Towing a car on a tow dolly

Hey yall I’ve seen some threads about towing with a 4.6L and no trans cooler and now I’m a little concerned. Long story short I’m suppose to tow a buddy’s gf car to another city (San Antonio to Houston). I checked if the previous owner installed a trans cooler and unfortunately they did not. I’m not as experienced in this field so this is why I’m here. Should I be concerned of my transmission over heating? Any advice will help. Thanks in advance!

 

Short answer is: no, you shouldn't be very concerned.

Long answer is: you can take a few steps to ensure you don't have problems. The 4.6 is a well built engine, the transmission is a well built transmission, and the truck is a well built truck. If you have maintained it well enough, there's no reason you should have issues. A friend of mine used this 4.6 for his construction company pulling his trailer around without issue. It doesn't pull like the 5.7, but it got him everywhere he needed to go.

Heat is the number one killer of transmissions. The easiest way to add heat to the transmission is to run it with torque converter unlocked. To counter that, drive in S mode, manual select 4th or 5th, and don't drive 100 mph. If you are pulling the vehicle on a tow dolly, they recommend a top speed of 55 mph. THat's crazy slow in most of the western US and flat out dangerous in some areas, but it's what most tow dolly's recommend. I've pulled them at 75 mph without issue (and with a crummy little explorer to boot!) but I'm not gonna say that's the best idea.

Anyways, the easiest way to tell if your torque converter is locked at highway speed is to give the throttle a small input and watch the RPM's; if the RPM's jump a couple hundred RPM before the truck accelerates, it's unlocked. If the truck starts to slowly accelerate with the RPM's slowing increasing, it is locked. Locking the truck in S mode helps keep the transmission for unnecessary shifting, which would also add heat if you were constantly hunting for gears.

Unfortunately, the gauge on the dash is kind of a dummy gauge. But a $20 OBDII Dongle and a $5 phone app (I've used DashCommand, Torque was also popular at one point) can let you read actual transmission temps. Lower is better when towing, but 200F isn't bad. 210 is getting hot. 220 is where I'd consider changing driving tactics (different gear, lower speed, etc).

Hope that helps get you started.

 

Your truck will be totally fine. But as a heads up, you can’t really back up a car when it’s on a tow dolly. Sure you might be able to back up 5’, but in general, plan your turns very carefully when you pull into gas stations, rest areas, and parking lots.

 

Tapping out after this comment. Nailed it

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Isn't the transmission cooler part of the condenser on this year model? Maybe not without a tow pkg or 5.7, just curious.