I've got an 05 CC LE w/ big tow that I'm going to drive out to Maine, pickup a 6x12 trailer, and drag back to Colorado. About 2100 miles each way. I've got only 18k miles on my 29 month old truck and have never towed a thing. The engine oil is only a few weeks old, but I'm wondering if I should change the diff oil, tranny or xfer case fluid, or engine coolant. The owners manual isn't much help and I don't trust my dealer. Sounds like I'm also supposed to keep it at 50mph for the first 500 miles of towing.. should be a blast.
Maintenance before long tow?
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You shouldn't tow with you vehcile for the first 500 miles when it's new and not get over 50 miles an hour.You have 18 k on the clock and I wouldn't worry about a thing. I would go get it come back and then get things changed out if it bothers you. Keep an eye on the Temp guage and let the big dog eat. If it starts to overheat just drop down a gear and let the rpms go up . This will cool things off for you. This truck is a towing beast and likes rpms, so dont be scared to drop down a gear and let the big dog eat.:cheers:
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Even with 18K miles, I would go through the break in procedure for towing as suggested in your owners manual.
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I agree with following the break-in procedure for towing as specified in the manual. There seems to be quite a bit of talk with respect to heat tempering / gear seating of the differential gears when under heavy loads for the first time. Especially if you’ll be pulling 5,000 lbs or more your transmission will heat up easily on steep grades if you don’t down shift as well as your differential will heat up more than its seen in the 18K miles you’ve driven so far. I’d also recommend changing the differential fluid before your trip since it’s so easy to do.
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before my long haul, i changed the oil, rear diff. fluid, and rotated the tires and was good to go, and that was around the 23,000 mile mark
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