03 Honda CRV - To tow or not to tow

[marts]

I have an '03 Honda CRV 2.4 and we are about to buy a camper trailer - Jayco Swift Tourer.

CRV has:

- 1200kg Towing Capacity (fitted with rake controller)
- Hayman Reese Tow bar fitted with a rating of 1500kg

Jayco:

- weighs 812kg "Dry"
- needs 62kg tow ball weight

I guess the first question would be has anyone towed such trailer or weight with their CRV? I know that the trailer is way less than the towing capacity of the CRV but my concern is that my V is old already and just a 4-cyl. Does anyone reckon it wouldn't have a problem or am I taking a risk? I have contacted Hayman too about the towbar in my vehicle and the ball weight is usually 10% of the tow rate so it would be 150kg.

Appreciate your thoughts on my CRV towing the Jayco.

Cheers!

[bennjamin]

Should be fine.
Before you start though - a full service of your transmission with properly flushed new fluid in place , and inspect all areas for any tell tale leaks etc.
Consider a transmission cooler (if not fitted) if you are doing some serious Ks

[marts]

Thanks Bennjamin.

Now that you've said to flush the tranny, not sure when it was last done because I have bought it used the the books have not been updated. If I did bring it to one mech to have it flushed, the fluid might have some shavings and if they continue, the risk of the tranny slipping is imminent. So should I go ahead just draining and refilling?

You mentioned to invest on the cooler when driving long Ks. What would you consider long Ks? Would be driving north or south coast considered as such, say Coffs or Merimbula?

Thanks again for your info.

[bennjamin]

To properly flush the tranny takes 2-3 full flushes due to fluid stuck in the torque convertor.
You can simply drop the existing fluid and replace - I would do this then replace the fluid again (along wit a minor service / oil + filter) after your next long distance tow.

As for the cooler - IF you are intending to tow frequently regardless of k's get a transmission cooler installed.

[bennjamin]

Ps here is a similar thread based on your situation

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1863089

NOTE the point about a tranny cooler - you need one

[marts]

About the tranny cooler. Been looking at ebay, and there are several types, 10 row, 17 row, etc.

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xhonda+crv +transmisson+cooler.TRS0&_nkw=honda+crv+transmisson+cooler&_sacat=0

Is that easy to replace? Would any shop do that?

[marts]

Just have a quick question guys.

I just went to Del Rio resort this weekend (unfortunately without a trailer still) and started to have a feel of my CRV uphill. I tried shifting to 2 and see how it goes uphill with a full load at the rear (tent, kids, bikes, etc.).

I noticed that my water temp went a bit higher (hotter) than usual - it almost reached 3/4 of the gauge! Would this be because I have it running on 2 for a long time or? Would installing a trans cooler help this temp remain below half (which is the normal running temp) even on low gear going up or downhill when on a trailer?

Once confusing also, but hopefully related, is that when I turned off my A/C, it remained at 3/4 for a bit then went down. Not sure if it's also because I shifted to D when it started to be a straight road (not uphill anymore).

Really appreciate someone's insight and response on this.

Cheers!

[u mad?]

What was the ambient temp? When was the cooling system last serviced? I'd check/do if it's been a while or maybe even never done- coolant, waterpump, thermostat, check radiator for blockages

[marts]

hey u mad, thanks for a quick reply. Not sure if there is something wrong with my cooling system. I noticed that the coolant temp became hotter when I shifted down to 2 while driving uphill but when i shifted back to D, temp was slowly cooling down until it reached half - which is the normal running temp.