problems! I beg to differ! Your help is much appreciated!! Many thanks!
  • li_sailorli_sailor Member Posts: 1,081
    Do you have 4WD? Long base or short base? (EXT)

    I thought the 02 Trailblazer came with the trailer package (inc oil cooler) standard...no?
  • spdmtr5spdmtr5 Member Posts: 111
    will tow that weight just fine.Stay out of OD when you tow.Have fun!
  • redline65redline65 Member Posts: 693
    Does the TB have an overdrive gear? I don't remember seeing anything in my Envoy's manual about not towing in "D". Since it's a 4-speed auto, I would probably be more inclined to tow in "D" than "3".

    Anyways vsimon1, I believe these vehicles have trans coolers. How does the TB handle that load? I plan on towing a 4000# trailer with my Envoy XL with the 3.73 rear end.
  • li_sailorli_sailor Member Posts: 1,081
    That's why I asked...the '02 XL with the 3.73 and 2WD is rated at 5500 lbs whereas the 3.42 models range from 4800 to 5400.

    I would say that with the 3.42, the 4WD long version (XL), rated at 4800 lbs is marginal for vsimon1's application, whereas the 2WD short version at 5400 lbs would be plenty of margin, IMO.
  • vsimon1vsimon1 Member Posts: 3
    Being new to the message board/discussion group thing,I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this to thank all of you for the "peace of mind" replies in regard to message#222 above.My Trailblazer does great towing our RV! with the weight distribution bars. I don't get any of the sagging rear end that I see on other SUVs It's smooth, strong and I do pull in 3rd. In July, we'll be hitting much more serious hills on the way to Myrtle Beach than typically traveled here in Ohio! I'll keep you all updated! Thanks again! Blessings to all!!
  • paulmlacpaulmlac Member Posts: 27
    OK, I know this board is dedicated to "serious" towing (by that I mean big tow vehicles and big boats) but I have a more basic question...

    In the past, we towed a 1,000 lb pop up with - believe it or not - a Ford Taurus. Yes, there was a fair amount of tugging on the back end. By the way, I didn't care too much about the car because it was a company one.

    We just purchased a Buick Rendezvous with tow package which gets it up to 3,500 lbs. We have pulled the same 1,000 lb pop up with no problems. We are now looking at a larger pop up that will have a dry weight of about 1,900 lbs. Add maybe another 500 lbs for gear. In total, we'll be at no more than 2,400 lbs. Does anyone know how much tugging there'd be on the back end, i.e., know the trailers back there?

    We'd be at about 66% of max towing capacity fully loaded but are a little gunshy given our earlier experience.

    Thanks for everyone's help!
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    didn't have that much load with a rented pop-up on my exploder, and didn't even know it was there. putting the 500 pounds in the trailer might increase the wag a little on rough trails, but shouldn't be all that noticeable. if you balance the load well, you shouldn't feel a change unless you hit a shell hole or a real rough stretch.

    but I smell in your post that you are almost ready to sign the papers on the larger trailer and buy it... in which case, shoot, ask 'em if you can take a test flight for a couple of miles with their salesman riding shotgun with you. flip a few spare tire/wheel assemblies from the parts department in the trailer to cover the floor, and you're close to real-life conditions. figure out a route that goes over a rail crossing and maybe a badly-paved alley or something and loop through it once. if lunch stays down, it will probably trail OK. if not, switching to a stabilizing hitch with the two torsion bars will damp it down completely, and gets the dealer another couple hundred dollars... so you can maybe sell the test drive to them in that fashion.

    I bet you won't have an issue. gusty winds directly on the side will cause a little side load in real life, but it's not a loss of control kind of thing, just a busy ride, in your case.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If you are gonna buy one, make them let you test drive it behind the rendevous. It *should* tow it ok, but probably not as well as the exploder since the exploder has a truck chassis v. the mini-van chassis found under the rendevous.

    -mike
  • jogibajogiba Member Posts: 27
    A diesel 4x4 Excursion
    http://photos.thedieselstop.com/showphoto.php?photo=12087&siz- e=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hey guys...

    Here is my quandry...

    Electric v. Surge Brakes.

    I am getting a car hauler to tow around the racecar and am trying to decide if I should go for the electrics which are std or the surge ones which are $350 extra. Help me out!

    -mike
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    I have had surge brakes cause control problems on the ramps into and out of gas stations. electric brakes are durable and once you get your controller dialled in for the load YOU haul, are excellent.

    no free lunch, though... you will need the controller and will need to run the wire back to your trailer connector. I would not plan on banking that $350, you're going to have to spend at least $120-150 of that if somebody else is going to install a $50-class controller from who knows where.

    double-check that you have a breakaway actuator on the trailer (almost certainly NOT, so that has to be added for some $30-50) and a battery on the tongue to set the brakes, in case your ball breaks off the drawbar and the trailer is running wild on its own ($70-120 with bracket and weather case). this is required in many states, and should be standard in all of them.

    I have been right behind a closed race transporter whose ball broke off, and the unit was not chained to the tow... it took off running down the median, up the median, and you should have seen the traffic scatter as it jumped into traffic going the other way at 75 and up. I swear I bent my brake pedal bar throwing my anchors out as I saw that thing start to weave and separate.

    the guy never got to that race in time to line up and turn left, either. no idea what he had to clean up in the trailer. but it's a miracle nobody died and the load didn't start rolling as soon as it hit the grass.

    electrics with a breakaway would just have tied him up a few minutes if he had a spare drawbar and ball.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The trailer I'm looking at is new and has the breakaway in it as well as the batter pack setup.

    I have several competant people on staff for my race team that can handle the elctric hookup of the controller, so that will run me $50-$100 roughly for the actual hardware on the truck side.

    Thanks in advance for the help!

    -mike
  • mcsapmcsap Member Posts: 15
    I have been to Florida twice pulling my 02 Sunline 26 ft TT. 5.7 , 3:73 and I added a B & M trans cooler even though Chevy said an external cooler wasn't required. ( wonder why the trucks have them but not the vans ??) In a 10 mile trip across town while not towing , my trans cooler gets quite warm. I can only imagine the heat taken off my trans when I make the 985 miles in 16 1/2 hrs drive to Florida from Penna ?

      Van pulls great and at approx 62 mph I get a solid 10 mpg. Trailer weighs 4785 lbs empty. Factory tow limit is 6,000. I might be around 5,500 with all of our gear.
  • ragatewayragateway Member Posts: 3
    Hi all:
    I am considering getting a new 03 Trailblazer. I will be towing our pop up camper with it. The camper has a weight of 3000 pounds when loaded with all my camping gear. I checked the specifications and the and well within this weight. I was wondering do I need to get the 4WD version or can I just get the 2WD version? I don't plan to do any off road driving or anything like that. I just need a vehicle that can tow our camper. I tow it with a S-10 blazer now and wanted to upgrade a bit.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    2WD is sufficient. if you want to insure reliability, buy it with the factory trailering package, so you have oversized brakes, electrical, and cooling systems, as well as a tranny that can take the extra load. I have had some washboard and grooved roads in which a 2000 pound pop-up and my exploder really wanted to shake each other to death in opposite directions, and it did wonders for my disposition to know that things wouldn't blow up before I slowed down 5 or 8 mph for control's sake.

    you should also install a brake controller if your pop-up has electric brakes. highly recommended. my Prodigy and the trailer combined were a very nice combination, stopped just like there was no load on. had a 1750-pounder on the year before, and I knew it was there when I hit the brakes. most states require brakes at the 2000 pound mark, so you will probably be equipped on the trailer side for 'em.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If the 4wd is able to be left on in dry pavement (like auto-4wd on the trailblazer) I'd get that, only because in wet environments it can be beneficial.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Most eastern states only require them above 3000lbs. I just recently bought a car-trailer and tow about 5000-5500lbs behind my trooper with it and it has electric brakes. I also tow 2 boat trailers w/o brakes as well. I found the braked 5500lbs was much nicer than the 1500-2500lb boat trailers w/o brakes.

    So I'll second the motion to get a brake controller and use the brakes on the pop-up trailer a VERY worth-while investment. Most manufcatures require brakes on the trailer above 1000lbs anyway.

    -mike
  • pkeyepkeye Member Posts: 1
    I have a 94 JGC with tow package and am going to buy a small 2horse trailer (unloaded 1900#). Has anyone out there towed horses with a Jeep Grand Cherokee? I know it's not the best, but will be travelling max 10 mile radius, all flat roads. Fully loaded(rarely) with 2 horses approx 3800#; one horse(usually) 3000#.

    Thanks for any info - patty
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    you're probably pushing the limits of the weight load, however. quick way to check is to look at the hitch selections for that vehicle and see if something 3800# or more is availiable.... doing so at, say, reese

    http://www.towpowerbyreese.com/

    shows a multi-fit hitch for 5000# standard, 6000# rating with an equalizer hitch (37042), and a professional (custom) hitch with 3500/5000 pounds under the same conditions (33006.) both are rated class III / IV... the class IV stuff assumes, again you have a distributing = equalizing hitch, which has anti-sway bars that also attach to saddles on the frame of the trailer tongue.

    while class III can carry up to 5000 pounds, your application doesn't cut it according to these hitch specs (other makers will have similar units at similar prices.) that means your vehicle, unassisted, is not able to handle two horses. you have to get away from weight-carrying or WC (the approved industry term for regular) hitches and into a weight-distributing or WD hitch (new industry term for equalizing) with the sway bars for the suspension of your JGC to be able to control the horse trailer.

    with a WD hitch, you should still be able to use a hydraulic surge brake system (big box on the trailer tongue connector instead of just a streamlined-looking connector), because the sway bars fasten to their saddles on the frame with chains.

    but you had darn sure better be sure you buy that trailer with either surge or electric brakes. unbraked over 2000# is pretty unstable, and under 3000# is illegal in any jurisdiction (some require brakes over 2000#.) I like the electric Prodigy controller, list is something like $180, I found one this spring googling the net for $100. it's proportional braking forward AND reverse.

    oh, one more thing... before hitching up, it's time to have your JGC checked out by the mechanic. any slop or marginal parts in the brakes or suspension could fail in a hard maneuver or panic stop. you are likely to need shocks, for one thing, on a truck that age before you can haul.

    check your existing hitch to make sure it's rated for the load. if not, upgrade now. the WD towbar and sway assembly kit is going to run something between $350-500, and the towbar is likely going to need to be height-adjusted the first time it's mated with the trailer and sway bars, which is labor of something around $60-80.

    then, it's just check over the belts, hoses, coolant, fluids, and you should be safe to tow.

    -0-

    in the case of my 2000 exploder V8 AWD towpack limited, my hitch ratings are 5000/5500, so my machine is built a little more trucky. however, you also have to check the manufacturer recommendations to see what other advice they have... and Ford says if I have more than 50 square feet of windfront on my trailer, I must use a WD hitch for safety and stability. Jeep likely has similar legalese. it's there for a reason... instability when towing means any good wind shift could double the tandem of car and trailer up like folding a straw in half. the results are predictable and usually end up on the front or second page of the local news section.

    when towing, therefore, be conservative in speed and movements, know you are going to swing wider on turns and stop in a lot longer distance, and frequently check your rig for anything getting loose, worn, tired, or ragged.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Just finished towing about 600 miles with my Trooper 2000. Towed great even up the hills of PA had no problems holding 80mph, with sprints to 100+. Calced 10mpg at those speeds, so I'm pretty happy with that. I found that loading the car on backward coupled with a set of airbags for the rear made a big difference.

    -mike
  • shieattshieatt Member Posts: 75
    We have a 2003 Suburban LT 4x4 with Autoride, tow package, and pretty much every other option... except, I think, for the 4:10 gear ratio. My father-in-law just bought a 30 ft. Wildwood travel trailer with a "ship weight" of 7,055 lbs. (axle weight of 6,085 lbs.). At first I thought I was set seeing that the LT 1500 tow capacity was 8100 lbs., but then I noticed in some of the fine print that with a 3.73 gear ratio (much more common I assume) the max trailer rating is 7,100 lbs.

    Well, my basic question is, is it safe for me to pull my father-in-laws' trailer? My primary safety concern is ability to control the trailer, but secondarily is about damaging my extremely expensive Suburban! I was going to take it in to have a electric trailer brake controller installed... is there anything else I should have done? I have read something about "sway control" bars and such, but don't know what they are.

    Any thoughts? If I just make sure not to load up the trailer, will I be okay? The good news is that our first planned trip is from southern Ohio to northern Indiana... extremely flat!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Just get:

    Electric Brake Controller
    Anti-Sway Weight Distributing Hitch, this is VERY important when you are towing @ or near the limit of the tow vehicle. What that does is distribute the weight to both axles of the tow vehicle, and has bars that prevent the trailer from swaying.

    -mike
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    the abbreviations are WD=weight distributing and formerly known as an "equalizing" drawbar... and WC = weight carrying unit, all the weight goes on the hitch during braking or extreme maneuvers.

    reese #37072 hitch in class-IV mode (WD drawbar and load/sway bars) can carry 10,000 pounds on the 'burb, so you should be able to rig up your truck to pull this load.

    I really liked the Prodigy brake controller with a lighter load this year on my exploder... it has proportioned braking in reverse as well as forward... but the manual warns if the deadman brakes are activated, it could kill the controller. you should install a series diode on a heat sink with the brake output lead as a precaution, I would think something in the 70-amp 50-volt range on a heatsink about 2x4x5 would be desperate overkill, which is about right to insure it doesn't turn into a fuse. your trailer outfitter may have something ready-made as a brake protector for this purpose.. I made one for Dad's car in the late 70s, never a problem.
  • shieattshieatt Member Posts: 75
    Thanks to both of you for your quick and helpful responses... I discovered that my father-in-law purchased an anti-sway weight distributing hitch, so I won't need to... good, as I see they aren't cheap!

    Thanks again for the advice!
  • mkilshotmkilshot Member Posts: 9
    I've posted this on 4Runner board, so far no response. You, guys, might be able to help better. This summer I was towing moderately loaded medium size U-Hall (I believe,<1,500 lbs empty) with my '98 4Runner. Was running 70 mph for about 2 hours in a hot weather. When stopped at a gas station, noticed a good deal of trans.fluid leak. Couldn't tell from where exactly it was coming, but fluid was around all of the rear part of my tranny. All that happened on Sat. afternoon half way from my destination point. So I added 1.5 q of fluid, continued at lower speed, and kept checking the level frequently. Fluid kept leaking at progressively slower rate. That night came back with the same trailer. No leak during an entire trip. Ever since my transmission is squeaky clean, not a drop of fluid lost. I have two questions. First, did I go too fast and caused that or it's my truck problem (I've never tow anything before)? Second, is there some kind of pressure release valve in autotransmission, because I can't explain it any other way? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Since everything is OK now, I am hesitant to go to a dealership with unknown problem.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Is it an AT or MT?

    When was the last time the system was drained/filled or flushed?

    If it's an AT, my guess is that you have some water in your ATF fluid. During normal driving conditions or at night when it was cooler out, you didn't quite boil the fluid, however witht he extra load, it appears that you boiled the fluid, boiling the fluid if it has water mixed in, will vaporize the water droplets and cause it to bubble out of the breather/overflow areas or even the seals.

    My suggestion would be to get the tranny flushed out and fresh fluid put in, and keep an eye on it when towing in the future.

    Hope this helps, feel free to ask some followup questions if you want.

    -mike
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    it's fairly common on infrequent towing to have ATF juice up from the filler dipstick as it heats up (or overheats.) I'd be a little surprised to have water in the fluid causing it, as that indicates to me things in the radiator/cooler I don't want to think about, and would drop the money to fix at once. but I've been in some multi-car parades down the road in which it occurred.

    and I suspect a frequent cause is checking and filling the tranny before it's warmed up. you do that, you overfill it. without room for hot fluid to expand into, you boil it over and airflow forces it around the back of the tranny and all along the hot tailpipe.
  • mkilshotmkilshot Member Posts: 9
    Thanks for your input. The tranny is AT. I doubt it had water, but there is no guarantee. I don't check level very often and usually do it when hot. Flushed last time about 1.5 year ago, and it looked clean. Didn't have to add any fluid since (except for that mishap). My worry is whether I blew a gasket or seal somewhere. I thought it was pouring through a filler dipstick, but dipstick plug was fully in. Yet, it seemed to leak from a top. Again, up to now has not lost a drop--like nothing ever happened. Flush and fill sounds right--15 min. job for peace of mind. By the way, there is a big discussion about oil. How about ATF? Does it matter what brand, synthetic or regular?
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    not the optional one for moon travel or the paperweight offered with the 3-cylinder engine. those specs are pretty darned specific about cleaning rates, lubricity, added fibering in many cases (size, material, temp characteristics, shape, etc.), and probably also amount of power delivered in a certain fluid-coupling test jig.

    I seem to have picked up someplace that just about all ATF is at least a synthetic blend, due to required performance levels at both real low temps and real high ones. but I cannot vouch for that in a court of law.

    I would personally avoid cheap house brand ATF on general principles, and stick with formulations from the major oil companies, because outfits of that sort are known to have laboratories for QC. there have been stories in the past about this or that transmission franchise shop's fluid being recycled and fines thereto paid to government, so no way in the world I'm going there for their drain bucket slop.

    if you have a transmission with unusual engineering, you probably need to get the fluid from the appropriate dealer. you honda and VW guys know who you are... they have had some magic elixirs from time to time that are not readily availiable elsewhere. in that situation, don't try to end-run on something as finicky and expensive as a tranny, surrender to The Force.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Redline High Temp ATF if you tow often. That's what I plan to put into my Trooper.

    -mike
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    if you tow more than once or twice per car's ownership period, you need an auxiliary ATF cooler and maybe an auxiliary oil cooler. heat hoses up trannies, that's for sure. while a higher-rated fluid cannot hurt, getting rid of the extra heat of energy transfer is a more fundamental way of handling the problem. the trailering package on a new vehicle is the cheapest way of getting them, as well as the larger radiator, brakes, and electrical system, and certainly the easiest.
  • mkilshotmkilshot Member Posts: 9
    My truck came with towing package, but I am not sure if it includes all or some of the options which swschrad mentioned. I bought it 2-year old in great shape. That towing has been the only one of which I am aware. Of course, I may tow again occasionally, and possibly in summer (>90'F). If you could give me some tips on towing, so I could avoid problems in future, I'd appreciate. I would like to try not to invest in upgrades at this time, if possible.
  • andrew21andrew21 Member Posts: 6
    Hi all, I just bought a race car. I'm looking at a open steel trailer for it. I'm estimating the towed weight will be 5500#. Say max weight for people and stuff inside vehicle another 700#. I guess the math says that I should get a vehicle w/ a tow rating of 7750 or better.

    Are there any particular tricks to such towing?
    The majority of tow vehicles at the race track are F250/2500 pickups, Tahoes or Burbs. I'm trying to keep the tow vehicle costs at less than $15k, which appears to put me in the '99-'00 range from preliminary research. Most of the time my tows will be 2-3 hours of flat Texas country and this will be once per month max. The rest of the time will be a daily driver. I'm leaning towards a Tahoe but open to opinions on why I should do a pickup instead.

    Thanks in advance!
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