4 cyl trailer towing, engine oil cooler

[fejetmech]

My son has a '98 4-cyl Camry and is looking to put a tow hitch on it so he can tow a small trailer with it back and forth to college. (about 1000 mile trip each way).
The owners manual suggests installing an ENGINE oil cooler when towing. I looked at a couple at Autozone an Napa online. Has anyone had any experience in purchasing an engine oil cooler and how has it worked out? Also, has anyone run into any problems in towing a trailer with the 4 cylinder engine. It has an automatic tranny.
In advance, thanks for any and all replies.

[Mike Gerber]

Check the owner's manual again for the maximum allowable towing weight. Then compare it to the expected weight of the trailer.

Mike

[jdmccright]

My guess will be that your 4-cyl Camry won't be rated to tow anything per the manual, but if set up right he could tow up to ~1000 lbs. The key is that sticker on the door with the GVWR and GCWR ratings. Don't exceed those. Be realistic on what you intend to carry, and don't forget to include the weight of all that "stuff" in the back seat and trunk.

First, find a hitch that is made for the car. Don't be lulled into thinking that a hitch rated for 3,500 lbs means you can tow that much...it is false. You can only haul what the CAR can do, not the hitch.

Second, a transmission oil cooler is HIGHLY recommended for any towing or heavy-duty use. It's a fact that keeping tranny temps lower increases its lifespan. This is especially important in hilly terrain where the transmission can't maintain torque converter lockup or you are forced to shift out of overdrive. They aren't expensive and fairly easy to install...I prefer to add a tranny oil temp gauge, to keep an extra eye on it, but it is not required for the occasional hauler. A separate engine oil cooler is good too, but I can't comment on it since I haven't used one. But again, where fluids are concerned, cooler is better.

Third, drain and fill with fresh tranny fluid and change the filter/clean the pan magnet if it is due. Run it a few hundred miles, then drain & fill it again. This is because the typical drain only removes about 1/2 the fluid, the rest is held in the valve body passages and torque converter. A second drain/fill gets more of that old stuff out while slowly dissolving any residue that has built up. Commercial tranny flushes are notorious for causing tranny failures when the fluid has been overused. Built-up residue breaks off and lodges in sensitive locations...end of tranny.

Fourth, do a total check of the car's tires, fluids, joints, brakes, etc.

Finally, be sure to load the trailer correctly so that about 60% of the weight is forward of the axle. The hitch should carry 10% of the total load weight.

Hope this helps!