Transmissions and towing

C

CatyMae n Steve

New member
Well, the truck's in the shop with a worn out transmission at 77k miles, along with a EGR valve that's sticky. I asked if the truck popping out of park, into reverse on the ramp was an indication the tranny was going, but they said no...and the service manager said he hadn't heard of that happening for about 20 years (aren't I the lucky one?) -- I asked why this would happen, since I bought the truck to tow a boat, with the tow package and thinking it was capable. The response was "any time you tow, it can wear the transmission." Well, we ain't getting rid of the boat! So I guess I best start saving NOW for the next transmission after this one! :disgust

I'm not trying to start a debate on which truck's best...just saying when we tow, we risk the chance of spendy repair bills. . . . what's that saying about boats being a hole in the water to throw your money in? :wink

Caty
 
What kind of truck, what tow rating, is it a 3, 4 or 5 speed? Don't use overdrive except maybe going down shallow hills (steep ones you want a little engine braking). Is your separate trans cooler beefy enough? When they rebuild your tranny they can tell you what parts wore and possibly recommend changes. Maybe get a trans temp gauge.

My 3/4 ton van's trans went out at about 100K, but had a 3.52 rear end which put a high load on the trans and had to struggle getting the boat out of the water at the ramp. My newer vehicle is an Expedition with 5.4L engine, 4x4 and 3.73 rear end, big difference, now a breeze to pull out of the water. Still wish I had a 4.11 rear end due to the extra large (dia) tires they're putting on these days -- negates much of the rear end ratio advantage.
 
damn, that's the pits. You would think with that set up, the 22 footer would hardly be enough of a load to even get the engine warmed up....you two must have some serious bad vehicle karma
 
That truck is more than enough for the CD 22--we are running an rV which has a capacity of 22K with the same transmission. (And towed the CD 22 behind it--and am probably going to tow the CD 25 behind it).

I guess that is just the "cost of doing business". But I have a Ford Excursion with a 7.3L diesel and tow package and it has 145,000 with the orgional transmission...
 
CatyMae n Steve":1545atof said:
F250 6.0L, 4.10 torqshift 5 speed w/tow/haul package
Click to expand...
Fluids and both filters in this transmission should be changed at 30,000 mile intervals. I hope they informed you of that.
The 2 fuel filters should be changed every 15,000 miles and the fuel separator should be drained at 5,000 mile intervals. I do that when it's on the rack getting the oil change. I use Delo 400. I also changed the coolant and air filter at 60,000 miles to be on the safe side. I have had a lot of different trucks and they all seem to have good and bad points. I really change truck brands from time to time just to look at a different dashboard :lol: I expect dealer service problems and built in obsolescence in them all.
 
The Dodge diesel pickups with manual shift 5 speeds cannot be used
for towing in the top gear. The repair can be done without major
work. A nut comes loose in the transmission and well OD becomes
neutral.
Fords I thought fixed that problem of the 70's with transmission popping
from P to R. I worked with a guy who got between a Ford and a forklift
and he lost. He was unloading from the trunk of a 68 Ford sedan.
I remember Ford's fix was a decal for the dashboard.
Another note on launching. The guy who had the Dodge go out, he had
a boat that was too big for the older Chevy he had and would lift the
rear wheels on the ramp and always had to have someone in the
truck with foot on brake pedal.
OK that is all I have on the subject... Bob Heselberg Eatonville Wa
 
I had a ford ranger that I bought new off the lot, it too had it's tranny go out, but more like at 50K, and I never towed a thing with it. To top it off everyhting fell apart on that truck in the first couple years, my wife and her parents both had explorers which had the same type of problems. I thought the quality was poor back then, but maybe we just had bad luck. I have a GMC yukon now and it's had a couple things go at around 100 K (transfer case was the big one) but overall for how I abuse it it has held up well.

Sark
 
Full synthetic oils, while expensive, have been shown to transfer heat faster and hold up longer than conventional oil. Air cooled engines have been proven to run cooler with synthetic oil and I believe this will apply to synthetic ATF as well.
While this is not a total cure, every little bit helps.
Before you tow in overdrive make sure your tranny is up to it, many aren't.
 
Caty,

I've got a Ford 250 Super Duty with over 87,000 miles on it and no hint of transmission problems. Maybe yours had a 'bad do' or weak part in it. I have friends who've driven them hard for several hundred thousand miles. Maybe it got overheated or something.

John
 
Guess the parts didn't arrive as scheduled, so it's taking up space in a stall -- I called the service manager to see if there's anything they can do to "beef it up" but there isn't -- 12 mo, 12k mile warranty on this job they're doing -- ain't zactly givin' me warm fuzzies.

Caty
 
I had an RV transmission go out in Van Horn Texas. The shop owner sent his father to El Paso to have ours rebuilt in one day. As it was being installed, we watched the twin towers being hit on 9/11. I guess that the mechanic was not thinking, since he forgot to put locktite on the threads of the universial joint bolts. About 3000 miles later, the drive shaft (front end) fell out and jamed into the pavement on a Houston freeway at 3 PM. Lots of damage...The transmission was fine--but not the carrier bearings for the second drive shaft, or the second drive shaft.....

Good luck on the rebuild. May be time for a "new" truck...
 
Jeff Brigner":292j1l21 said:
Fluids and both filters in this transmission should be changed at 30,000 mile intervals. I hope they informed you of that.
The 2 fuel filters should be changed every 15,000 miles and the fuel separator should be drained at 5,000 mile intervals.[clip]
Click to expand...

I bought the maintenance warranty when I bought the truck -- 60k miles and I never paid for oil changes, wiper blades or any parts/fluids at point of service (it was all prepaid), so I'd certainly HOPE they maintenanced it properly! I did mark a tire at one of the appointments so I'd know if they really rotated the tires -- they did not. I called their attention to it and they did the rotation -- I have no clue as to how to look to see if they've done the other required maintenance. I can only hope they'd not be so lax with the maintenance procedures. I really find it amazing that things 'fall apart' right after the warranty's gone :roll: My son told me once never to pay a vehicle off -- it'll fall apart :xlol

Caty
 
If you insist on watching the maintenance being done you will get a lot of resistance and maybe even a refusal. I don't trust anyone to do the repairs that I request unless I watch. I have caught dealer service centers in all different makes of vehicles including BMW cars charge for service that was not preformed. This seems to be especially true in changing transmission filters. They like to just change fluids and not go through the trouble of filter changes even though you are being charged. I suspect that you were a victim of this. I have no problems with over 100,000 miles on my like truck. I have frequently got 160,000 miles on all types of vehicles in my fleet with just maintenance being done timely. These were mostly driven by employees that did not care much about taking it easy. The longest running was an Isuzu diesel at over 300,000 miles with several different employees driving it. It was still running well when I gave it away.
 
I am looking at a 2005 Toyota Tundra. Do i have to specify anything special about the transmission, towing package? I'm not knowledgeable about this. I will be towing a CD 22 cruiser.

Also, looking at EZ Loader TEl 19-24 trailer, brakes on one axle, (tandem) certified for 5200..Should i go to the 5800 pds? 14 inch wheels.

terraplane
 
For the Tundra I would get the towing package--but with the tow capacity at a minimum of 5100 up to over 10,000 lbs you have a good pulling truck.

We never tow in overdrive--even with light load (except the motor home). Even there we lock down one gear when climbing grades.

The towing package should have a transmission cooler, a class IV hitch and the trailer wiring hookup--most pickups come standard with these.

Some states require brakes on all axels, but I am not aware that is enforced. I only had brakes on one axel of the CD 22 trandem trailer and it was fine.

I don't see any advanatage in the higher capacity trailer, especially if you go up one wheel size--this will raise the trailer slightly. I personally like Torsion axels. Check out the tires--Carlisile tires seem to have a bad rap, Good year Marathon seem to have the best.--there are some others in between. (Trail Master, Trail America)
 
terraplane,

Hitch box, wiring for trailer, transmission oil cooler, etc, are usually included in towing packages. I'd check the manual/manufacturer for exact towing limitations.

re: trailer capacity and tire size, I'd opt for the larger tires. Prob easier to get an emergency replacement and less likely to be overloaded. However, it'd probably raise the boat height on the trailer a bit. CD 22s ride pretty low as a rule.

John
 
After more than 20,000 miles of towing my boat I would definitely recommend upgrading to Goodyear Marathon trailer tires. Make sure that the size has more than enough carrying capacity. Go to the next larger size if there is any question.

Also be sure to have the tires and wheels balanced. Mine were not balanced when the trailer left the factory and produced a very rough ride for the boat until I figured it out.
 
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