Boat Towing

tailwaters · 02-14-2007, 05:07 PM

I purchased my 06 Titan at the tail end of boating season here in Michigan. I used the truck only 2 times to launch the boat. I noticed when I was at the ramp launching the boat that when I put the truck back in gear with a load it makes a pretty load clunk. As if its really under a load. My F-150 never did this however it had the shifter on the column and the Titan is on the floor. Not sure if I'm feeling it more due to the shifter being right on the tranny???
Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this? I don't have the BT (thought I did, long story bad salesman) and the boat weighs around 7000lbs total package.

Any thoughts????

**konigfritz** · 02-14-2007, 05:09 PM

This is pretty normal. if you park it on an incline and then shift back in to drive it will do this also.

**Helinut1970** · 02-14-2007, 05:13 PM

Sounds about right/normal. I wouldnt worry to much about it unless it still does it on level ground all the time.

tailwaters · 02-14-2007, 05:31 PM

Well glad to hear it's not an isolated problem with just mine.. I guess......

nisstitan · 02-14-2007, 05:35 PM

I live on a hill and my truck does it bad. The only advice I know is set your parking prake before you put it in park and put it in gear before you take the parking brake off. This way it puts the load on the parking brake instead of the trans.

Treebasher · 02-14-2007, 05:38 PM

I have the bench seats so my shifter is on the column and I get the clunk as well. I don't know if I'd call it normal but that's what our trucks do. Now, I just use the emergency brake when I'm on a big incline. It just makes me feel better not hearing that CLUNK...

Also, if I let it sit in Neutral for a second or two I don't get the clunk going from Drive to Reverse.

nisstitan · 02-14-2007, 05:52 PM

I just got my rearend replaced about 200 miles ago and the clunk is half as loud now.

tcf_dk · 02-14-2007, 06:14 PM

The secret to this is to despress your emergency brakes all the way down, put the car in neutral, let your foot off the main brake and let the depressed brake hold the weight, then put the car in park. This will take less stress off your tranny gears. Once you're ready to leave, put into gear then release the emergency brakes. I tow a 21' bass boat all the time when the weather permits and this helps.

steve83 · 02-14-2007, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nisstitan

I live on a hill and my truck does it bad. The only advice I know is set your parking prake before you put it in park and put it in gear before you take the parking brake off. This way it puts the load on the parking brake instead of the trans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcf_dk

The secret to this is to despress your emergency brakes all the way down, put the car in neutral, let your foot off the main brake and let the depressed brake hold the weight, then put the car in park. This will take less stress off your tranny gears. Once you're ready to leave, put into gear then release the emergency brakes. I tow a 21' bass boat all the time when the weather permits and this helps.

Thats what I do. Sometimes I catch myself doing it on flat ground out of habit.

Wildmike · 02-14-2007, 06:27 PM

This has been posted before. Go down to your dealer and have them adjust the parking brake on Warranty. I did just that and no more clunk when launching the boat.

tailwaters · 02-14-2007, 06:46 PM

I've never used the parking brake so I'll give that a try. Unfortunately it will be a few months at the rate we're going.

**DeadRiver** · 02-15-2007, 07:31 AM

I've had the same clunk sound under load, a much lighter load though. when i have my truck packed for camping with my atv, coolers etc. and i park on my inclined driveway i get the clunk, sometimes even with the parking brake

p.s. it happened in my little mazda mx6 too..

helomech · 02-15-2007, 06:02 PM

Any vehicle with an automatic transmission parked on a incline will do this to some degree, it is the nature of the beast. Using the parking brake as suggested is the only way around it. It is not just the titan.

Shane06fl · 02-20-2007, 05:12 PM

I get clank also. I adjusted the parking brake so that it will actually hold the truck on a slight incline and clunk has been very rare.

I have noticed that th clunk withmy wifes CC onteh floor shifter clunked worse than my coumn mounted shifter. reason, I don't know.