towing issues (smoke) - 4.6 v8 with tow package

[2MCHPWR]

Hi - my 2002 explorer has the factory tow package. I believe it has an external tranny cooler from the factory. Just curious, what are the gear ratios in the diffs?

anyway, i tow an open trailer and a 3100 lbs car with about 8 extra wheels/tires in the truck. Maybe the whole load is like 5000 lbs (trailer, car, stuff).
what is the tow limit with my truck?

When i go up long mountain hills on the highway, I see smoke from the back of my truck. I pull over and see fluid on the under side of the truck.
On flat roads, there is no issue.
The tranny doesn't slip.
I had aamco change the fluid recently. 100k miles on the truck.

Can I add a secondary cooler? where/how? or is there another issue at hand?

thanks!

 

[Ronin8002]

you can find out the axle ratio by looking at the driver's door tag. It will have a code that will denote the gear ratio:

45 = 3.55 ratio open diff
46 = 3.73 ratio open diff
D4 = 3.73 ratio limited slip

Assuming you have the 3" hitch receiver from the factory, your tow weight is 5000#

You do have an external cooler from the factory...it's between the radiator and the AC condensor. you can see it if you pop off that plastic piece on top of the radiator and look down in between the radiator and condensor.

As for the smoke, these trannies tend to spit fluid out of the fluid overflow vent on the top of the bellhousing when they get too hot. Your transmission may be overfilled, or you just may be getting it too hot.

you can see how to check the level of your fluid here:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118654&highlight=5r55s+fluid+level+check

I don't think an additional cooler would help...the valvebody has a thermally activated valve that keeps the fluid from circulating in the cooler till it gets to a certain temp. From what I know it was designed to help warm up the fluid in really cold weather. In practice it seems to allow the fluid to get too warm before it allows it to flow to the cooler. You can modify the valvebody to remove this feature if you want:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=338261&highlight=valve

If you tow a lot then you can use a scanning tool like a scanguage II that will let you keep an eye on the fluid temp in real time, as well as scan for fault codes and view lots of other good info:

http://www.scangauge.com/

Hi - my 2002 explorer has the factory tow package. I believe it has an external tranny cooler from the factory. Just curious, what are the gear ratios in the diffs?

anyway, i tow an open trailer and a 3100 lbs car with about 8 extra wheels/tires in the truck. Maybe the whole load is like 5000 lbs (trailer, car, stuff).
what is the tow limit with my truck?

When i go up long mountain hills on the highway, I see smoke from the back of my truck. I pull over and see fluid on the under side of the truck.
On flat roads, there is no issue.
The tranny doesn't slip.
I had aamco change the fluid recently. 100k miles on the truck.

Can I add a secondary cooler? where/how? or is there another issue at hand?

thanks!

 

[Limited02]

You should have 3.73 with a Limited Slip and I believe the tow rating is around 7200-7400lbs depending on if 4x2 or 4x4.

Where do you think the fluid is coming from?

As far as the cooler, I would look into upgrading to a larger one. I have thought about upgrading mine for the safety factor.

Edit-Saw Ronin beat me. I can say for sure that if he has the tow package with the 3.73's, max tow rating is over 7000lbs.
Edit again-I'll check my owners manual and see what it says

 

[Ronin8002]

You should have 3.73 with a Limited Slip and I believe the tow rating is around 7200-7400lbs depending on if 4x2 or 4x4.

Where do you think the fluid is coming from?

As far as the cooler, I would look into upgrading to a larger one. I have thought about upgrading mine for the safety factor.

Edit-Saw Ronin beat me. I can say for sure that if he has the tow package with the 3.73's, max tow rating is over 7000lbs.
Edit again-I'll check my owners manual and see what it says

whoops I goofed on the tow rating. good catch limited02

Here's a link to the manual, look on pg 218:

Dead Link Removed

 

[Limited02]

whoops I goofed on the tow rating. good catch limited02

Here's a link to the manual, look on pg 218:

Dead Link Removed

One has to sign in to use that link

 

[Ronin8002]

One has to sign in to use that link

oh, my mistake.

Well maybe going to this link and selecting the year/make/model would help:

Dead Link Removed

 

[Limited02]

I'm at work so I won't download it, but my owners manual said:

V8, 3.73LS 2wd-7300lbs max
V8, 3.73LS 4wd-7000lbs max