3.0 ltr Auto Patrol - Towing : why only 2.5tonnes

Hi Zil,

Even if you could tweak the beast, how would you stand with your insurance? They may look dimly at towing something over the manufacturers limit.

Kind regards

Theo

I would suggest that Nissan has decided that the Auto gearbox won't take the strain involved with towing more than 2500 kg.
So the only thng you can do to tow 3500kg is swap the Auto for a Manual gearbox.

Is it worth risking a gearbox rebuild and the legal issues by towing 3500kg? Personally I wouldn't do it.

Peter

Its not the ability of the motor to tow it , but the ability of the auto to withstand it.

Nothing you can do to change it.

the Auto with the 4.8 can tow 3500kg's.

You sell it and buy a different car, or sell the boat, and buy another.

I was told the auto was supposed to be the best for towing most car makers have a higher towing capacity on the auto, so why has Nissan done this and gone the other way don't make sense to me.

Baz.

zilbert_man,

There is nothing wrong with the auto box in your patrol. In fact the auto is probably physically stronger than a manual. The problem is that the Jatco box that you have has been designed to be used in overdrive, which is a big no-no in my book. When towing heavy loads it will overheat very quickly. If you were to drive it manually and keep it out of fourth gear, you would have no problem towing for reasonably short distances in moderate weather. The best thing you could do is to fit a shift kit and torque converter lockup over-ride switch. These modifications will help keep the trans cooler while towing. The Jatco box has been designed to give very smooth operation, which it does very well, but in the process it destroys itself. Taking some of the slip out will decrease the heat that is generated, especially while towing, and it makes much better to drive under normal conditions as well as extending the life of the box. In my view this is why Nissan have down rated the auto models towing capacity, because other than the transmission, there is no difference in the cars. The 5 speed Trans used in the 4.8 is a much heavier duty unit that has been designed for manual use already and is more efficient and the 4.2 GQ auto's have the same Trans as yours.
Good Luck

Chaz
http://members.bettanet.net.au/~conody/index.htm

Having been asking the same question for some months, best answer was that park gear wasn't designed to take great weights - let's use the handbrake! We generally tow with overdrive off even though it uses more fuel. We are getting a trans temp guage and exhaust gas temp guages fitted. Do you guys with the DTronic fitted use more fuel?