[patooyee]

I know this is getting to be an old question, but I hear so much conflicting info about it and my manual says nothing about it. I have a 2001 Powestroke F350. I towed the rig and trailer the other day for 30 mins on the highway with OD off, and I maintained 65mph at 2800 rpm! (Near red line.) It seems like overdrive was almost required. I'de like to be able to go faster than 65. But I've heard not to use it. I've also heard use it, but only on a flat surface. (Not up hills.) Additionally, I've heard use it so long as the tranny isn't jumping in and out of gears. So what's the real deal?

J. J.

 

[RE:Todd]

No Power Smoke, but I run OD in my 3500 Chevy dually unless it hunts. Never had a problem.

 

[Mustard Dog]

unless it hunts. Never had a problem.

That's what Iv'e mostly head too. Keep it in OD untill it starts hunting around for gears, then take it out

 

[DSI]

even with 2 rig's on a 32ft trailer mine doesn't drop out of OD unless i fall down to about 52mph, also, it is NOT good to run a diesel at RPM's like that, they get moody quickly... with no performance mod's what so ever your max torque is under 2k! and the tranny runs cooler in OD! until you star lugging it up hills, then manually drop it out

and put some gauges in that thing if you want it to last

 

[TEX]

That's what Iv'e mostly head too. Keep it in OD untill it starts hunting around for gears, then take it out

Depends on the tranny. Any of the HD automatics put in 1-ton trucks I'd agree with this statement completely. OTOH, with a 1/2 ton truck (of any brand), no fawkin' way would I tow in OD for even a short distance. No reason to anyway since none of them are geared so low as to over-rev the engine.


TEX

 

[EMIEVEL]

1999 Ford Super Duty dually

I have a gasser V10 with 152,000 miles on the stock trans. I did the last 110,000 miles towing at least 10,000 pounds, and up to 28,000 pounds. I tow in overdrive constantly until it hunts. I try not to shift the overdrive too much, so sometimes I leave it off until I'm out of the rolling hills. I also have a Gear Venders overdrive; so most of the time I'm towing in "double overdrive." Because my 4 speed is now an 8 speed, I am running 5:13 rear end gears. I flush the whole system (JiffyLube - $85) every 30,000 miles.

 

[ncmog]

OD is fine until the tranny starts to hunt. This is true no matter what you drive or what you're pulling. I've pulled up to 6700 lb with a Dodge Dakota 4.7L. No problems. Shifting/hunting = heat. Too much heat and you end up with a tranny rebuild. If you are concerned, get a tranny temp gage. Most of the 3/4+ new trucks already have them.

NC Mog
406.120 "Kermit"

 

[TEX]

OD is fine until the tranny starts to hunt. This is true no matter what you drive or what you're pulling. I've pulled up to 6700 lb with a Dodge Dakota 4.7L. No problems. Shifting/hunting = heat. Too much heat and you end up with a tranny rebuild.

Problem with that scenario is that the light-duty trannies in 1/2 ton trucks can't take much heat at ALL. I can think of exactly two occasions where my TH700 started to "hunt" in OD. Once when I was driving, the next time with my dad behind the wheel. Tranny was almost immediately trashed. 2nd & 4th gear bands fried. And the Dodge 1/2 ton trannies are no better than GM's, if anything they're worse. With a light-duty tranny like that, your first "hunt" could be the end of your tranny. It's pointless to try. Guys used to routinely tow stuff with trucks that had 4.56 gears, 30" rubber, and NO overdrive. This with mild-cammed big-blocks that ran out of steam at 4,000 RPM's. There is absolutely NO reason not to run 1:1 with a late-model small-block V8 in a 1/2 ton, especially since you probably have 3.55 gears or at most 3.90s'. Even with 4.10's, you could run down the highway at 70 MPH & do NO harm to your 4.7 running with the OD off. OTOH, you could easily damage your tranny running with it in OD. Shoot, when I had my 1/2 ton, I learned not to even use OD when running empty, unless it was at 70+ MPH.


TEX


TEX

 

[patooyee]

Thanks, ya'll. guess I'm gonna leave OD alone unless it's hunting from now on.

J. J.