You've got the right idea, as far as having the fluid & filter changed. My
mechanic (a god among mechanics) says pretty much none of his customers
notice that service requirement in their car manuals, and they pay the price
for their ignorance.

I towed for about 6 months with a Ford Taurus that was on its last legs. My
best advice would be to avoid excessive laboring of the vehicle. You know
how sometimes you get behind some moron who decides it's good to go 23 mph
up a big hill for no reason at all, with 50 cars backed up behind him? Every
car has some speed "zone" in its power curve where you can feel that it's
not happy. Normally, you'd put up with it. But under stress, you may want to
figure out ways to avoid those situations completely, even if it means
pulling over for a minute till traffic clears, so you can approach certain
stretches at a speed that your car likes better.

Other than that, remember the saying "Where there's smoke, there's a
Chrysler mini-van". Or a Saab. Try not to make it worse. The mfr did their
best by specifying piston tolerances of a quarter inch, but still..... :-)

"Don White" wrote in message
news
This May I plan to drive to Quebec/Ontario to find a particular model of
sailboat and tow it back home.
Trouble is...the boat + outboard + trailer will weigh about 1800 lbs.
which
is 90% of what my '95 Plymouth Voyager mini-van is rated to tow. Adding to
the problem...Chrysler vehicles are known for weak transmissions.
Luckily I have the 3 speed automatic which was more reliable than the 4
speed in this model year.
To get ready for the trip, I plan to have the transmission serviced &
change
fluid/clean filter plus add a cooler.
Hopefully this will keep me moving on the 1200 mile drive home.

Questions...am I pushing the envelope? I'd hate to breakdown in the middle
of nowhere at the mercy of a local 'mechanic'
waiting for a $1500.00 repair job while cooling my heels in a flea bitten
motel.
What about next winter when I'm not towing?
In your engine cooling system, you have a thermostat to hold the coolant
in
the block until the temperature gets up to 195 F.
I assume the transmission fluid would never get warm as it is probably
always circulating.......when engine is on.
Would this promote premature wear?

"Don White" wrote in message
news
I'd hate to breakdown in the middle
of nowhere

That'd describe all of Canada, no?

"Don White" wrote in message
...
Thanks guys.
I'll drive the rig like a little old lady heading to church on Sunday.


Are you kidding? In God's great big waiting room (Florida), we call that
rush hour.

Certainly not the Maritimes!

NOYB wrote in message
ink.net...

"Don White" wrote in message
news
I'd hate to breakdown in the middle
of nowhere

That'd describe all of Canada, no?

On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:45:08 GMT, "Don White"
wrote:
Questions...am I pushing the envelope? I'd hate to breakdown in the middle
of nowhere at the mercy of a local 'mechanic'
waiting for a $1500.00 repair job while cooling my heels in a flea bitten
motel.

==================================================

Aamco can do the job in a day for about $1600 if my memory is correct.

I believe they void your warranty however if they know you're towing.

The cooler will help some. I'd get the biggest and best you can find.
My Caravan was on its fourth tranny when we got rid of it. The last
two were courtesy of Aamco.