Towing: I may have a problem...

[scjohnson243]

Good afternoon all - I first wanted to say I am very new to this entire thing (Camping, towing, etc). I just bought a 2018 Starcraft Autumn Ridge Outfitter 26BHS about 2 months ago, and have brought it to camp about 4-5x so far. We have been Loving it! Towing it around and backing it up have been a challenge, but its slowly getting better.

We have a 5.7l 2005 Dodge 1500 that we use to tow with, the dealer assured us that "All his trailers" were towable by our truck, so we went and bought the bigger one. Last time we took it out, on the way home I started getting a "Transmission hot" warning light - it only stayed on for a few seconds, then went off. A few days later my wife was driving the truck without pulling and the light came on again for a few seconds then went off.

I took the truck to the Mechanic this afternoon - the transmission fluid is full, there are no leaks, and it does not appear "dark" or smell burnt, so the next thing is the sensor itself could be going bad.

I would love to upgrade to a new Diesel truck, and that's the long-term plan before we plan any long trips, but I don't want to destroy my current truck! has anyone gone through this? I have another camping trip coming up this weekend we have all been looking forward to, and its only about 45minutes from my house so its another close trip.

Any advice/help/etc would be greatly appreciated.

[boosTT]

How fast are you towing? Faster speeds will require more downshifts and get the trans hotter.

[dodge_guy]

LVJJJ wrote:
If you have the 3.92 rear end set up for trailer towing just wait til you have to replace it cause you are towing too much weight, going too fast, $2000 or more plus complicated break in period. Do not tow a too heavy trailer with early 2000's Dodges (just by a Chevy and enjoy).

What? You do that with any vehicle something will fail!

[LVJJJ]

If you have the 3.92 rear end set up for trailer towing just wait til you have to replace it cause you are towing too much weight, going too fast, $2000 or more plus complicated break in period. Do not tow a too heavy trailer with early 2000's Dodges (just by a Chevy and enjoy).

[xteacher]

dodge guy wrote:

scjohnson243 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

badsix wrote:
you should have no problem with that truck. i'm wondering what rear end gears you have, should be around 340 or 373 the 373 is better.
Jay D.

It would depend on the year and which transmission.

OP?

The year is a 2005 engine is a 5.7l.

I do not know the gearing, But will try to find out.

Ok, so this is the 4 speed auto. That would have either 3.55 or the optional 3.90’s. Now if it came with 20” Wheels from the factory then it automatically got the 3.90’s. The info on gearing is in the glove box if you have the 17” wheels.

We have a 2013 Ram 5.7L HEMI with 20 inch wheels. It has 3.55 gears. The 3.92s are better, and I wish this truck had them. Our current TT is a good match for my truck, but if we went heavier, I'd definitely want the 3.92 gears.

OP, unfortunately, the pre-2007 Dodge/Ram trucks tended to be problematic regarding their transmissions. I hope you can get your truck's issue repaired without breaking the bank.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Have to ask, has the fluid and filters ever been changed? Yes, pulling the stick and looking at and smelling the fluid is a quick check, but I think it needed to go further. Dropping the pan will provide a lot more insight. Plus if it has been some time since the fluid and filters were changed it might be best to have it all fresh and new.

Doug

[Community Alumni]

One thing to keep in mind, your truck uses Chrysler's engineered AFT+4 and it doesn't age like typical trans fluid. According to Chrysler the dyes used in ATF+4 may or may not change with age, therefore color can no longer be used as an indicator when determining the health of the fluid. Also as it ages, it doesn't produce the typical burnt smell so you can't tell by smell either. It's pretty difficult to tell if the fluid is any good so it's best to just stick with the maintenance schedule. If the sensors have tested good then I would have the fluid, filter, and spin on filter changed.

Rams came from the factory with a few different transmission cooler options. To figure out which one you have, just count the cooling rows in the cooler. The base cooler had very few rows, something like 8-10 rows. The trucks with the tow package came with coolers that have about 16 rows.

If you're truly overheating then you can upgrade to an even larger cooler. There was a 24 row cooler that was made for the 5.7L 3500's. The radiators used for the 5.7's all had the same mount points, so you could mount the 3500 trans cooler in a 1500. It's quite the beast.



I had an 08' 1500 Hemi that had the same 545RFE transmission as yours. We towed heavy with it for almost 10 years. My truck came with the towing package so I had a 16 row cooler. We never overheated even when pulling in the heat. A 16 row should be enough, but there's a 24 row cooler out there just in case it's not.

[dodge_guy]

scjohnson243 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

badsix wrote:
you should have no problem with that truck. i'm wondering what rear end gears you have, should be around 340 or 373 the 373 is better.
Jay D.

It would depend on the year and which transmission.

OP?

The year is a 2005 engine is a 5.7l.

I do not know the gearing, But will try to find out.

Ok, so this is the 4 speed auto. That would have either 3.55 or the optional 3.90’s. Now if it came with 20” Wheels from the factory then it automatically got the 3.90’s. The info on gearing is in the glove box if you have the 17” wheels.

[falconbrother]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Install an auxiliary transmission cooler.

Even if you're in your weight range this is a good idea. Contrary to popular belief you cannot over-cool a transmission unless you live in the arctic.

[scjohnson243]

dodge guy wrote:

badsix wrote:
you should have no problem with that truck. i'm wondering what rear end gears you have, should be around 340 or 373 the 373 is better.
Jay D.

It would depend on the year and which transmission.

OP?

The year is a 2005 engine is a 5.7l.

I do not know the gearing, But will try to find out.

[dodge_guy]

badsix wrote:
you should have no problem with that truck. i'm wondering what rear end gears you have, should be around 340 or 373 the 373 is better.
Jay D.

It would depend on the year and which transmission.

OP?

[dodge_guy]

scjohnson243 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
IDE have to check, but I believe there is a TSB for that exact issue. I believe it’s a flash that changes the cooling and when the light comes on.

7000lbs behind a 1/2 ton HEMI isn’t an issue.

I'm looking but so far have not seen anything, if you could find something I would love to hear it!

I’m actually traveling right now (Wildwood NJ). I won’t be back to work until Monday.

[time2roll]

mooky stinks wrote:
If it came on when your wife was driving and not towing, then it has nothing to do with the trailer.

+1

Get a scanner that will give an actual temperature. Then go back to the dealer and tell them to fix the warning light.

[_1nobby]

scjohnson243 wrote:

I do believe it has a trans cooler on it, I'll check when I get home. When I pull anything I hit the "TOW" button, from what I understand that stops the overdrive, right?

If you have a tow button....chances are you have a trani-cooler.

[mooky_stinks]

If it came on when your wife was driving and not towing, then it has nothing to do with the trailer.