100,000 mile + check in / Towing involved!!!

I've got a 2016 Tundra which is used for daily and towing an 8K travel trailer. The truck is at 110,000m now. I've taken very good care of it and performed a major service recently (all fluids, plugs, springs, brakes).

I've got a huge trip planned for next yr. towing to and thru Canadian Rockies. Total trip will be close to 8k miles much of it hard in the mtns.

The truck is made for this however I am thinking about what I can and should do prior to the trip. I'll have about 150K on the truck at start of this adventure.

Things like hoses, belts, brake pads, hubs???

thoughts?

 

Invest in oil futures. Actually you should have done that prior to posting about your upcoming trip.

 

If you haven't changed the serpentine, I would. Inspect the brakes, If the pads appear to be getting worn / thin, replace along with rotors. Hoses? I wouldn't worry much about those yet. Oil change prior to trip. Air filter if needed.

 

Let's see... 8,000 miles @ 8-10 MPG = 800-1,000 gallons of fuel, some of it presumably being purchased in Canada at what - $6-$7/gal? ... Oh my.

 

Y'all haters stop it I'll sell some blood to pay for gas m'kay?

Serpentine belt and brakes for sure.

 

Not hatin' a bit! Quite the contrary, I'm envious.

Wish I had the time and money to take a long RV trip like that.

The pesky FT job really interferes with taking the time, but it's also what pays for my trailer and travels. If I got the money I ain't got the time, and if I got the time I ain't got the money!

 

Honestly if it is running fine leave it alone! An oil change, if needed, air in the tires, washer fluid and maybe an interior detail for good morale. Leave it alone!

 

Has the coolant ever been exchanged? How about transmission fluid - has it been touched? Rear diff? You’re at the age and mileage I’d be looking to refresh anything still from the factory. Air filter, cabin filter are items I do annually.

I did swap to mishimoto radiator hoses around 70k miles.

 

Yup, see my first post. All fluids incl. axels, diff, coolant, brake fluid, transmission.

Yeah I'm prolly going to do the serpentine belt and hoses. If nothing I won't have to think about that.

Helps what y'all are saying. It is a wonderful truck. Just this yr. I hauled from AZ to east coast over the San Gabriel Mtns. Never broke a sweat.

 

Your list is good. I would only add a way to monitor transmission temps as you drive.

While some of the mountain passes are a challenge towing 8k at 5000 feet and 60 mph, I personally found that towing across the prairies with a stiff headwind to be more taxing on the truck. I have experienced considerably better fuel economy towing from Calgary to Kelowna (mountain passes) vs Calgary to Medicine Hat (prairie) when the wind is racing.

People also underestimate how warm the ambient temps can also be. Service your AC system, especially if you are heading to the Okanagan in BC.

Your weak point is likely the trailer. I would suggest having your trailer bearings and brakes serviced. If there is any chance your tires are aged, replace them.

 

And fuel prices…

They fluctuate quite a bit in the summer but this year $2 a liter has been my napkin estimate if you are in Alberta and BC. Alberta is $1.60. BC is $2.20.

Some math:

$2 CAD per liter
3.78 liters in a US gallon
$7.56 CAD / gallon
= about $5.50 USD per gallon

 

Good Lord....6-7 a gallon?

 

Ahhh good stuff guys. The trailer is tip top. New tires and brakes are in a word pristine.

What is the go to for monitoring trans. temps? I don't recall any way to get that off the OBD?

 

There's actually a few ways you can do it.

Most cost effective is a bluetooth OBD scanner and an app on your phone.
Gets you both TC and pan temps as well as some other good information... Gear, TC lockup condition, coolant temps, current MPGs.
Downside is you need to tie up your phone as the display.

Next is a Scangauge2 or the newer Scangauge3 with a bigger display.
A little more expensive but you have a dedicated display.

Both of these are popular options that seem to work well.

Then there's my personal favorite... A big-ass new head unit! A little more spendy but worth it.

Improved the sound quality of my abysmal stock stereo, gets me coolant, trans, intake temps, actual real time tire pressures and temps (instead of an alarm after a problem occurs) real time MPG's, wired apple carplay for my wife, wireless Android Auto so I can use my phone's better NAV instead of the stock, added a front camera, and BONUS!

It wirelessly mirrors the screen on my Samsung phone beautifully so I... err I mean, my wife can have Netflix, Prime, YouTube, Peacock, or whatever to watch movies on a long road trip.









Oh, did I mention you can upload you own wallpaper photos?

 

I guess maybe not as bad in USD with the conversion rates. Canadian gas is HEAVILY taxed.... I thought ours was bad.

 

(Groan) I just installed head unit but THAT is pretty stellar.

Scanguage look great.

 

Sure is.

In Alberta, there is $0.3661 CAD in taxes, plus 5% GST per litre.

California is the equivalent about $0.25 CAD per litre plus possible local taxes.

 

Did you install the iDatalink Maestro interface with your HU, to retain steering wheel controls?

The gauge pack is actually a function of the Maestro as much as it is the HU, so depending on what you have you might be able to get it.

Yeah, if I hadn't done this I would've gone with the Scangauge3.

 

Yeah, no kidding. However I was up in the NW recently and regular was roughly 4.50 a gal. Northern California was 5 something. I'm thinking 3 is a lot around here.....not any longer!

 

Yeah, I live in So. CA so that's my normal. We just got home from a trip to Monterey and it was even a little higher up there than San Diego! The Pebble Beach Concours d'elegance is coming up so I think everybody raises their prices... Hotels, restaurants, gas, everybody.

Your avatar pic kinda' looks like my Diego!

 

Oh gotchya! Yeah, they definitely raise the prices here. First when summer is about here and then again when Bonaroo is a week away, during and then a day or 2 after. You'd think price gouging for gas would be illegal. But I guess the govt enjoys their kickbacks too much. Handsome hound you have there! How old? Jasper will be 4 Oct. 30th. He's my buddy!

 

He's about 3, and we just got him a girlfriend (sister?) in February.
Diego and Sadie both started their lives as strays in Baja.





Then our cranky old man Quincy runs things.

 

Remember that S4 will be your friend for towing (especially in the mountains) as that's our 1:1 gear... So, it should give you consistently lower operating temps on the tranny by reducing some the stress/workload on it.

Beyond that I wouldn't necessarily through parts at it just because, but some of the suggestions such as water pump, serpentine, etc.. would be ideal to have in hand on your trip in case you end up w/a failure.

Have fun cuz that'll be a helluva trip!!!!

 

Awww, man, that's great! Dogs are the best!

 

Sorry I lost you there. "S4" and 1:1 ?? Also, mentioned was transmission (pan) and torque converter temps. I *think those show up as transmission1 and transmission2 on the scanguage3. Can you recommend temps. that I should look for?

 

Sliding the drive selector from "D" into sequential shifting (moving it to the left) and selecting... S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6; this is not meant to be a true manual shifting as the transmission still functions like an automatic, but it limits the highest gear available.

Since 5th and 6th gears are 'overdrive' they require more effort on the transmissions part and reduce effort on the engine. They are also the reason the truck will constantly hunt between 4th and 5th when going uphill; the ECU wants the truck in 5th whenever possible, but 5th gear under a load such as towing is actually causing more work for the transmission (with the intention of less load on the engine) and essentially creating more heat. 4th gear is a true 1:1 ratio and has the least amount of resistance between the engine and transmission; it's the most efficient gear for the truck especially under a load in terms of minimizing heat build up and workload of the transmission.

In other words when the truck is in 4th gear it's one turn input = one turn output (no gear reduction or amplification) which equals almost zero resistance.

Transmission Description and Specs
Automatic w/OD
Number of Transmission Speeds
6
First Gear Ratio 1:
3.33
Second Gear Ratio 1:
1.96
Third Gear Ratio 1:
1.35
Fourth Gear Ratio 1:
1.00
Fifth Gear Ratio 1:
0.73
Sixth Gear Ratio 1:
0.59
Reverse Ratio 1:
3.06

Give me a minute, and let me see if I can find a video that really helps explain this in detail... The video is a bit dry, but worth the watch to see what the clutches and solenoids are doing throughout the gears. Pay attention to the amount of resistance the person is experiencing as he turns the transmission through the various gears, and it's amazing to see almost zero effort required to spin it in 4th gear (due to the 1:1 ratio). He'll get to 4th at about the 7 minute mark. The video was shared by another member on the thread I linked below, but I thought I'd just put it here so you didn't have to hunt for it...

https://youtu.be/YM40HOYtLNc


Regarding target temps for your readings, I never worried about the actual number I just payed attention to my trans temp needle which was under the RPM indicator on my '08. I think they eliminated that warning needle a few years later. I know my '21 does not have one... However, this thread will have a ton of info and opinions in it regarding what guys are targeting or using as safe operating ranges for temp measurements...

Transmission cooler or not Thread

 

Wow, nice job! Thank you!

 

Same truck. Same mileage. First 4k lb tow Coming monday. Took to dealer request check trans and spill/full if necessary. Service Advisor called said it checked fine. no need for fluid adjust. No sign of leak. So just run it so I did...