Off to Darwin
- Thread starter DRW
- Start date
Plenty of people in Mount Isa who have been turned around at the NT border some not so happy. Waiting on gear box availability should know more today, the mechanic and towie say the get at least one Ford ranger a week with a blown box and they’re $30k from Ford apparently there are heaps of cars and vans being towed here, this new stuff is as weak as ……..
Have 2010 WH Grand Cherokee with the 5 speed nag 1 merc auto ,200000 klms nearly all towing,still performs like new touch wood.!Change ATF every 30000 klms.Put in a higher capacity pan at around 60000 klms.Towing generates heat,heat kills auto trans fluids.!
I have a second hand one coming from Hervey Bay 114k on it no towing I have to admit I’ve been really hard on this vehicle so I’m not really worried just inconvenienced lol
Even the Merc 5 spd will run rings aound the Ranger auto. 8 speed ZF is the best overall auto ever made. .Ranger ute towing a 22 foot van with the bonnet up just out of Cardwell yesterday stopped to ask in pouring rain if ok he said auto wouldnt change gear.Man these guys in the utes towing ridiculous loads.
Ranger boxes forced to run too hot all the time, mates improved out of sight once he got the job done, sits just in the 80's now instead of 120 when towing a sure fire way to kill it..................................... 8 speed ZF would be the best box around, brilliant but I still change it at 40K.
I know you will but make sure they flush the new box before they plug it in Dave, hope a trouble free run as well........................
I know you will but make sure they flush the new box before they plug it in Dave, hope a trouble free run as well........................
@Drover we discussed that, we're thinking just put an aftermarket cooler on to be sure as the original is part of the AC condenser which is newish. Plenty of LC200's out this way, the guy across from us came up from NSW he's having all sorts of problems with warning lamps and limp mode, no one seems to be able to track it down, another couple just arrived with a LC200 their van fell apart (Lotus) my travelling mates Nissan Navara V6 keeps going into limp mode Nissan here have been trying to work it out for days, parts ordered his van has done an axle as well, happy days!! Personally I recon this new fuel/pollution saving electronic crap is the main problem, my other travelling companion has a 20 year old F250 7.3 litre V8 with almost 400,000K on it sits on 1500 revs and uses 16LPH all day
we have done 30,500 k's i'd say 99% towing
got a wholesale auto cooler fitted and a catch can
the hottest its been ever was 88 deg when the day was 38 up big long hills .
average trans temp is 60-72 towing in all day temps .
id say a must do if you have an auto towing .
got a wholesale auto cooler fitted and a catch can
the hottest its been ever was 88 deg when the day was 38 up big long hills .
average trans temp is 60-72 towing in all day temps .
id say a must do if you have an auto towing .
This is an interesting read, it comes from Jeep to a customer who was having problems and is now receiving a replacement vehicle. My personal thoughts a diesel is only a good alternative if towing constantly or doing long drives regularly not great for a shopping car. I copied this off FB so it was a public letter.
As discussed, below information applies to your vehicle.
The service schedule is 12-months, 20,000kms, or when the oil change indicator appears (whichever occurs first).There are many variables that influence the overall oil life.
Modern diesel engines must operate with strict emission control systems, including but not limited to Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). When the EGR system is active, some of the hot exhaust gas from the exhaust is directed back into the engine to reduce the oxygen concentration in the combustion chamber. This reduces the NOx emissions (which is one of the key requirements of the Euro emissions legislation), with one of the side effects being that more diesel particulates are created when the exhaust is expelled from the engine. The DPF catches these particulates over time, and self-regenerates through burning them off when the filter starts to become full.
In order to regenerate the DPF, the engine must create temperatures inside the exhaust that are high enough to regenerate the soot buildup on the DPF walls. Sometimes this will take place in a passive manner, when the engine load and vehicle drive-cycle create temperatures that are high enough to begin the process. When the conditions aren't present in the customer's drive cycle, the process is forced by injecting extra fuel on the engine exhaust stroke which then heats the DPF. When this occurs, some of the fuel will make its way past the piston rings and into the crankcase, which begins to dilute the engine oil over time.
This is where the oil life monitoring system comes into play. The engine ECU monitors the frequency of DPF regenerations as part of its oil change indicator system, and it is able to calculate when the oil starts to reach a dilution level that might start to affect its ability to lubricate the engine correctly. To protect the engine, the strategy first brings the oil change reminder up to tell the driver that the vehicle is due for service. If the driver continues to operate the vehicle, eventually the oil will reach a dilution level where the engine ECU reports a fault code, and brings on the check engine light. At this point in time, the DPF regeneration process is inhibited (to stop any further dilution occurring), however this will lead to the vehicle eventually going into limp mode once the DPF becomes full. This all occurs before any damage is done as a result of oil dilution.
So in summary, all of these systems are in place to reduce engine emissions, and to protect the engine from any damage that could occur if the oil became too diluted.
There are too many variables to comment on one particular vehicle, however we can say that fuel quality, ambient temperatures and driving cycles all play a part when it comes to oil life.
If the vehicle is not reaching the 12-month/20,000km, an intermediate oil and filter change at the halfway mark is recommended. I say this as it is far easier to split the 20k interval in half, rather than change the oil when the service message appears (In your case the service light never came up on the dash), while still carrying out the other vehicle maintenance items at the 20,000km milestones.
As discussed, below information applies to your vehicle.
The service schedule is 12-months, 20,000kms, or when the oil change indicator appears (whichever occurs first).There are many variables that influence the overall oil life.
Modern diesel engines must operate with strict emission control systems, including but not limited to Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). When the EGR system is active, some of the hot exhaust gas from the exhaust is directed back into the engine to reduce the oxygen concentration in the combustion chamber. This reduces the NOx emissions (which is one of the key requirements of the Euro emissions legislation), with one of the side effects being that more diesel particulates are created when the exhaust is expelled from the engine. The DPF catches these particulates over time, and self-regenerates through burning them off when the filter starts to become full.
In order to regenerate the DPF, the engine must create temperatures inside the exhaust that are high enough to regenerate the soot buildup on the DPF walls. Sometimes this will take place in a passive manner, when the engine load and vehicle drive-cycle create temperatures that are high enough to begin the process. When the conditions aren't present in the customer's drive cycle, the process is forced by injecting extra fuel on the engine exhaust stroke which then heats the DPF. When this occurs, some of the fuel will make its way past the piston rings and into the crankcase, which begins to dilute the engine oil over time.
This is where the oil life monitoring system comes into play. The engine ECU monitors the frequency of DPF regenerations as part of its oil change indicator system, and it is able to calculate when the oil starts to reach a dilution level that might start to affect its ability to lubricate the engine correctly. To protect the engine, the strategy first brings the oil change reminder up to tell the driver that the vehicle is due for service. If the driver continues to operate the vehicle, eventually the oil will reach a dilution level where the engine ECU reports a fault code, and brings on the check engine light. At this point in time, the DPF regeneration process is inhibited (to stop any further dilution occurring), however this will lead to the vehicle eventually going into limp mode once the DPF becomes full. This all occurs before any damage is done as a result of oil dilution.
So in summary, all of these systems are in place to reduce engine emissions, and to protect the engine from any damage that could occur if the oil became too diluted.
There are too many variables to comment on one particular vehicle, however we can say that fuel quality, ambient temperatures and driving cycles all play a part when it comes to oil life.
If the vehicle is not reaching the 12-month/20,000km, an intermediate oil and filter change at the halfway mark is recommended. I say this as it is far easier to split the 20k interval in half, rather than change the oil when the service message appears (In your case the service light never came up on the dash), while still carrying out the other vehicle maintenance items at the 20,000km milestones.
Have seen that somewhere else but it basicly applies to any of these modern CRD vehicles that have a Soot Oven (DPF) and EGR systems which in effect slowly kill a diesel unless you take some modifications, kill them quicker if just city chugging ................ I don't agree with their service intervals, I reckon they have extended them just to make it look good for the service costs and use of lighter grade oils to get the fuel figures and soot levels down...... I do agree with what the letter says other than service intervals...... Just funny how over time they have increased the service intervals for the same engine along with oil grade............ My service regime is about half what they advise but no city driving, lots of fast runs, some simple mods to try and slow the choking means mine with its 10K service about every 3 months seems to keep the evil at bay..... I even throw my fuel filters at 10K when I do the engine.
The oil change indicator on mine is usually around the 48-50% when I service mine at 10K, it doesn't do any chugging around town driving and my Soot Oven cooks off along a fast drive without doing a burn on most occassions anyway, you can tell when it does as the fuel rate increases.
I found a V8 tranny cooler made a lot of difference to tranny temps on my 2.7 with the 5 speed W5A580 gear box .
The oil change indicator on mine is usually around the 48-50% when I service mine at 10K, it doesn't do any chugging around town driving and my Soot Oven cooks off along a fast drive without doing a burn on most occassions anyway, you can tell when it does as the fuel rate increases.
I found a V8 tranny cooler made a lot of difference to tranny temps on my 2.7 with the 5 speed W5A580 gear box .
There is no doubt that an efficient oil cooler is worth the money for heavy rigs and makes a huge difference in keeping the transmission oil well within the proper running range, prolonging the life of the oil, and more importantly, the transmission itself. No matter what they say about "modern" transmissions being able to operate at higher temps without damage (up to 104C at times?), any excess HEAT is certainly the enemy of all auto transmissions.
Just to give you a comparison @mfexpanda, my 2011 RC Colorado with the Isuzu 3 litre turbo engine and 4 speed box (150,000 kms) does NOT have an oil cooler, but I have fitted an excellent oil catch can. My campervan (Penguin) is only about 1.3t gross and there is not a lot of weight in the tug cabin and enclosed canopy either. Temperature sensors on the engine block and also on the auto transmission regularly show 83C (engine) and 75C (trans) when running at highway speeds even on hot (30C plus) days. However, when climbing steep winding ranges, temps do rise considerably - up to 96C (engine) and 98C trans) even when 2nd gear selected. The alarms come on at the 98C setting for both. Never gone over 100C but have had the A/T (auto temp) light come on a couple of times before fitting the sensors to warn me. So certainly , heavy sustained pulling at LOW speeds (25 to 50kph) with reduced airflow will send temps up. Have been thinking about fitting an tranny oil cooler, but as not pulling heavy loads frequently, have put it off for the time being. Fortunately, there appears to be very little blow by gases/oil fumes for the catch can to drain off, probably because the tug does not have very heavy loads placed on it most of the time and rings are obviously in good condition. Still like @Drover, oil and filter changes are done every 5000 kms (Castrol 5w 40 w) and transmission changed at 50,000 kms, which is half the duration set out in the service schedule. Fortunately no DPF and no diesel exhaust smoke to worry about either.
Attachments
My transmission runs constantly at 75 to 80 degrees sitting on around 100kph towing just under 3T on cruise control in top gear, if it’s hilly I knock it out of cruise and down a gear it’s doesn’t seem to be affected by the weather. My mate in nsw just called to tell me he’s blown a piston at 70k in his BT50
Finally made it home $7k lighter but all’s good!