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Towing max load

Hello

  I have an 86 Elan T-Bird.  It has 11 inch rear brakes and from what I have read it can pull a trailer up to 3850 lbs.  I put an external tranny cooler.  I just got back from a 200 km trip with it and the motor ran hot.  About 3/4 on the idiot gauge.  I didn't use over drive and what a pig on gas.  What can i do to lower my temp on my motor and tranny?  What else can I do to make it easer to pull my trailer so the motor dosen't work so hard?

igiveup
86 ELAN t-bird all mustang parts (Sold)  I love this site.
85 bronco 2. Dura sparked (soon TBI) too many parts
1988 5.0 lx Stang (93 gt cobra mass air)
85 Honda 250sx trike
06 F150 tow rig. all kinds of goodies.(This is why I sold the Bird)
igiveup was the only name I could get. lol

Towing max load

Reply #1 –
A bigger radiator, such as a three or four core, would be your first step. Also make sure you're not using the A/C while towing, as the heat that the condenser releases is dumped straight into the rad. Some better (numerically higher) rear gears will help the engine not work so hard as well.

Keep in mind that even though the 86's towing capacity was rated at 3500 pounds, Ford lowered it to 2000 pounds in '87/88 with no real mechanical changes. To me that means that Ford had little faith in the car's ability to actualy tow 3500 pounds. Either that or they had customer complaints/warranty issues arising from people actually towing that much.

Also keep in mind that if you're towing anywhere near 3500 pounds you're essentially doubling the weight of the car (and doubling the work of the drivetrain). If it's a high sided or enclosed trailer you're also adding a lot of wind resistance. No matter what you do to the car you're going to generate more heat and burn more fuel.
2015 Mustang GT Premium - 5.0, 6-speed, Guard Green - too much awesome for one car

1988 5.0 Thunderbird :birdsmily: SOLD SEPT 11 2010: TC front clip/hood ♣ Body & paint completed Oct 2007 ♣ 3.55 TC rear end and front brakes ♣ TC interior ♣ CHE rear control arms (adjustable lowers) ♣ 2001 Bullitt springs ♣ Energy suspension poly busings ♣ Kenne Brown subframe connectors ♣ CWE engine mounts ♣ Thundercat sequential turn signals ♣ Explorer overhead console (temp/compass display) ♣ 2.25" off-road dual exhaust ♣ T-5 transmission swap completed Jan 2009 ♣

Towing max load

Reply #2 –
Just because they say you can doesn't always mean you should. Anyhow I've towed with my turbo coupe back before it was MY turbocoupe We towed an 86 toyota celica one time and an 87 VW Golf GTI another time Both on a car dolly.  Wasn't that much of a big deal. Pretty sure neither of those cars are in that weight range. Still the car did it easy. No running hot and being the 2.3t can't say it really hurt gas mileage. Did you remove the tranny lines running to the rad? If not how did you route the tranny fluid? Does it go through the rad cooler or your aftermarket cooler first? If through the Rad first that removes some heat but just adds that to the motor.  Should be through the after market first and then through the rad tranny cooler just in case you cooled the fluid to much like in the winter time. What motor you got in that thing? If its a 3.8 then the thing it pretty much a TURD to start with. Then adding weight what did you think would happen? If you have the 3.8 the number one thing that would help INJECTION OF CUBES! If you have the 5.0 sounds like its beat.

Stuckman
84 Turbo coupe 2.3T Modded with 88 upper and lower intake, 88 injectors, E6 manifold, T3-4 AR.60 turbo, 31X12X3 FMIC, Homemade MBC , Greddy knock off BPV.
4 eyes see better than 2! 
Da Bird!

FreeBird

Towing max load

Reply #3 –
Hello

  The motor has aprox 340000-360000 km on it ( it leaks some motor oil but does not burn it).  AC was taken out just after I bought the car to lighten it .  The mods to the car are 2 1/2" dual exhaust, ported 78 heads,(traded my E7 heads for axels for my Bronco II),  55mm tb with mustang lower and upper intakes and a holley racing pump. I also have a spare 88 HO cam .I put stock injectors and ecm back in.  I have a spare 87 ecm not sure if the 86 or 87 is better (I have a spare mass air ecm from a 92 T-Bird but I need to rewire the pins on the ecm and not sure how it would haddle a heaver car).  Transmission cooler before rad but I will be putting after the rad some time today to cool off the tranny better. Also I will be installing a bigger tranny cooler on that I have lying around.  New filter and tranny oil about 15000 km ago (about 3 years).  Timing is bumped to 12 deg but will be lowering it to 10 deg today some time.  Overall the car has been driven hard by me for the last 12 years but always maintained.  GF babies it.

I will check the compession of the motor when I have some spare time.

Just the info on the car.

igiveup
86 ELAN t-bird all mustang parts (Sold)  I love this site.
85 bronco 2. Dura sparked (soon TBI) too many parts
1988 5.0 lx Stang (93 gt cobra mass air)
85 Honda 250sx trike
06 F150 tow rig. all kinds of goodies.(This is why I sold the Bird)
igiveup was the only name I could get. lol

Towing max load

Reply #4 –
3G upgrade and an electric fan.Also,make sure the thermostat is good.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..
 

Towing max load

Reply #5 –
Quote from: igiveup;285896
Hello

  I have an 86 Elan T-Bird.  It has 11 inch rear brakes and from what I have read it can pull a trailer up to 3850 lbs.  I put an external tranny cooler.  I just got back from a 200 km trip with it and the motor ran hot.  About 3/4 on the idiot gauge.  I didn't use over drive and what a pig on gas.  What can i do to lower my temp on my motor and tranny?  What else can I do to make it easer to pull my trailer so the motor dosen't work so hard?

igiveup


Wow ! There is no way in hell I would attempt to pull 3850 lbs with a Fox Body Bird ! ...even if the car had subframe connectors !

Your radiator is a thin 2 core at best.  Takes a 3 core to cool that much heat .  Glad to see you installed an external trans cooler.

I have found that some of the clutch fans slip too much and decrease fan speed and therefore air flow thru the radiator which cause the temps to keep rising, especially up hills. Just an idea.
Alan Mackin--Semi Professional Ford der
83 T-Bird 460
83 T-Bird Heritage 5.0
84 T-Bird 5.0
86 T-Bird Turbo Coupe NHRA Stocker & Super Stocker
87 T-Bird Turbo Coupe
88 Bronco II Drag truck 302
95 Mustang GT auto
2004 F-350 CC Dually V-10