hot trany?

[wheelnut46]

I just bought a '69 Starcraft pop-up trailer. While pulling it home (about 15 miles - all back roads and stop and go) I thought I felt the truck getting hot inside the cab. The temp guage never showed any hotter than normal. I felt the transfer case cover and that was hot. I never felt it before while driving. Does it usually get warm while driving or was my trany working too hard towing a pop up? I dont know what the trailer weighs. The PO towed it with a Taurus wagon. It is about 10 or 12 feet long, not including the tonque.

 

[Can Can]

What kind of tranny do you have?

 

[wheelnut46]

Th350. The truck is all stock. 31 inch tires, etc.

 

[Can Can]

Using a 3 speed to tow a small pop-up shouldn't cause any overheating issues at all. I've towed a 3500 lb. travel trailer with my K5 over some of the most unforgiving mountainous terrain and never came close to overheating, although I run a large stacked-plate tranny cooler.

I'll bet you're just suffering from a common towing-newbie phenomenom.......it's called paranoia!!! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif /forums/images/icons/wink.gif Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing. It's better to be overly cautious than to ignore a potential warning sign.

But seriously, if you checked your tranny fluid and everything looks and smells fine, I'd say you don't have anything to worry about. If you are still concerned, spend $50 and buy yourself a stacked-plate auxilliary tranny cooler.

 

[tipoil]

and u can add a transmision temp gage, just to sleep beter at night!!! /forums/images/icons/grin.gif /forums/images/icons/grin.gif /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

 

[JeremyK5]

I have a Th350 that is starting to go out, and towing anything in stop and go traffic, even an unloaded hay wagon, will cause the tranny temp to jump to 230 degrees! /forums/images/icons/blush.gif With no load however, it will stay at a constant 160-190 degrees no matter how I drive it. And I do have an extra tranny cooler. You should get a gauge for your tranny so that you will know for sure if you are overheating!

 

[Grim-Reaper]

3.08 gears I bet. Even with 31's that extra weight is putting heat to the tranny. A 30+ year old starcraft is a BRICK of a trailer. I bet that pup weighs ever bit of 3500lb.
Get a tranny cooler and a temp gage. Idealy you should never get the tranny above 200degrees. 200 is the points where the seals are starting to bake hard. I have Haydens stack plate cooler and temp gage. They are stocked at Pepgirls. I installed the gage before the cooler just to see what it was running on the trail. I poped off a 230 a LOT quicker than I ever thought possible. After the cooler I rarely see 180. cruising around town in traffic it runs about 150-160 in 95 Degree heat. I dragged a car from Knoxville to Atlanta and only hit 210 once and that was a long steep grade that Semi's were down to 45mph.
You plan to drag that thing regularly you might concider a gear swap. 31's TH350 3.42 would be a reasonable choice. Our 75 is TH350 with 3.73's and it wound out on the hwy. Going to go up to 33's to bring the hwy RPMS down some. My 75 has 4.10 and 35's. I'm turning about 2900 RPM to do 80.
If you had a OD tranny I would say go 3.73s with 31's.

 

[Muddytazz]

Grim...would I be getting hi HWY rpm's with 4.10's and 33"s (i tow a 20 camp trailer), or should i just run 3.73's.
stock 350 and stock TH350 with D44/12Bsf all stock(meaning 3.07's at present).

 

[Grim-Reaper]

http://www.randysringandpinion.com/calculators.shtml click what your trying to figure. I used the engine RPM selection. This is a really nice one. It figures it for OD, no OD etc. When you plug the tire size in I always go an inch less than what the tire say's on the side. Once the weight of the vehicle is on it and the fact most tires don't mesure what they say they are.
3.73 with 33's (32 inputed) at 65 mph = 2614 Run it up to 80 with the sam variables 3217 /forums/images/icons/blush.gif 4.10 at 80 3536!
80 with 4.10's and 35's (34 inputed) 3328
Now playing with the bottom calculator it seems the top calculator already figures in a little for no lock up converter.
A TH350 has a 1:1 3rd if you get playing with it.

 

[Muddytazz]

Thanks.