HILUX TOWING

[oska]

GOT A HILUX 3LTR TURBO AUTOMATIC DIESEL CAN ITOW A CARAVAN WITH OUT 2ND GEARBOX COOLER

[Mick@Toyota]

I guess it depends how big your caravan. If it getting up over the 2 tonne mark may be an idea to put anther one on, just to be on the safe side. Gearboxes arn't cheap when they break!

[steve_t647]

Hey they tow really well, the auto gearboxes are not the strongest in the world and will eventually need repaired if you tow heavy stuff (horse trailers with horses are a good example) you wont need a second cooler unless you do a lot of hill work.

In NZ we have had a few auto's fail due to the hills and towing 2 horses in a float every weekend but it took 4 years for the gearbox to have issues, replaced and back like new not hard to replace and they are plentiful.

it is all on the weight of the caravan if the caravan is braked and how long and where you tow it. and two trans coolers are not as efficient as one larger one.

Look at the cooler placement if you do fit one and mount the inlet (hot oil) at the top and the outlet (back to trans cooled) at the bottom at the front of the car this is the most efficient layout

[Clinton Anderson]

GOT A HILUX 3LTR TURBO AUTOMATIC DIESEL CAN ITOW A CARAVAN WITH OUT 2ND GEARBOX COOLER

NO you need to have both gearbox coolers, thought the automatic are good to tow with the hav power tower heavy stuff not like the manual that are slow up hill and stuff like that .

Edited May 8, 2007 by Clinton Anderson

[melvinlau]

i'm fighting this argument everyday when selling all toyota 4WDs, will the auto tow as good as my manual? the auto transmissions of today are just as good at towing as their manual counterparts. i have sold hilux's, prado's and landcruisers to people who are going around australia with a fully loaded caravan. the paranoid ones will put on transmission coolers, but most just follow the rule of towing with auto; do not tow in overdrive.

[Creepy]

My 2007 4x4 Single cab D-4D has the same overheating automatic problem. If i tow or have in the tray anything more than 750Kg approx the transmission will overheat and that's on a flat road doing 90km/h outside temp around 20C. I can't see how it is possibly rated to 2000+Kg. It has gone back to Toyota and they can't find the problem they replaced some fan saying it was weak and replaced the oil because it was extremely burnt but i would have thought at that speed this "fan" shouldn't even be on. Also it will usually leave oil on the drive way the following night. Mine has been a complete lemon had many problems fixed under warranty.

[Cutter]

Are you still having issues with the over heating?

[Creepy]

Are you still having issues with the over heating?

Sorry for the late reply. Yes it is and the other hilux 2007 twin cab model is now having the same problem.

The Twin cabs gear box got stripped down and it was found the torque converter was warped out of shape. This was replaced but even now it still overheats when towing around 750Kg or more.

Faults so far between both cars and they are both just over a year old.

Left side wiring to tail lights replaced - warn through in chassis

Left electric mirror faulty - replaced

Tail shaft fell out of gear box onto the road - replaced

Both cars gear boxes overheat (one has had a cooler fan upgrade the other as above but both still overheat)

Very low standard front ground clearance bash plate got broken off on a not so big rock the family car would get over

Gear box seal went while towing around a 1 tonne boat blew oil over boat - seal replaced

Transfer box seal went lost all oil on the drive way overnight - replaced

Right side wiring to tail lights replaced - warn through same as left

Currently engine on the single cab clatters like all hell going in this Friday

So far the Prado's have been good touch wood. Only a suspension failure on one of them.

[Creepy]

Just an update. The car has been in twice more for the clattering. It has been diagnosed as pinging and has had the engine computer upgraded and labeled as a manufacturing fault. Still does it though so will be going in again soon.