I humbly offer an experince to add to your knowledge base for anyone towing in extreme heat with these new "computer controlled everything" vehicles......
Just thought I'd relate a little hiccup that befell myself and my SWAMBO (She Who Absolutely Must Be Obeyed) yesterday while travelling between Camooweal Qld and the Three Ways in the NT:
My Rig: Ford PX Ranger towing an Ultima Express 5th wheeler.
My spreadsheet tells me that my RV in fighting trim tips the scales at 3219kg. I was also carrying an additional 130kg of gear in cargo tray. I was towing at 86 kph (GPS) 90kph speedo in 43 degrees OAT in 6th gear.
About an hour into the journey, the car kicked into LIMP mode with the warning lights telling me that I had a drivetrain malfunction.
The manual said that if it was not a major mechanical failure (yikes) requiring a "return to dealer", the problem should reset with the ignition cycling - we were fortunate that 180km from anywhere - it did.
Did this once more before I surmised that the transmission was probably overheating.
So I changed from AUTO back to MANUAL and held it in 5th gear at 83kph (GPS). This I reasoned increased oilflow through the cooler and should cure my problem. This proved correct and no further LIMP mode reversions occurred.
Ford assured me when I originally purchased my beast for towing my home that no mods were needed (specifically asked about additional oil cooler for summer towing) and was told she was "good to go" right up to max rated tow weight in all Australian conditions. With this new experience, I can now take that bit of advice with a grain of salt.
I might add that a precursor to our fun (I really should have taken more notice) was the sighting of three other 4WD's towing caravans (not Fords or mazdas) pulled over with bonnets up strewn along my path. It goes without saying that an additional cooler will be sourced as a matter of priority.
Trust this assists any other PX Ranger/BT50 owners out there to better know their vehicles and perhaps take some preventative measures should they wish to do some "extreme" towing.
Cheers
TC69
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Towing in top gear is not a good idea. What tends to happen is that with out you being aware you slowly increase you throttle pressure to maintain speed which puts the tug under a slight load which increases the load on the fluid coupling which in turn increases the temp of the oil. I have always traveled in manual/sports mode and in 4th gear ( or 5th for a 6 speed box) without any trouble and with no effect on fuel consumption. Top gear is really designed for highway driving where there is no real load on the engine. Stick it in 5th and you will travel around Aus without a problem regardless of heat.
When I towed my caravan until a few years ago, the first thing I did when changing tugs is fit an additional oil cooler. It was just some advice I was given years ago that seemed to make sense.
-- Edited by Bryan on Wednesday 11th of December 2013 10:15:48 AM
Towing in top gear is not a good idea. What tends to happen is that with out you being aware you slowly increase you throttle pressure to maintain speed which puts the tug under a slight load which increases the load on the fluid coupling which in turn increases the temp of the oil. I have always traveled in manual/sports mode and in 4th gear ( or 5th for a 6 speed box) without any trouble and with no effect on fuel consumption. Top gear is really designed for highway driving where there is no real load on the engine. Stick it in 5th and you will travel around Aus without a problem regardless of heat.
Wassa
I fully concur with the above.
I drove the Barkley Hwy 3 Ways to Richmond about 2 months ago in +40 degree heat in my BT50 (manual geared) towing a 2010 Paramount Classic, fully loaded. I kept in 5th gear all the way and never had an issue other than having an aircon that is too cold.
In higher gears the turbo is working VERY hard to maintain speed even though engine rpm is low..
YES change down and fit a trans cooler it won't hurt if not required !!!
Makes auto more durable.. Exhaust temps climb big time also which could be setting limp mode..?
Usually cruise around the 90-95 mark. The other thing to be aware of is that when towing using cruise control will also increase you fuel usage as it tries to maintain the the speed you have set. When I see a slight hill coming I slowly increase my speed and let momentum get me over, where as the cruise control will maintain the speed by increasing throttle and fuel consumption to achieve the same.
I returned home a couple of days ago (kids wanted us here for Christmas) and had the vehicle checked by the local Ford dealer. They told me everything was okay and had reset the computer to clear the faults. They also advised that my assumption regarding the oil cooling was correct and I should have been operating in SPORT mode "as per the manual".
This puzzled me as I had specifically read the manual section relating to Towing (starts at Page 111) and it said nothing about this caveat in relation to towing. When I queried this with the dealer he kindly pointed out that the recommendation regarding towing with SPORT mode selected wasn't in the TOWING section but was listed in the TRANSMISSION section (Page 88 under Notes on SPORT mode) and sure enough - that is where it is buried - an obscure note on towing heavy loads or operating in hilly terrain. Of course - how silly of me to expect towing stuff to be in towing! No wonder I missed it.
My selection of 5th gear was, according to the same operating note, not necessary as the shift to SPORT alone remaps the gear changes and allows the gearbox to hold gears longer and downshift earlier than when in DRIVE.
I think I'll just keep it in 5th and be done with it though as advised here earlier.
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Didn't care yesterday, don't care today - probably wont care tomorrow.
Live every day like it is a gift - that is why it is called "The Present"
bt50.does anyone know how to fit some sort of a device to isolate the front hubs when 4x4 is selected.i just had the clutch changed at 75000k and i think a lot of wear comes when reversing into tight spots.in 2wd the speed is too high in4x4 the hubs lock and the front wheels jump and judder when on lock.the first model bt50 could be isolated on the firewall but these new ones have got me stumped.
new member and my two cents worth. I have Mazda BT50 6peed auto. Always now tow in S mode. this usually equates to 4th gear. Tried to trick it by manually holding in 5th, but upped fuel consumption that way. It equates to torque v revs etc. Not enough tech to explain better. At 95-100km/hr indicated this is 14-17 km/l towing tandem Paramount poptop. Ute has l/r tank, bullbar canopy, tares at 2700kg with full 140l fuel. The Ozmazda forum has a good thread on oil coolers recently as well, should apply to Ford Ranger. From $600 to $1k fitted by the look. Cheers and thanks for a great read so far. Craig
gr8 read the digger Im getting cooling kit fitted today which by passes the original small doggie heat exchanger, also oil flush and new through out around $700 on px 2012 with 114000ks
by the sounds of things e.g. this and other forums i may well be over due for this mod and service.Never had this worry with the gu patrol we tow a small jayco expanda round 2ton ,had that warning light come on on a hot day ,so stared reading about.
Good day mate yes I drive aBT 50 and looked at a cooler very pricey and check that it wont void your warranty another optioned that's been offered extra fan up front cheers enjoy the journey
