Transmission doesn't like towing

[npollardtx]

2005 LR3 V8 ~75K miles
Factory tow receiver & wiring harness

A few years ago, I used my LR3 to tow a 2,700-lb car on a UHaul trailer. I figured it would be fine as it was way under the recommended weight. At about 55, the transmission seemed as if it wanted to shift. It was as if the clutch kept engaging. I looked in the manual and didn't find any setting to use when towing, so thought maybe the trailer was having issues. Well, the next time I towed a car, it did the same thing. I now have a race car that I will need to tow frequently but really don't want to buy a new vehicle. Any ideas? The truck has never been in a wreck and no transmissions issues. It was at about 55K miles when this happened this first time.
Thanks!

 

[joecool509]

2005 LR3 V8 ~75K miles
Factory tow receiver & wiring harness


Thanks!

I recommend using the m/s and putting in 5th. It is ******* the tranny in 6th to pull a trailer. I have towed 3500 to 4000# trailers with no issue. This may help identify the issue.

 

[schafari]

You mean "your" transmission. The auto box in the LR3 is the much respected ZF HP26. It is used in many applications by Porshce, Audi, etc. It has no problem towing. It has no problem towing in any gear it senses is correct. Many miles of towing with the LR3 and the transimission works fine.

There will be a huge amount of more shifting while you tow. You don't really say if you think it wanted to shift up or or shift down and didn't. What RPM's were you at? Are you using a brake controller, and if so, what/how is it connected? How new/old is your battery, and were you running the trailer off the car battery?

 

[jwest]

the lr3 transmission is crap for holding gears regardless of towing which only makes it worse.

 

[tlt]

The original torque converter has issues with glaze on the clutch plates. This could contribute to the issue.

In addition, the latest ecu firmware seemed to improve the shift points. To me it seemed to lower the rpm shift points. I think this might effective get it to the point where it is not jumping back and forth on the gears possible. In general 55 is a crappy speed for this transmission though.

I would not worry about it doing what it does. I would strongly consider a fluid / pan change which will positively impact the overall operation of the transmission. The LR recommended service is 150k miles, which is 75k past the life of the lifeguard 6 fluid. This is covered under another topic here.