Tow mode is only effective in 1st to 3rd gears only. It raise the shift point a little higher to help you get going. You towing in 4th?
I dont think its suppose to lock up at 4k rpm though.

 

ditto on towing in 4th! My truck does not do that when I tow my 5600 lb. travel trailer. When I'm in 4th and tow mode it will lock the converter going thru @ 60 mph.

 

Im in 4th pulling, I had it at the scales last year and it come in at 4400 lbs with no water but a majority of what we didnt use to the weight shouldnt be a issue. Hmm maybe I should call Nissan in town. What rpm's are you guys at 65 mph

 

4000 RPM at 65mph is 3rd gear bro.... 4th gear is 3000-3500 RPM at 60-65mph... You should be heading up a 3% grade and/or against strong headwinds when towing 6,000-lbs before shifting down into 3rd... I'd make sure there's no resistance on the trailer wheels like a locked brake drum, engaged parking brake, worn wheel bearings, or something....

FWIW, I changed out all my driveline fluids (trans, xfer, diffs) this last weekend and have noticed overall lower RPM's and better MPG along with quicker 4HI engagement/disengagement.

 

BT 4th gear, tow mode, converter locked is @ 2300 rpm at 65 mph.

I'm not sure where Pops is getting his RPM from ?

 

My info is coming from a Bad memory, you're right but also keep in mind the RPM are a tad higher with weight behind it.... 2nd is 4000 RPM and 3rd is 3000-3500.... I just spent a week towing my 6,000-lbs TT for 3400 miles through mountains so I spent most of the week in the 3000-4000 RPM range and you're right now that I think about it, 4th was closer to 2000-2500 rpm. ... Sorry for the mis-info....

 

I talked to Devon at Nissan tonight and he agreed it shouldnt be that high. My axels are flipped so the trailer is higher than normal but only about 4" at most and there was a head wind. But he said there is no way it should stick at 4000 to 4500 even at that. He thinks its getting locked into 3rd gear and not shifting so its going in Wednesday for a code check. If nothing comes out of it I might not use the tow mode next time and see what happends. Plus I live in Alberta and was coming from Saskatechwan....and if your around here the saying is the sadest thing is watching your dog run away from home for 3 days cause its so flat!!!

 

to the Op..

You gave almost no relevant info...Like when the engine revs to about 4K, what was happening at that time to cause it?...Did you feel it downshift, and why did it downshift?...Where you going uphill, heavy headwinds?....Using cruise control at the time?...

Was it downshifting for a grade and stayed there a little longer then you thought it should after cresting the hill?...

BTW...you weren't in 4th gear at 4,000 rpm...sounds like 3rd, or even 2nd gear....

Now, want to ask the question again?.....

 

sure I will ask that question again, so I driving on flat land in Alberta with nothing for grades I will shoot for 0%, had my stick shift in forth gear at the time and I never use cruise control when towing anything. There was a little head wind about 10-15 mph without the AC on as well. The only way I could get it to drop is if I slowed down to around 55 and even then the digital reading still showed 4th but Im not sure if it manually shows when it downshifts for you.

As I did take offence to how you asked i hope this helps and if you would like I could draw a picture I asked for advice not to be torn apart. If I knew why it was shifting like that I wouldnt have wasted my time asking this question I would have asked which muffler I should go with for a deeper louder sound without givng up any low end. Maybe its just me and I took it to hard. Oh nothing is happening at the time just going down the highway at 65

 

.... The only way I could get it to drop is if I slowed down to around 55 and even then the digital reading still showed 4th but Im not sure if it manually shows when it downshifts for you....

There's likely some resistance somewhere causing it... If it's at 4,000 RPM at 65mph and 2,000-3,000 at 55mph that means that 65mph is too fast for that trailer....

I'd start with checking the trailer's brakes if it has some... I'd also make sure the oin hasn't been pulled out of the trailer emergency release brake if it has one, you might be driving with the emergency release brakes on and they not be strong enough to realize it (been there, done that)... I've also driven a mile with my dadgumned parking brake on, these trucks have so much torque I can't tell the parking brake is on until it screams...

Lastly, I'd jack up the trailer and make sure the wheels are spinning freely... it's easy for axle grease to leak out unnoticed and for the bearings to wear out from spinning dry...

Then I'd test tow that trailer with another truck before digging into the Nissan...

 

Thanks for the advice Pops I will check that out.

 

As I did take offense to how you asked i hope this helps and if you would like I could draw a picture I asked for advice not to be torn apart. If I knew why it was shifting like that I wouldn't have wasted my time asking this question the

You took offense?.....hopefully not at me, I know when my truck downshifts because I pay attention to such things...I know about what RPM to expect at a given gear & MPH because I've taken the time to manually shift my truck and learn...

I'm a professional mechanic and know the right questions to ask to help, so be embarrassed that you didn't know the right info to offer because you not supposed to know, but don't take offense because I do.....:kiss:

 

was that kiss for me I hope so! Nissan said it was fine there was no codes and that they are known while in tow mode to keep the rev's high for you, I dont think its needed so I might take it out of tow mode. Dont think I really need it.

 

they are known while in tow mode to keep the rev's high for you, I dont think its needed so I might take it out of tow mode. Dont think I really need it.

Like already stated, tow mode work in 1st - 3rd gears only.
Yes it does raise the shift point and hold it a tad longer to help you get going.
It should not however be stuck at 4K for any long period of time unless
your transmission is not shifting right under load.

 

was that kiss for me I hope so!

...of course....

 

Hey schmidtmike76,

loufish knows his stuff and is often helping members on this board out with questions. He was not trying to offend you but merely asking questions so he could help you out.

I have a question, what type of trailer were you towing?

 

I remember some reports on here of early '04 models not locking up when using 4th and tow mode, i think it was some early software problems. Is this truck a 2004 model?

 

I remember some reports on here of early '04 models not locking up when using 4th and tow mode, i think it was some early software problems. Is this truck a 2004 model?

...Still doesn't explain 4000 rpm, that's NOT forth gear...Sounds like the trans was/is hanging up in third...Which is still not 4000 rpm at 70 mph....

 

That's exactly why I'm wondering if it's someting wrong with the trailer.... I'm really curious to know if it tows similarly behind a completely different truck....