trailer/trans question

[Junkyardhotrod at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/12/2007 3:44:45 PM Mountain Standard Time, 
corbie at verizonmail.com writes:
What do you guys think , will the synthetic fluids be enough , is a cooler a 
good idea or just a waste of money. Thanks for any and all replies.
Bill Magitz waiting out the cold in NJ


      My friend Doug owns a tranny shop and I do some work for him every once 
in a while when he gets the Dodge diesel pickups in for repairs. 
    From what I have seen, a cooler is a good idea on anything, if you use it 
for towing or not, as hot as newer cars run, many with thermostats that don't 
open until nearly 200 degrees, the supposed cooler in the radiator turns into 
more of a heater than a cooler. I have put coolers in a lot of things but 
never a CRV, might be tough to find the proper fittings to get it plumbed right 
without using that cheap rubber hose crap.
    The synthetic fluid is good, but will still need to be changed at regular 
intervals, many people change their engine oil religiously, but forget about 
their trans and diff until they blow up, then complain that they should have 
lasted longer. On my stuff, if I don't tow with it, I change the gear boxes 
every 50 thousand miles, if I tow with it, I cut that interval in half. Towing is 
hard on stuff, but not just because of the weight, the wind gets down between 
the trailer and the tow vehicle and pushes on the trailer just like on the 
front of your car, and big boxy trailers don't have very good aerodynamics, and 
that makes your vehicle work a lot harder. 

      Mike in Colorado