Tranny hot while towing on dirt mountain roads
 

I have a 2001 dodge 2500 automatic. I tow a pop up toy hauler loaded and another quad in the pick up bed. When I am climbing the dirt mountain roads my tranny gets very hot. The gauge on my juice with attitude read 240 the last time i went up and I know that is pushing the limit for damage. Before that trip I had already installed a 25" finned aluminum cooler inside the bumper where it will get a lot of air flow from the fan. I have another one on the way to install before my next trip in a week. Does anybody have any ideas on the heat problem.
The temp stays fine on the highway.
Thanks

Any modifications to your truck? I had heat issues as well, and it was a bad torque converter. After a rebuild, I installed a cooler with a fan.

At low speeds, minimal air is going across the cooling package. The fan clutch relies on the hot air from the radiator to kick in and start moving air. With the slow speeds on the trails, the T/C doesn't lock up and causes lots of heat. I have the same issue. I battle this issue two ways. One, the cooler with a fan. Two, I use 4Lo while on the trails. The lower ratio allows the trans to get up into 3rd and O/D, where the T/C can lock up and produces less heat.

Rawilliams.
I replaced the tc a couple years ago. I would hope its not bad already. I have 35"s so I'm sure that doesn't help,since it makes everything work alitte harder. And the juice w/ attitude but I keep it on tow when towing. I will deffenatly try going in 4 lo next time. And see how that works out. Thanks for the help

No problem at all. I also have 35's with 3.55 gear ratio, it doesn't help the heat situation at all. Rolling down the hiway at a lower RPM sure is nice though.

I pull a 38' RV that comes in around 12,000lbs, in similar conditions you describe. The 4Lo trick works very well. Max speed is a lot lower, but one can't go fast anyway. If you pop the hood, disconnect a vacuum line, and plug where it came off, you get 2Lo. There is a write up on here that I need to find on how to automate that process. If I find it, I'll share it here.

I lock my convertor when I am very slow towing my TT, even in first gear.

Russ how do you lock your converter?

Aftermarket VB and electronics is the only way i know how to lock in 1st. Otherwise I would.

Thanks for the help men. I'm going to take it camping one last time on Friday. I installed my new cooler and will try the 4lo trick. I'll let you know how it went.

i had a after market cooler with a little fan on my 97 psd and i towed some good loads never got pass 200 the little fans help out! my cooler was mounted out side radator where it got air flow and fan!

Yup. I have a Dunrite VB.

Vb
 

Are those vb's safe? Reading other threads it sounds like something that can cause me to break something on my truck. And what does vb stand for?

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Or maybe that was a manual lock up switch that I was reading about. But anyways can you tell me about the vb's please. Thanks

VB = Valve Body, what controls the oil flow for functions in the transmission. They are safe, reliable upgrade for sure. Here is a link to the Dunrite FAQ page:
Dunrite Converters :: Frequently Asked Questions

The TC (Torque Converter) manual lock up switch can cause damage when used improperly. That may have been what you were thinking about.

yea the TC lock up switch can mess things up it puts all your power down to the wheels lol

basically if your going slow while towing and your not in drive or over drive your converter is not locking and it gets warm fast. 4 low helps. u can also install the 2 low kit from pac brake so you can not lock front hubs unless needed. if you run a lock up switch and a triple disc converter on a stock input they can break pretty easy.

4 low worked!!
 

Thanks for the help men! I installed my second tranny cooler and ran on the dirt roads in 4 low it worked like a charm. Granted it was 15 degrees cooler outside this time but my tranny temp was about 54 degrees cooler. My temp topped out at 186 degrees this time as apposed to around 240 last time. Success!!!
Thanks again!!!!

Excellent, glad that worked out for you! :c:

I've heard that if you can get into lockup your tranny will run cooler. That means 4 th gear. Low range will help.

Ive been wondering about those 2 low switches. Can you go in and out of 4 wheel drive with those? I understand that the purpose is to go into low range without driving the front axle. Can you switch in and out of 4 wheel drive with it?

Glad you got her fiqured, just to throw in my two cents, I take mine out of overdrive when I climb mountains and if its under 45 I put it into second so my truck isnt trying to find a higher gear to climb in. :tu:

Yes, 2lo kits work Remember though, they are not "on the fly". I do a very manual way of 2lo when i pull in the steep terrain I go into. I pull the vacuum line for the 4x4 off, and plug the vacuum source it came off of. It works, but ins't as automated as some systems.