killjoy Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Hi All, I have a new 2011 Journey AWD R/T with the towing prep. This weekend I was towing my travel trailer which as a weight of 2950lbs. Since I have the towing prep I assumed that I had a tranny cooler, but I have come to find out that I have an oil cooler and their is no aux tranny cooler. (this is what the internet has told me anyways) I have a weight distributing hitch, with sway control bar. Everything has been working quite well thus far... Anyways, like I was saying this weekend I was traveling with the trailer in tow, and I was watching my temperatures. While the oil and coolant never rose about 203-210F the tranny temp about 45 minutes in spiked from the 203F that is was holding quite well to 240F? Shortly after that point we reached our destination, so it wasn't like that very long. Maybe 10 minutes. Now, it was really windy, and the truck was holding about 2300RPMS @ 52MPH. Now the gauge on the truck maxs is out at 302F. Can anyone tell me if that's a normal temperature, on the way home, it ran fine, never ran above 212f. Should I be worried, any one have a aux tranny cooler installed? Should I consider it? Ideas? Thoughts? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThomasGaffney Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) Although I have a 2008 Chrysler Pacifica, it is the predecessor to the Dodge Journey and similar rules apply. I was told by the dealership that it was safe to tow up to 2000 lbs without any modifications. Anything over 2000 lbs requires a transmission cooler, no exceptions. As I have the lifetime powertrain warranty that I don't want to void, I follow the rules to the letter. I would highly recommend you have a transmission cooler installed before you tow anything greater than 2000 lbs again. They didn't seem to be worried about an oil cooler at all. The transmission cooler seemed to be their biggest concern as the transmission has the greatest stress put on it when towing. The dealer quoted me $278 to install an after market transmission cooler as Mopar no longer makes one for the Pacifica. The U-Haul website recommends you never use the overdrive gear when towing. I hope my experience helps you. Hi All, I have a new 2011 Journey AWD R/T with the towing prep. This weekend I was towing my travel trailer which as a weight of 2950lbs. Since I have the towing prep I assumed that I had a tranny cooler, but I have come to find out that I have an oil cooler and their is no aux tranny cooler. (this is what the internet has told me anyways) I have a weight distributing hitch, with sway control bar. Everything has been working quite well thus far... Anyways, like I was saying this weekend I was traveling with the trailer in tow, and I was watching my temperatures. While the oil and coolant never rose about 203-210F the tranny temp about 45 minutes in spiked from the 203F that is was holding quite well to 240F? Shortly after that point we reached our destination, so it wasn't like that very long. Maybe 10 minutes. Now, it was really windy, and the truck was holding about 2300RPMS @ 52MPH. Now the gauge on the truck maxs is out at 302F. Can anyone tell me if that's a normal temperature, on the way home, it ran fine, never ran above 212f. Should I be worried, any one have a aux tranny cooler installed? Should I consider it? Ideas? Thoughts? Thanks!! Edited June 26, 2011 by JThomasGaffney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armendegga Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 It's interesting that you say that... I am pretty surprised that the manual doesn't make any mention of the requirement. When the dealership quoted me a hitch and install, they were not going to install a tranny cooler or anything, and made no mention of one being required... The only thing they said was that I cannot exceed the 3500 lbs that it is rated for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dre Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 (edited) Are you guys 100% sure about this information? I assumed the Journey already had a tranny cooler since the only thing the trailer tow prep package adds is an oil cooler and the 4 pin harness. I can't imagine Dodge would state a 3500lbs limit after installing the tow prep package without having a tranny cooler. Hmmm... Edited June 27, 2011 by Dre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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