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Can A 1990 Suburban V1500 4x4 700r4 Transmission Tow A Vehicle Such As A 2001 Crown Vic for 5 Hours?

Can A 1990 Suburban V1500 4x4 700r4 Transmission Tow A Vehicle Such As A 2001 Crown Victoria 4 5 Hou

  • Yes

    Votes: 9 90.0%

  • No

    Votes: 1 10.0%
  • Total voters
    10
campfire said:
Is it possible? Of course it's possible. Is it smart? That depends on a bunch of factors, a 700R4 is not an idiot-proof transmission. It is quite capable of destroying itself if overheated. And if you don't have a temp. gauge, you're driving blind in that regard. IMO, if you're not able to easily and concisely answer each of @Blue85's questions (which are basic towing parameters), you're not ready for towing a heavy load. Having "a transmission cooler" is not the same thing as having a good transmission cooler, and this is not a forgiving transmission if it is abused. You want to have confidence in your equipment before you undertake that kind of trip. Why am I telling you this? Because my formerly driving Suburban has been grounded for over a year now after a very similar towing trip. I took a marginal transmission that I was kinda thinking of replacing and turned it into a crummy transmission that I how hafta replace. Which wasn't great, as I wasn't ready to replace it at that time. So that took a good vehicle off the road.

Will the same thing happen to you? I don't know. But it is certainly a possibility, and it would be prudent to plan accordingly and address the potential issues so they don't turn into real-life issues.
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I might as well take the bus and pick up the vehicle since it runs and taking the bus is cheaper than spending on fuel
 
P.S. - if something is failing inside the tranny, definitely figure that out sooner rather than later. You have nothing to gain by waiting, that just shrinks the warranty window, the only winner there is the tranny shop. And as I have said before, having a "600HP 700R4" does not mean that it is magically able to avoid component failures or overheating issues. Keeping a transmission on the road requires the whole system to work together. Hard parts, hydraulics, cooler, cooler lines, TV cable, etc. Read through @Babaganoosh's thread if this doesn't make sense.
 
campfire said:
Is it possible? Of course it's possible. Is it smart? That depends on a bunch of factors, a 700R4 is not an idiot-proof transmission. It is quite capable of destroying itself if overheated. And if you don't have a temp. gauge, you're driving blind in that regard. IMO, if you're not able to easily and concisely answer each of @Blue85's questions (which are basic towing parameters), you're not ready for towing a heavy load. Having "a transmission cooler" is not the same thing as having a good transmission cooler, and this is not a forgiving transmission if it is abused. You want to have confidence in your equipment before you undertake that kind of trip. Why am I telling you this? Because my formerly driving Suburban has been grounded for over a year now after a very similar towing trip. I took a marginal transmission that I was kinda thinking of replacing and turned it into a crummy transmission that I how hafta replace. Which wasn't great, as I wasn't ready to replace it at that time. So that took a good vehicle off the road.

Will the same thing happen to you? I don't know. But it is certainly a possibility, and it would be prudent to plan accordingly and address the potential issues so they don't turn into real-life issues.
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I wonder why the 700r4 wasnt built heavy duty like the turbo 400 in the first place. ???
 
blackandgold51 said:
I wonder why the 700r4 wasnt built heavy duty like the turbo 400 in the first place. ???
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Perhaps because it was marketed for light-duty use? :dunno:

If in doubt, the answer probably has to do with cost. It certainly is a bunch smaller and lighter than a 4L80 or an NV4500, which is what I would use as an apples-to-apples comparison. Comparing a 3-speed direct-drive tranny with no T/C lockup vs. a 4-speed O/D tranny doesn't seem quite fair. If you want to compare a TH400, compare it to a TH350.
 
Like I said, I hauled that 24 trailer all over the place on family vacations, and never had a trans problem. And that was with a lift and 33's which I'm sure did the trans no favors. As far as I'm concerned, it delivered.
 
Phil513 said:
Like I said, I hauled that 24 trailer all over the place on family vacations, and never had a trans problem. And that was with a lift and 33's which I'm sure did the trans no favors. As far as I'm concerned, it delivered.
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I don't doubt you. I just want to point out that your results are not 100% repeatable, and that @blackandgold51 should take that risk into account before assuming that every thing will be fine. It may be fine, but there is no guarantee. I have towed lots of successful runs, but the failure will always be one that comes to mind quickly.

I think having a trans temp gauge is a good form of cheap insurance if you were going to be towing with a tranny that is prone to overheating when worked hard.
 
That stupid computer controlled carb on the other hand . . .
 
blackandgold51 said:
I wonder why the 700r4 wasnt built heavy duty like the turbo 400 in the first place. ???
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That's where the 4L80 series comes in - sort of a TH400 with O/D. A bigger transmission costs some MPG - and why have a giant trans if the rest of the drivetrain isn't up to it (i.e. 10-bolt rear end). Also, the 700 has a really low 1st gear, which is nice for getting off the line.
 
I used a tow bar and drug a '78 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham from San Diego to Phoenix. Truck did fine, kept it out of overdrive most of the trip, anticipate braking, brake early, don't force it to get up and go. I also had a large trans cooler installed as well, Id recommend that.
 
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