Towing advice needed please

[Andy_374319445]

I have a Mercedes E320 cdi auto/tiptronic 2001 and tow a 2007 Elddis Avante 544 which is around a 78% match, while travelling down to the south of france this summer over the Millau Bridge the car was really struggling on the uphill sections and the temp guage was bordering on the red. Does anyone else tow with a similar outfit or have had any similar problems??. Would an extra oil cooler on the transmission side be of any use???

Thanks

 

[Del_374232870]

When was the gearbox oil last changed, also make sure that the radiator is clear both inside and out, it is surprising how much gunge can build up inside the raidiator which restricts the water flow, also over time files and other insects can have an effect on the outer fins of the raidiator.

 

[DavidW1]

Hi Andy,

I concur, theres nothing like towing to seek out the weakness in a cooling system and It is usually the Rad in my experience. You do need to get the whole system checked out though including the thermostat before just diving in and replacing the rad.

I am not a Merc expert but would have thought an E series would have a transmission cooler as standard fit which should be adequte as long as the ATF level is Ok and in good condition.

On the struggling bit - that road over the Central Massive goes up to about 3k metres at it's highest point and a fully loaded vehicle will find it a challenge, hang a van on the back and it will not be sprightly that's for sure.

I drove that route from Spain earlier this year in my old Bighorn, almost unloaded, and she certainly needed some hard right foot to maintain speed.

Modern electronics are suposed to compensate for the effect of altitude but at the end of the day they only squirt more fuel in, if your nocking on your gross train weight then more fuel will just produce more heat.

With tiptronics you can also help things by keeping in a lower gear for inclines - staying in Auto can cause the box to hang in too high a gear which again heats things up a bit.

 

[Andy_374319445]

Thanks I appreciate your comments but I had a full service before I left and would assume they checked all the levels etc etc. I will try and get the coolant system checked and maybe flushed out and see if this improves the situation.