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Towing up hills

13K views 28 replies 12 participants last post by  E&J push'n wind 
#1 ·
While towing on the highways, inclines are not really an issue. The temp gauge never goes over midway. Yesterday I noticed while towing up a hill on a local road only going about 30MPG the temp gauge rose VERY QUICKLY. I was only traveling up the hill for about 1-2 minutes of time max. Any ideas?
 
#3 ·
This, and of course make sure Tow Mode is active.
 
#4 ·
I always make sure I am in Tow Mode. Should I be in 4th Gear all the time while towing even on the highway or only on normal roads? I do notice that while on the highway, if I slow down a bit to maybe 50 MPH from say 60-65 MPH, the engine screams when I accelerate to get back up to the 65 MPH range, even if the highway is flat.
 
#5 ·
How heavy is your trailer?
 
#17 ·
What's funny is that I have the exact same trailer! I've never had an issue with coolant temp but my trans temps get hot. We've towed our trailer from PA to Maine, western PA (Lots of hills), VA, MD. Fuel mileage is terrible at about 7 and I have to refuel every 200-225 miles.

For me, long slight inclines are the issue. If the engine stays in a higher gear my trans heats up very quickly. I downshift and when the engine has higher revs the trans temps will drop. Gets a bit annoying to drive for long periods of time with the engine reving as high as it does. One the way home from Maine the muffler blew out and we drove 13+ hours like that and it was very, very loud. Replaced the blown muffler with a Gibson unit and it's almost as loud. Gets on my nerves on long drives.

I bought a 2003 Excursion with the 6.0L diesel and that thing was a MONSTER. Pulled the trailer like there was literally nothing behind me, and I'd get 12-13mpg towing. I did a bunch of engine work to make it tow better (oil cooler etc). My Armada would not sell so I put the Excursion up on Craigslist for sale at a very high price and it sold in a day. So I'm back to driving the Armada all the time. Overall I like the Armada better except for the loud exhaust and I feel the trailer is a bit to heavy for the Armada.

I need to replace the rear shocks/springs as my self leveling ones died and my rear tires are wearing out in a few thousand miles because of the massive camber.
 
#7 ·
That's a whole lot of trailer for any 1/2 ton SUV to pull, even one as good as ours.

Keith
 
#8 ·
Though this thread is not that old, I'm gonna wake it up if I may.

I had a similiar incident this past weekend coming home from 6 Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia CA. Now mind you, I've towed my similiarly weighted TT up and down the west over some pretty big hills/mountains and almost never a heating problem. I say almost never because I had one incident when going up to Big Bear where outta the blue the temp gauge just jumped up to hot. It ran like that for about 5 miles and then went back to normal, the same way, outta the blue. I attributted it to maybe the thermostat sticking.

I'm not so sure about that now. Again this past weekend, heading south on the I 5 just before where Hwy 14 & 5 come together there is somewhat of a "mole hill" climb where I had to drop into 3rd gear. That bumped the rpm's up to 3500 maintaining 60 mph. The outside temp at that point was 114. Not a problem as I have towed in that kind of heat before. Anyway, again.., out of the blue the temp bounces up to high. I thought uh oh! that's not good! I backed out of it and dropped it into 2nd and brought the rpm's down to 3000 hoping that would take some of the load off of the engine. NOPE! I wasn't too worried because I could see the top of the hill and it wasn't critically hot plus I just put that new Stillen 3 tube radiator in which I'm sure helped a lot. So we topped the hill and then it occured to me I could hear the fan spooling up. I should'a heard it to begin with. Only after we started down the other side did I hear the fan come on. That got my attention! In the process of this happening, the AC stopped cooling and it was blowing warm. Thankfully it was less than 5 minutes and then all was good.

I was still a little concerned because there was one more "mole hill" in west Hollywood I knew I still had to go up. Sure enough it did the same thing but this time I was really paying attention to what was going on. So.., as I started up the second hill I was listening and watching closely what was going on. As it turns out, the fan was running. I could hear it well but as I continued up the hill (still 114 outside) I could hear the fan begin to "unwind" and hear it less and less and I could hear more and more of the engine as it again was running at 3500 rpm's at 60 mph in 3rd gear. After I could no longer hear the fan but only the engine, sure enough temp didn't rise. It jumped up to high! I again backed it down to 2nd and crepped it up and over the hill and as soon as it was over the top it immediately jumpped back to normal opperating temp. And yes, the AC started blowing warm again for the moment.

What does all of this mean? I am almost certain the fan clutch is not functioning properly! For what ever reason, as the engine needs cooling at a "nominal" load (level ground, freeway speed) fan runs as needed to keep engine cool. When "the load" comes on, the fan disengages, you can hear it stop moving air. That is counter intuitive, when you need it most it fails to do its job. I'm thinking it is time to replace the fan clutch.

I'd be interested in what y'alls thoughts are!
 
#23 ·
Having the same issue in a 2013 armada platinum with 111k miles I just purchased. Dealer installed a new radiator and system was just flushed. I noticed that going uphill under load (6k travel trailer) temp gauge spiked suddenly and air blew hot. Will try fan clutch fox and report back.
 
#9 ·
This is from the Armada manual 6-10 In case of emergency.

If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by an extremely high temperature gauge reading and the illumination of the engine oil pressure/engine coolant temperature high indicator light), or if you feel a lack of engine power, detect abnormal noise, etc. take the following steps.

1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, apply the parking brake and move the shift lever to P (Park).
Do not stop the engine.

2. Turn off the air conditioner. Open all the windows, move the heater or air conditioner temperature control to maximum hot and fan control to high speed.

3. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for steam or coolant escaping from the radiator before opening the hood. (If steam or cool- ant is escaping, turn off the engine.) Do not open the hood further until no steam or coolant can be seen.

4. Open the engine hood.

5. Visually check drive belts for damage or looseness. Also check if the cooling fan is running. The radiator hoses and radiator should not leak water. If coolant is leaking, the water pump belt is missing or loose, or the cooling fan does not run, stop the engine.

6. After the engine cools down, check the cool- ant level in the engine coolant reservoir tank with the engine running. Add coolant to the engine coolant reservoir tank if necessary. Have your vehicle repaired at a NISSAN dealer.
 
#10 · (Edited)
AlvinJN, all due respect but this is not my first time around the block. I'm aware of what the OM says including about the "limp mode" the vehicle may go into. It wasn't overheating, it was running hotter than normal for the moment. There is a difference between overheating and running hotter. There was no drop in oil pressure which is the second thing you'll want to look for when the engine temp goes up.

I guess my point is, or question rather is, has anyone had an issue that they know of where their fan clutch has failed or may be failing? It looks like that is what the OP may have been encountering. I'm 99% sure that is what I encountered.
 
#11 ·
E&J, I had something similar happen to me this past summer while towing.
We were pulling a 27 ft TT with a slide (looks similar to what's in your pic). Before our trip I changed the oil, and rear diff fluid because we had just bought our 'Mada a couple of weeks earlier and were unsure of the condition.

On our first big climb on I-15, the 'Mada downshifted to try an maintain our 65 mph speed. About half way up the climb we felt the AC go warm and I looked down to see the engine temp very high! The trans temp gauge was also hot. This happened a couple of times on long (but not necessarily steep) climbs.

At the next town we pulled into a service center and had them check the coolant, oil levels and change the transmission fluid (hadn't thought to do that before our trip). They said the coolant levels were good and they tested it too make sure it was still effective. The trans fluid was not 'bad' but it was time to change it according to them. (100k miles on odometer.)

The next significant climb we had yielded a similar result. :(

I've tried to replay those moments in my head to see if I could remember the fan running as it should have been (Loud), but can't remember. It seems to me that I would notice if it wasn't running like it should. This post has got me thinking that I need to check my fan clutch soon.

Now that it's winter and I'm not towing till spring/summer, it's not a priority...but thanks for helping me see one more possibility.

Any other insight out there?
 
#12 ·
You say your Armada downshifted to maintain your 65 mph speed. What gear did it shift into, and how many rpm was the engine turning?

I'm not towing quite as big of a load as you guys, but I never let the truck run over 4000 rpm for any length of time, particularly if it is hot outside. If that means 40 mph in 2nd gear, well that's what the right lane is for!

Keith
 
#13 · (Edited)
Lodonz, I'd almost bet my bottom dollar that is your issue. I just took the BAT out this past week before Christmas. We went to Phoenix AZ from San Diego. Mind you it is not hot out but you can believe that if the fan isn't working it wont matter that it isn't hot out. Pulling a sizable load up and over the mountain pass between Diego and the desert will get the engine temp up if the fan isn't working. Anyway, I made the trip both ways without any issues of engine temp.

I've pulled this mountain pass between Imperial Valley and San Diego 3 times now and the two times prior it was summer, never a heating issue and I've always pulled it in 2nd gear at 3500 rpms at 40 mph. This time is the first time I've actually had to drop into 1st gear. Engine temp wasn't up but tranny temp did rise a little to just above the "center" indicator. I wasn't concerned as I know I'm pulling a lot of weight and if it ain't indicating "HOT" it is normal when climbing under load for the tranny temp to maybe go up a little. The surprise for me is the reason it went up a little. Again, I've pulled this hill before, both ways and neither engine nor tranny have ever "increased" in temp. They have always ran in the "normal" temp range as though I were not towing, and it did going out to AZ on the eastern climb too (ran normal). Coming home however, just as you start the climb a little east of CA highway S2, the wind picked up. The wind warning sing are posted so you kind'a expect it. But this is where the tranny began to get "warm." I had dropped into 3rd and was running 60 mph at 3500 rpms as I noticed the tranny temp begin to climb. Again not to worried because it is holding 3rd and not backing down and it's not indicating "HOT." Just the tranny oil temp is up a little, other than that all is is well. You could feel the wind tossing you around though, it is an almost direct head wind. It' wasn't coming from the side either way, you could feel the "swirl" of the wind though. Anyway, as the climb pitched up a little more the engine begins to back down so I eased off the throttle and let it slow to 40 mph and drop it into 2nd gear. I haven't encountered it often but I have seen the tranny temp increase on a climb or two so this usually allows the tranny to cool back again, to "normal." This time it didn't, and that raised my eyebrows a little. Keep in mind the wind is pushing, if I had to guess I'd say probably 35~ or so mph directly at us. I wasn't worried because it was a head wind not a cross wind. I kept pushing 2nd all the while monitoring the instruments making sure I didn't "over drive" anything and blow up the mada LOL! Tranny was still warm but not hot so I keep pushing, as I got up to where the wind protection screens are on the highway and the road pitches up just a little more, it began to back it down in 2nd gear! WHAT!!! I have NEVER had go to 1st gear in all my travels with this trailer but yep! I had to slow to 25 mph and drop it into 1st. By now though the tranny had cooled to normal but the surprise was OMG! 1ST GEAR, REALLY? What ya gonna do though? I put the 4 way flasher on and creepped up the hills like a semi. That was about 5 to 7 miles before we got to the top at Jacumba. The wind was still blowing till we got to the top at where Golden Acorn Casino is on I-8 but I was able to run more (for me when towing) normal speeds between 2nd and 3rd gears.

All of that said, with the tranny only getting warm. I'm reasonably confident that it was the cooling fan that was my initial cooling problem back in September. I'm sure with the tranny getting warm this trip out, if the fan wasn't keeping up it would have been more than the tranny getting warm as the initial cooler for the tranny is in the radiator. That had to put an additional heat load on the radiator though perhaps not much but with everything I'm sure if the fan wasn't "spooling up" as it is supposed to I would have had my hands full making that climb.
 
#16 ·
I tow this 27' boat with my Mada with a wet weight close to 8300lbs and have only hade the transmission heat up when I towed it home when I initially purchased it after 4+ hours on the road.

I do have my truck modified with Headers, Exhaust, CAI, and an Uprev tune to specifically handle this load. The truck handles pulling the boat out of the water in the steepest of launches like a dream, sometimes needing to engage 4 wheel drive but most times it's not necessary.
 

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#26 ·
I bought a Mini Cooper last October and towed it home with my Armada. Had to drive Interstate 68 from Cumberland, MD through Morgantown, WV. That stretch of I-68 is very hilly. At times the Armada was in 3rd gear just to keep the RPMs up and the transmission temperatures down. It still got warmer than I wanted at times. Also make sure you turn overdrive off. I don't see where you said you did that too.
50402
 
#27 ·
I'm not sure if the pic of my TT is still in my signature. Some on this forum know I tow a rather large TT for the Mada. I've been in too many scenarios to count towing my TT, I've posted what I think are the best "towing solutions" for towing with a Mada. I you are "towing big," it ain't for the faint of heart but it is doable. Long & short, don't be in a hurry first! Transmission are automatic, not smart, manually shift going up and down grades using the right gear for the situation, hill climb & outside temp need to be considered. If the fan clutch is working, it should be sufficient to keep engine temp within NORMAL operating temperatures. If it gets warm while towing, especially in high outside temps when climbing, that is normal and should be expected. If it's getting hot🔥, that is not normal and you need to discover the reason. I've found if your Mada is in otherwise good condition, it's been the fan clutch failing to keep up. That's not to say it is the only thing, just my experience. If you aren't driving it hard though, all things being equal you should be able to do well and have a nice towing experience. Just my thoughts FWIW.
 
#28 ·
I tow a 24' aspen trail that fully loaded is no more than 6k pounds - going ahead an putting in a "heavy duty" fan clutch next week but have a trip this weekend to the mountains and will see how it acts keeping it in 4th / 3rd as needed on hills. The issue I had last weekend was exactly as you described, everything find until on hills then seeing temp gauge spike over the reccomended range, goes back down when off the hill.
 
#29 ·
My original fan clutch gave up the ghost and I had a time finding one (even OEM) that could keep up. I went through two aftermarket clutches, heck I was so frustrated I made an adapter to drive the fan directly. Minus the clutch, that worked but it was constantly NOISY and it definitely knocked down the gas mileage as well. That was very short lived. I ended up finding a good OEM fan clutch through the dealer. Somehow quality assurance has gone away and it's almost "luck of the draw." Anyway, if the fan clutch is working and you are not flogging it up the hills you will do well. I'm pretty confident it's the fan clutch, otherwise it wouldn't spike I wouldn't think anyways. Engine temp would be a more gradual climb, and that I've seen as well when all is working as it should.
 
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