I have a question. Do you turn your over drive off everytime When towing boat?
I only turn it off up hill/down hill and keep it on waen crusing flat freeway. But I heard I should keep it off all the time when towing.
any advice ? Thanks in advance

flipper,

You've got the right idea.  Over drive doesn't need to be on
all the time.  You do need to turn it off going up/down hills.
 I have a friend that blew a trany for not turning it off
going up/down hills.  His van was only several years new when
it happened.  We tow a 23' Parker fully loaded with dive gear,
fishing gear, and several ice chests full of ice.  After that
incident and turning off the over drive going up/down hills,
he has not had any problems with his van.

Hope this helps.

Coming from an ASE certified X- mechanic; it is probably a good idea to turn off the overdrive if you are going up steep hills. But the most important thing of extending your tranny is to service it regularly and to have a tranny cooler.

AMP, Thank you for sharing your info.
GOLETA, I do have tranny cooler and change tranny oil every 15000.
Thank you for reminding me.

The reason you should not use overdrive all the time is to keep your transmission cool. Overdrive is a gear used to help your gas mileage when "cruising", not while "working" your engine. When going uphill, your transmission is downshifting to gain RPM's or power. If you are towing in overdrive, you are causing your transmission to shift under a load, in-and-out of the overdrive gear. This causes heat, just like your engine heats up under a load going uphill. When your transmission parts get hot they are softer and can break more easily, especially under a load when towing.

If you tow a lot, it is recommended you install a transmission cooler to your tow vehicle. This is like a small radiator that is installed near the front of your vehicle. It circulates the transmission fluid through the small radiator and dissipates the heat better than before. That will greatly help the heat issues.

If you’re towing a large boat or trailer, it won't matter how cool your transmission is if it is not strong enough to tow. In other words... don't tow a 23' Parker with your dad's Toyota Tecoma. You need the right tool for the job! As far as using overdrive going downhill... you take it out of overdrive to increase the RPM's of your engine. This will usually cause you to slow down so you don't have to ride your brakes all the way down the hill. Therefore maintaining your braking ability (no hot brakes) and less wear on the brake parts.

I hope this helps a little... or do I just have too much time on my hands?!!

Terry G.

FYI,
The Parker was being towed by a 460 Ford motor not dad's TT. 
Also, flippers rig and our rig has a trany cooler.

Sounds like you got what it takes to get the job done.  I
wasn't directing that comment towards anyone.  Just trying to
make a point in the most obvious manner possible for any
novice boaters, campers, etc...  I apologize if I sounded
offensive.

Good Times,
Terry G.

Terry,
No worries bro.  Just wanted to point out that it doesn't
matter what you tow with.  Don't forget to turn off the over
drive when you need too.  Not much worse than paying $3,500
for something that can be prevented by simply pushing a
button.  We can laugh about it now, but the memory of the bill
still stings.

Good fishing to all.

Thanks all !!