Towing in 3rd gear rpm high?

ktmrfs wrote:
one other item of critical importance. On most transmissions the torque converter stalls at around 1800-2200 rpm. that means, IF you are using a gear that would say need 1800 rpm to run the speed your at, and you put a load on the engine, the rpm will go to 2000 or the stall speed. the result is a large increase in heat buildup in the transmission fluid. One of the worst things you can do is run an automatic at stall speed with lots of slip that means high transmission fluid temps = potential transmision failure.

In the OP case, 2500 is going to be well above stall, maybe 100rpm of slip if it isn't locked up, very good.

great post. OP, get an app like torque and monitor your slip to ensure that your tranny is indeed locking up in 3rd and slipping significantly... sometimes its slightly subtle to see the difference in rpm on your gages.

As for the running in 3rd, as other suggest, should be no problem. I have a trailblazer pulling a 4.5K lbs trailer for 15K miles in 3rd. It pulls find except up any major hills but even then gearing down for the short time isn't an issue. Of course, your fuel mileage will be reduced with the higher rpms but gas has gotten cheaper ... :-)