Temperature while towing...is this too hot ?
07-23-2020, 06:34 PM
#11
Come out to the Rockies(not colorado) and your mind will change. I am getting passed by 18 wheelers with my cruise control set to 70mph. Traveling at 55-60mph is asking for trouble.
07-24-2020, 12:27 AM
#12
Senior Member
Thread Starter
So I tried to downshift but It won't....but I was in tow mode. When I pushed the "-" button it would just remove a gear from the 1-10 display. When I pushed "+" the display disappeared. Do you guys downshift uphill by sticking it in normal mode ??
07-24-2020, 04:39 PM
#14
Senior Member
2017 3.5l.eco, max tow with 3.55 gears
See attached photo. Was towing a 7500lb trailer. I would notice my temp would be steady on flats but would start to increase up moderate hills to about 114-115 celsius ( 237-242 faranheit) but then cool right down as grade got easier.
I also noticed the actual temperature readout wouldn't display until I hit about 109-110 celsius and then disappear as it cooled down.
Transmission temperature never really budges.
I'm concerned. Thoughts ?
See attached photo. Was towing a 7500lb trailer. I would notice my temp would be steady on flats but would start to increase up moderate hills to about 114-115 celsius ( 237-242 faranheit) but then cool right down as grade got easier.
I also noticed the actual temperature readout wouldn't display until I hit about 109-110 celsius and then disappear as it cooled down.
Transmission temperature never really budges.
I'm concerned. Thoughts ?
If going 55-60mph on the highway is asking for trouble, might want to stop merging onto them.
So tonight I grabbed the trailer to park it near my house. We leave for a quick two nighter tomorrow.
So I tried to downshift but It won't....but I was in tow mode. When I pushed the "-" button it would just remove a gear from the 1-10 display. When I pushed "+" the display disappeared. Do you guys downshift uphill by sticking it in normal mode ??
So I tried to downshift but It won't....but I was in tow mode. When I pushed the "-" button it would just remove a gear from the 1-10 display. When I pushed "+" the display disappeared. Do you guys downshift uphill by sticking it in normal mode ??
07-27-2020, 03:33 PM
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Hey all.
Update.
Took her out for camping this past weekend.
The manual gearing up and down definitely helped but if iwI paying attention temperature definitely creeped up. I was just more vigilant most of the times. Tranny temperature stayed solid.
The grades were definitely higher but I can honestly say if it's ever a super steep grade I might be in trouble.
Question. Is lowering the gears easier on the eco since it's more torque and less turbo involvement ? Even though the rpms are higher ( my non mechanic brain is like Woah the rpms are higher so the engine must be getting bigger but I kind of found it opposite most times ).
Also I think I need to readjust sightly the hitch setup as the trailer sits slowly higher on the hitch ( probably just one setting down). Would that cause any issues ?
Sigh...towing isn't easy lol
Thanks all for your advice !!
Update.
Took her out for camping this past weekend.
The manual gearing up and down definitely helped but if iwI paying attention temperature definitely creeped up. I was just more vigilant most of the times. Tranny temperature stayed solid.
The grades were definitely higher but I can honestly say if it's ever a super steep grade I might be in trouble.
Question. Is lowering the gears easier on the eco since it's more torque and less turbo involvement ? Even though the rpms are higher ( my non mechanic brain is like Woah the rpms are higher so the engine must be getting bigger but I kind of found it opposite most times ).
Also I think I need to readjust sightly the hitch setup as the trailer sits slowly higher on the hitch ( probably just one setting down). Would that cause any issues ?
Sigh...towing isn't easy lol
Thanks all for your advice !!
07-27-2020, 04:29 PM
#17
I've been there on a number of occasions. Full semis do not maintain 75+mph up anything but very light grades. They are not going to be going that fast up "moderate hills" past an eighth of a mile.
If going 55-60mph on the highway is asking for trouble, might want to stop merging onto them.
You have to be in "M" with the console or column shifter.
If going 55-60mph on the highway is asking for trouble, might want to stop merging onto them.
You have to be in "M" with the console or column shifter.
But I appreciate you silly remark about not merging onto the freeway. Seeing as my living room is at 6500' above sea level, and I tow these highways and mountains every time I go out, you're opinion holds very little weight to me. I am not the only one with cooling issues in these trucks.
Last edited by mass-hole; 07-27-2020 at 04:33 PM.
07-29-2020, 10:47 AM
#18
Senior Member
I don't mean on the hills. I mean on the flats. If you are towing at 70 mph on the flats in 95-100F heat, your coolant temps ON THE FLATS, can be pushing 225-230F. That means your thermostat is already wide open, your cooling system is saturated, and all you have going in your favor is the thermal mass of your coolant to keep it below 250F. Even with my A/C turned off and cabin heat on max, I was hitting 245F climbing grades at 55-60mph, two weekends ago.
But I appreciate you silly remark about not merging onto the freeway. Seeing as my living room is at 6500' above sea level, and I tow these highways and mountains every time I go out, you're opinion holds very little weight to me. I am not the only one with cooling issues in these trucks.
But I appreciate you silly remark about not merging onto the freeway. Seeing as my living room is at 6500' above sea level, and I tow these highways and mountains every time I go out, you're opinion holds very little weight to me. I am not the only one with cooling issues in these trucks.
07-29-2020, 11:03 AM
#19
Senior Member
Thread Starter
That's ok, because trying to follow you in this conversation has been like trying to find an albino whale in Challenger Deep with no light source. This has been a conversation about temperatures while climbing a grade, but now you're talking about flats, later on it will be 'how do I get the temps down while descending?'