Towing 07 v8 Trans cooling

[JDC518]

Hi all

I have a 2007 Explorer V8 Towing Pkg. 44K miles. The concern I have is when towing a 10ft 2500lbs Boy Scout trailer on the highway at about 60 -65mph the cooling fan was locking in about every 2 -5 min for about 2 min. It was about 85 F out and the engine temp was normal and never changed. So I assumed the trans was getting hot.

My question is do I need to add an additional trans cooler. or just replace the stock cooler with a much larger one.

Also I did take it to the dealer to have it checked out after the trip, no issue were found with the trans or cooling system.

Any suggestion before my next trip would be appreciated


Thanks JDC518

 

[feetwet]

are you turning off overdrive?

how can you tell the fan clutch is locking at that speed?

 

[JDC518]

The OD is off, And I can hear the loud fan noise from the front. Also the AC was on

 

[Bill MacLeod]

If you have the aux. trans cooler (w/the tow pkg?) then trans temps shouldn't be a concern with a small trailer aslong as the engine is not overheating. The 6R60 trans must run normally hot anyways as the shop manual says that the one way valve in the cooler line will not allow fluid flow to the cooler under 200 F.
The trans temp is monitored by the ECM and a "good" scan tool may give you this info. A "cheaper" scan tool will at least allow you to monitor engine temps. The tool I have (OTC3109) even shows 2 engine temps, so there must be a sending unit on each side of the block/heads.

 

[TowingExplorer]

I have a dual axle trailer which I tow with a 3000 pound vehicle on top. I never turn off OD, just feather the throttle so I do not constantly shift (accelerate down hills, allow deceleration up hills, maintain / gradually accelerate on flat) and my fan does not come on at all.

I suspect your fan was coming on due to your A/C. Try it again and next time leave the A/C off to see it the symptom still presents itself.