OK,

I just got back from our Arkansas Razorback tailgate party and I brought with me a clost to 1000 pound Utility Vehicle and a 16-18" trailer.

I had the HARDEST time pulling this thing with the 4-Runner, I could barely make it up hills...and that was JUST with the trailer, no ATV...

Another problem, more serious in my mind, is that after hauling the trailer and ATV for a few minutes, the center console area (near the shift levers for 4x4 and the auto. transmission) was getting very warm. The hottest part of the whole thing was the 4x4 shift lever, the metal base of it was burning hot...the main transmission shift lever was just a little bit cooler.

What do you guys think this is? If you need more detail about the problem go ahead and PM me...I am exhausted I have been tailgating for close to 18 hours now...so...I need sleep.

PM me with any questions about the problem if you need more details about it to help me out.

I was really getting worried for a little bit there...but there was no smell or anything so I don't think I was burning anything up.

Anyway, let me know if it is normal for 4-runners to not be able to haul stuff very well and second what is up with the "shifting console" getting hot?

Thanks guys.

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What do you mean by "just barely"? How fast could you go?

My tranny gets pretty hot going up the CA mountains, my right foot really feels the heat. If the tranny light didn't come on then I think you should be ok. If you're going to tow a lot then you might want to add an aux tranny cooler.

Just to be safe you might want to check your tranny fluid to see if it is burnt. If it's burnt then flush the system.

 

The fastest I think was 35-40...unless you count the giant hill that I put it in Neutral for

OK, I was just wondering if this was common thing or not.

I'll check the trans fluid here soon...I won't be hauling anything for the next few weeks until the next Arkansas Razorback game so...I have some time to figure it all out.

Thanks for the reply man.

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You may want to check the cat also, it may be mostly blocked.

 

Can a DIY retard like me check the cat easily? If so instructions would be nice...thanks.

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Not sure where the cat is on a '95, but just unbolt it and hold it up to a light. If you can't see through it all, replace it. Or, after driving for a while, when your console gets hot again, stop and look at the cat, if it's glowing red, replace it. That's the 2 best ways I can think of.

 

I wonder if a clogged cat could also cause starting problems? Think that might be it? I am still trying to troubleshoot my starting problem.

Anyway, next time I'm out and it starts heatin up again I'll pull over and check underneath and see if I see any thing red. Thanks man.

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Not sure about the starting, but a blocked one can suck some serious power. I know someone that recently had one stop up on a Z-71 and he couldn't go over 15 mph and almost overheated his engine.

 

Is that another thing I should check for...unusally high temps? If it was just slight clogged could that cause minor overheating?

Thanks for all your help man...now I know what to look for..I appreciate it.

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Welcome to the day and life of the 3.slow.

I've pulled a 16ft flat bed trailer with 2 four wheelers and five people inside my rig. I didn't really have any hills but the 4runner didn't do as bad as I thought it would have.

Pretty much the only thing you can do is some performance upgrades.

1. Exhaust
2. Advance your timing to 12 degrees advanced (a must do)
3. Tune-up stuff
4. Fuel filter (definitely do this one)
5. Clean Throttle body
6. Manual hubs
7. Intake silencer removal

Just to name some of them.

That's about all you can do.



EDIT: Your tranny should be fine. I've felt my levers warm up also. As long as the tranny light doesn't come on you should be fine.

 

That's probably normal for pulling a trailer. I get stuck doing 35-40mpg without a trailer when I'm at high altitude and going up the hills.

Regardless, a tranny cooler is probably a good idea anyway.

 

Do you know how much the trailer weighs? If not, maybe a transfer station (garbage dump) that weighs vehicles before and after could help you. At any rate, it's important to know both the tow limits of your vehicle, and the actual weight you're trying to tow. It's not wise to exceed your tow limits for several reasons.
Does the trailer have brakes? How was your braking performance? When I used to tow a 18-ft boat with my '89 V6 3.0 truck (5-speed), it was unpleasant. With boat and trailer, I was right at my tow limit (3500 lbs). Braking had to be planned well in advance. Acceleration was poor. I was able to keep up with traffic on the freeway, but had to be REAL careful about having to brake suddenly. I had to keep WAY back from cars in front of me.
While I was within the tow limits of my vehicle, I think real-world limits would be maybe 1000 lbs less.
Jim

 

I would have to say somewhere near 1,000 pounds...just for the trailer. The vehicle I was hauling was a quad-seat Terraplane (local vehicle), its pretty much a large version of a Kawasaki Mule.

So...I am guessing somewhere near 2000-2500lbs. I have a '95 and I believe it is rated for 3500 pounds. So...I don't think it was a weight thing...just a 3.slow (as AgRunner said)

But...my dad has agreed to let me use his big Chevy to haul it from now on so I'm ok. The only other thing I may be hauling would be 5x10 trailer with two 4-wheelers on it. But that will only be a few times. Most of the time just me and my girlfriend with some gear and one 4-wheeler and a 5x8 trailer.

So...

Thanks for all the replies, sounds like the heating up thing is normal. I'm not as worried as I was...thanks again guys!

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The 3.0 4x4 with auto tranny is rated for slightly less than 5000lbs. The 3.0 4x2 with auto tranny is rated for 5000lbs.

 

The engine will give out way before the tranny will....
Like an old Star Trek episode: "She can't go any faster captain...I gave her all she's got!"

If you do quite a bit of towing do put a tranny cooler on your rig....temps will drop alot!

 

Yup, I never said it would pull it well or that the truck won't break apart, but that's the ratings. I've pulled about 7000lbs for about 5 miles before.

 

Yup, trans cooler is the thing to do....even though you don't have much HP, the tranny is still doing a ton of work to move the weight...I put one on my old 2nd gen and it helped a lot! My center area would get hot just driving on the freeway at speed...which it bearly did.

 

I did some testing today, went to Best Buy and Lowe's and stuff and just doing normal driving (mostly city but some freeway) it did fine...no heating up no power loss nothing. I am AMAZED at how well this thing rides goin 75+ on the highway, it is incredible.

If I do end up having to do more trailering (is that a word) then I will go ahead and get a tranny cooler but like I said I have my dad's Silverado so...we'll see.

Thanks again for ALL your help and advice

As always

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