buells1 wrote:
I have a question about towing my Harley in a small enclosed trailer. Since the CRD has a max torque at 1800 rpm and the tranny has a lock-up torque converter, do I still need to take it out of overdrive?
I'll second Old Navy's comment.
This rig ought not be a heavy tow, so shouldn't be much of a problem. The key here is understanding the reason folks recommend shutting off overdrive: if the TC isn't locked up, it produces heat, and if towing a heavy load, it'll be a lot of heat.
If you find yourself driving right around 55 for long distances, with a fair amount of up and down hills, and the TC is locking/unlocking a lot, even if you aren't towing anything, it'd be a good idea to shut off overdrive for the same reason and save wear on the TC and tranny.
At the other end, if you can keep it above 60 without downshifts due to hills and such, you can probably leave the overdrive on even if you are towing a heavy load.
What many have reported is this: with OD on, the TC locks at about 55. With OD off, it's around 35. Those speeds vary a bit with various loads and conditions, but the key is to not make the TC work hard lest you cook expensive things.