BMH95

Pullin up hills between 50 an 60 likely means you had the converter unlocked and that's why it got so hot.

AH64ID

Where is your temp sender?

You may want to consider a aux cooler... .and sometimes it's not just weight but wind resistance, also the 35's aren't helping....

C Minus

in line.

I agree but my 5ver is small at 26ft and is not the extra height up front type, like a lot of guys drag around.

I agree the 35's aren't helping. I will jack the trailer up tonight to see if I have a dragging brake.

C Minus

Wouldnt you think the truck would recognize the heat and lock the TC?

Isnt that what owning an auto is all about?

AH64ID

Well your sender is in the correct spot.... And to be honest I have seen very few rigs, if any, that come with what I would consider adequate transmission cooling. So an aux cooler may be on the horizon...

jrussell

No, it definitely won't do that automatically. You still need to manually control the auto in certain situations. I'm not familiar with the Tow/Haul function on an '04.5, but it works pretty well on the '06. There's still times when you're better off pulling it down manually though.

IMO you shouldn't tow any real distance with the TC unlocked. That may mean installing a lock-up switch or a fancy controller like the ATS Co-Pilot.

jrussell

Mine couldn't run any cooler that it already does. Towing 8-14k lbs at highway speeds with 500-600hp I only see 145-165* (that's in the hot line). Empty it runs 135-145*.

Erik@LCD

Definitely sounds like you may need a converter/VB. With the big tires and any kind of towing and decent power you are likely slipping the TC and heating it up. A good TC/VB from Goerend or the like will dramatically drop the temps and probably increase your mileage as well. Doing these sooner rather than later will help the guts of the tranny last a lot longer also.

C Minus

I have extended powertrain warranty on the truck. Think if I brought it in they would be able to diagnose a slipping TC and possibly replace?

Wouldnt I notice a slipping TC while driving especially w/ weight behind it?

Done lots of things but toasting a TC is not on that list.

no_6_oh_no

Factory cooling on all the Doge trucks has been good since the 2nd series. Take a look at the cooler sometime and you will see.

Aux coolers are NOT reccomended on any of these transmissions unless you use a seperate pump to do it. The cooler return line is trans lube and changing its characteristics is not a good idea.

Question for original poster; how fast were you going and was the TC locking? You should be able to easily tell the difference between lockup and no lockup by the rpm drop.

Tow/Haul prior to 05 was an OD lockout. Did you use that or leave it OD?

C Minus

Tow haul was activated. Approx 40-45mph snow was really starting to come down and my speed was dictated by the folks in front of me. Like I have said I had no options to pull over otherwise I would have. Hate to see what would have happened if it werent 32-34 degrees!

Will a Dodge shop be able to address my concerns about this or will they just roll their eyes? Like I said I have extended powertrain.

Dieselnick

Is the tow/haul on the 04.5's an OD lockout? If it isn't, that would explain the problem.

Nick

CallmeD

mine will lock up in 2nd if I manually put it in 2nd.

Tiara3100

TC should be locked at 40+mph with the tow/haul feature on. Are you sure the TC was locked? Could be the issue. I never see over 200* towing my 8klb travel trailer in the summer, even on steep hills.

I have a Double Deep Aluminum pan. (Aluminum conducts heat 3 times better then steel, so yes, it does aid in cooling) and 315/75/17 tires with 3.73 gears.

no_6_oh_no

I would say its a good chance your TC was either slipping or not engaged. The TC clutch should have engaged, but, you could have a problem where it isn't working correctly. At those outside temps it should never have gotten over 180 or so locked up.

I would take it to dealer and tell them the TC clutch isn't working right and see if thery can find an issue.