Tow/haul and transmission issue
I've done a few long trips in my 07 ram 1500 and have always just put tow/haul on and left it on the entire time. After reading some different views here I figured I would shut it off because I was on...
Forum Discussion
mkirsch wrote:
At 65+ MPH there is absolutely no difference between tow/haul mode and normal mode.
There is a difference. The 2006-2008 transmissions had two modes one could select from the column shifter: Tow/Haul mode which locks out 5th gear and OD Off which locks out both 5th and 4th gears. While cruising down the highway in Tow/Haul mode, the highest gear that you can obtain is 4th.
OP - When was the last time that you've had your transmission serviced? I would start with the simple stuff like drop the pan and change the filter. If you're overdue for a service then it won't hurt to flush the fluid. The transmission fluid may look fine, but in actuality it could be spent. According to Chrysler you can't tell the condition of ATF+4, the fluid that's in these transmissions, by color or smell like you typically can with other transmission fluids.
Do you have a method of monitoring your transmission temps? If you don't I would advise you to get one. There are cheap Bluetooth OBDII dongles that you can pair with an app on your smart phone or you can buy an all in one unit like Scangauge or Ultragauge.
Since you say that everything went back to normal after the cool down then there's a chance that this was caused by overheating. There's a condition in the truck where if your trans temp gets over 240 degrees then the truck will begin delaying shifting to 4th and 5th gears. Once it's over 250 then it won't shift into 4th or 5th at all. This could be the reason why you couldn't upshift up. Service being due and high heat maybe why it wouldn't shift down.
You won't actually see a high temp light on the dash until 275 degrees which is why it's a good idea to get something to monitor it. The manufacturer recommendation is to use Tow/Haul all of the time. If you're going against that advice then you want to at least monitor your parameters to verify that it's not hurting the truck. I'm one of the ones that shut off Tow/Haul while cruising, but I have all my temps and gauges at my fingertips.
