overdrive help?

[mrpike1973]

hi i'm so confused with this i have a ford f 150 2001. we just bought a 2001 chevy silverado. today we towed our boat on the maiden voyage put it in tow haul mode. it shifted very slow and what i would say is slightly harsh. i dont notice it as much with the ford in tow haul mode. i looked at the owners manual and it says tow haul is for very heavy loads. i was always told never ever tow any trailer with out taking it out of overdrive. when we got done towing i drove the chevy in normal drive it drove fine i believe it was because i was in tow haul. i am a nervous nellie because i've towed boats with clunky cars and the trannys always died. so i got trucks also both of our boats weigh #680 each i weighed them at the elevator thats full with gas rods etc. maybe i dont need tow haul mode i usually drive at the most 60 miles round trip thats 2 times a month or just within 10 miles of home sorry i'm so confused. also i drive very flat land. both trucks have the heavy duty towing packages with tranny coolers thanks so much for any help.

[TravP]

How many miles are on the Chevy? If over 150,000 your on borrowed time with that tranny if hasn't been rebuilt yet. Tow haul mode changes shift points a bit allowing you to hold gears longer and also boosts tranny line pressure giving you firmer shifts. I wouldn't flinch a bit about towing 680 pounds in overdrive without the tow/haul mode on.

[mrpike1973]

has 145000 miles on it i have no idea if its been rebuilt. thanks much i'll start driving both trucks in overdrive maybe save some gas

[Dave S]

I doubt you'll be saving much in gas. Depending on the roads you drive while towing the boat, the tranny will be bouncing back and forth between gears.

[Jeremy airjer W]

If the tranny is bouncing in and out of overdrive than take it out of overdrive!

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

As stated in this post the only thing the "tow haul mode" does is change the shift point on the lower end. It will go into overdrive on the higher end. I've owned a 2005 Tahoe and a 2011 Silverado and didn't use "tow Haul" unless there were steep grades just to keep the tranny from shifting up and down. I owned a 99 Tahoe with a 5.7 engine and the 3:83 tranny and that thing was a puller but the gas mileage was reduced some. The 1/2 ton Ford's I've driven were pooches when towing anything compared to Chevy's. As far as shifting hard I can't comment on that other than I haven't experienced that unless I've had my foot in it and even then I didn't notice anything unusual.

Mike

[SpecialK]

MrPike, When you were towing with the minivan it was important to not tow in OD because the tranny wasn't built for towing. The trucks are a little beefier so the only need to change out of OD or into tow haul would be if you notice that the tranny is working really hard and shifting a lot to stay at speed.

The 680 lbs shouldn't be that hard on the truck tranny but be aware of what sounds and shifts it makes in the beginning. If you are really worried about it you can check if you have a tranny cooler installed and if it doesn't, get one installed (you probably don't have to at the moment) as it will help make the tranny last longer.

[Ufatz]

If trans jumping in and out lock it OUT. With a load that light you may not need to do this on level or gently rolling roadways. But if it starts to do the in and out thing, lock it OUT.

Actually pretty simple. Either of these trucks should waltz down the road with that little bitty load.

Harsh, hard shifts on the other hand are a sure sign you have a transmission problem. When was last time tranny drain and flush and refill? If really HARD shifting better get it to a trans shop.

[TravP]

If trans jumping in and out lock it OUT. With a load that light you may not need to do this on level or gently rolling roadways. But if it starts to do the in and out thing, lock it OUT.

Actually pretty simple. Either of these trucks should waltz down the road with that little bitty load.

Harsh, hard shifts on the other hand are a sure sign you have a transmission problem. When was last time tranny drain and flush and refill? If really HARD shifting better get it to a trans shop.

DO NOT Flush the tranny if it wasn't done in regular intervals! That 4L60 is a known POS. Changing the fluid is fine but don't flush it.

[mrpike1973]

took it to the dealer i bought it from. they rode with me they said it shifts fine when in tow and that is normal for the shift points to be different in tow haul they said tow with out tow haul on only put it on if it starts shifting in and out like you guys said thanks.

[Finns]

MrPike, When you were towing with the minivan it was important to not tow in OD because the tranny wasn't built for towing. The trucks are a little beefier so the only need to change out of OD or into tow haul would be if you notice that the tranny is working really hard and shifting a lot to stay at speed.

The 680 lbs shouldn't be that hard on the truck tranny but be aware of what sounds and shifts it makes in the beginning. If you are really worried about it you can check if you have a tranny cooler installed and if it doesn't, get one installed (you probably don't have to at the moment) as it will help make the tranny last longer.

What mini-van?

[mrpike1973]

i had a chrysler town and country i traded for this truck the trans was shot in the van. had 2 pontiac bonnivilles trans shot. ford windstar trans shot then for s and g's i had a 3/4 ton 1998 dodge truck trans shelled 3 weeks after i got it. i've owned 4 dodge mini vans all trans shot pulled the same #680 boat never go over 55 wife says i drive like a old fart thats why i thought getting a truck would be a good idea and why i'm nervous about the tow no tow deal. ps my nick name is lucky i'm not kidding

[Ufatz]

Have you still not noticed a trend here? Read your post and count the number of vehicles you have owned that ended up with ruined transmissions. Sorry, but that tells me the operator error potential is very high in this history. Can't remember the last time I even TALKED to anybody who had driven a car to the point the transmission was ruined.

But Hey! ...it's your money. Ha Ha Ha.

[mrpike1973]

yes i noticed a trend thats why i bought a better vehicle. the other ones all cost under $500 bucks clunkers if you will. you cant expect much from clunkers. and i had all these over a course of 10 years. buy one drive it for a year junk it get another one. thats what i could afford.

[Ufatz]

Okay Pike. Got it. Been there.