2009 hilux auto

I have a Pajero and I know that towing in normal drive whilst towing sees the auto trans working way harder and a hell of a lot hotter than normal. Suggested towing for an auto 3.2 diesel Pajero is in 4th gear in manual mode with 4wd engaged. The transmission runs a lot cooler, fuel economy is only slightly more and a less stressful drive all round. Couldn't you put it in 4th gear manual mode? (I assume a 5 speed) Getting a lower fuel economy whilst disappointing is a lot more preferable to a blown transmission. Depending on the year I would also fit an Ultragauge ($150) that monitors the trans temp and you can actually see the drop in temp when the auto locks up.

I would experiment a little with different gears and speeds till you get it sorted. I would also get the trans auto changed as you have obviously overheated it (because it spewed out) and autos require good oil. Burnt oil will see premature collapse of transmission.

good luck

Hi
I have a 2010 auto SR diesel.
6.3-6.8 is about 15lts a 100ks which is good towing.
I get between 14 and up to 18 lts 100k, depending on weight on behind.
A sr is a 4 speed and I tow in 3rd gear as a lot easier on auto.
Fuel economy in 3rd is better than drive with a larger weight,

Cheers
Charlie

The 4 speed auto in the Hilux is not a very good auto , especially for towing .
You should get the auto oil changed , take it to a Auto Trans specialist , not a Toyota Dealer , a extra oil cooler is probably a good idea .
The fuel economy is normal .

I'm speaking from experience , I had a Hilux with 4speed , the auto did over heat
I had the oil changed every 50k .

I didn't have anything to tow , but recently bought a Tvan , I realised after 2 short trips the 4 speed auto wasn't up to the job , the Hilux brakes were not either , so I got rid of it .

hi judithC1
the trans oil spewing out is a symptom of overheated trans oil if it has an trans oil cooler check to see if the cooler fins/core is blocked with insects or mud/dirt etc
but if it hasn't got a trans oil cooler i'd suggest it needs one as mentioned if the oil has been boiled it will eventually cause trans damage have it changed and fit a trans temp monitor so you can drive by the safe temp range
how much weight are you towing and carrying maybe your on the wrong side of the vehicles weight range which is usually one of the main causes of trans /engine over heating problems and towing in overdrive plus been overloaded doesn't help at all
i not saying that is what you are doing just giving some clues to sus out the problem
cheers

I have an09 auto hilux I tow a 19.5 foot van no problems can overheat tranny if pushing it but around 90kph no probs ute has 235000km fuel economy is right

Fit an addition transmission cooler
I fitted the largest PWR one , they are about $120 from Repco etc plus a couple of hours labour to fit
Another good thing is a transmission solenoid body to lock it in any gear you want and it reduces the transmission heat build up dramatically, you just need to remember to switch it off before stopping. They used to be 2 to $300 to buy plus installation
I assume that the overhear transmission warning was being displayed on the dash when you were having the issue?