Thread: Mods for Towing a Caravan

whats this lock up you guys speak of? Will be getting a camper trailer this year and have never towed before. 2a td5 auto

Above 80kph the gear box locks up so so power is transmitted directly rather than through the hydraulic fluid. The result is rpm will drop around 5-600 rpm, transmission should run cooler and better economy.

Unlock will occur when speed drops below 70kph.

Cheers

Steve

any period of driving "unlocked" heats the trans fluid up,, and sooner than later will cook your transmission.
OK? driving unlocked is BAD.

It seems to be designed into the TD5 more than the V8
so any Nm increase makes it slip even worse,,

as with any Land Rover, this problem can be overcome with a liberal dosage of $$$'s

Originally Posted by Rok_Dr

Above 80kph the gear box locks up so so power is transmitted directly rather than through the hydraulic fluid. The result is rpm will drop around 5-600 rpm, transmission should run cooler and better economy.

Unlock will occur when speed drops below 70kph.

Cheers

Steve

Also locks at 70 with 3rd gear selected with the gear lever & stays locked all the way down to 50.

The box automatically unlocks (whatever gear) below 40,, this normally is great for traffic lights, (but not good towing down the range thru roadworks)
but is a concern offroad,
just something else to be aware of..

Does the nanocom evolution have a screen for auto trans temp?

Originally Posted by RobMichelle

Does the nanocom evolution have a screen for auto trans temp?

Nope.

Pretty much all of what's been said ! Learn to keep the torque converter locked up as much as possible. As said ... down shift to 3rd before you fall below 72km/hr (as soon as you drop below 80) ... early enough to give the torque converter time to lockup .... then you can run down to almost 50km/hr in 3rd before the t/c unlocks (good method for 80 down to 60 zones) .... accelerate to 85 or so in 3rd with the t/c locked THEN manually shift to 4th/D, feather the throttle to encourage the t/c to lockup up, THEN apply more loud pedal to increase speed (with the t/c locked).

More loud pedal with the t/c unlocked just adds heat to the transmission.

When towing I'd usually select 1st from a standstill, shift straight to 4th/D at about 25km/hr or so, let 2nd/3rd/4th do their own thing and as soon as I'm above 70, I'll downshift to 3rd, feather the throttle to encourage a quick lockup of the torque converter, add LOUD pedal till about 85, then shift to 4th, feather the throttle until the t/c locks up, then add more pedal ....
No point being over enthusiastic with the throttle pulling away from a standing start with the torque converter unlocked ... 2500-2700rpm is plenty. Be patient. Feathering the throttle on t/c lockup is being kind to your t/c lockup clutch plates (especially with the smaller td5 torque converter.

I have a std tune, no egr or CAT, silicone hoses and boost at 19.5psi max (long uphill hauls it holds 1.32bar steady / 19psi). I have a second transmission cooler fitted.

As far as engine revs go Pedro .... My tyres are 6% oversize ... 265/70*16

These speeds are actual ground speed by the GPS/Nanocom (1.06 tyre co-efficient). The D2 speedo reads approx' 4-6km/hr less.

4th with torque converter locked
80 km/hr 1780 rpm
85 km/hr 1900 rpm
90 km/hr 1990 rpm
95 km/hr 2110 rpm
100 km/hr 2230 rpm

3rd with torque converter locked
70 km/hr 2140 rpm
80 km/hr 2440 rpm
90 km/hr 2725 rpm
100 km/hr 3045 rpm

So when towing, at 85-95 we're doing 1900-2100rpm. 90 at 2000rpm is very comfortable touring/towing. Below 80 we're in 3rd.
I have found my D2 will hold 4th locked down to about 72 and 3rd down to about 47 ... and as long as your gentle with the throttle pedal it will stay locked and accelerate. I've also noticed when in 3rd at 60-65 going uphill (t/c unlocked) with lots of loud pedal applied the t/c will lockup sometimes (when towing).

... and I average around 14L/100km towing approx' 1.4-1.5t.

What I'd ideally like to be able to do is get the t/c to lockup in 2nd gear. Especially for decent uphill grades (and downhill!), or the times when 3rd lockup is too fast ... but i'd prefer not to be doing long hauls in 3rd unlocked when 2nd locked up would be far more appropriate (select 2nd on the gearshift and lock it up!).

... sorry, this turned into a bit of an essay !