so im planning a 14hr trip (each way) hauling a 5,500lb car and trailer with a 1996 ram 5.2 1500. the truck has 194000 miles on it and i bought it at 189000 4 years ago, so i know nothing about the truck as far as when the tranny went out last. it runs great and shifts great, but never pulled anything with it. i guess my question is what should i all do before trying this out?

my plan is to:
change all fluids
do the tranny check valve mod
put a check valve on the vac line that does the hvac control
replace evaprator and dryer (went out awhile ago)
replace heater core
replace thermostat

anything else i should do? i dont want to put to much into it, because if it breaks on the way i will just trade it in on a different truck.

 

All that seems to be a bit overkill to me, but it wont hurt to do all that. When towing it is best to go easy and not push the truck too hard.

If it were me I would change all fluids and filters check brakes and make sure your coolant is still full and good as you will be putting more strain on the motor. Remember keep it slow and safe, ther is no need to do 70mph while towing.

 

throw a cooler on that transmission if you have time. cooler running transmission, the better. heat is the #1 killer of automatics

 

with only putting 6000 miles on it in 4 yrs i would check all the belts and hoses.

and tow with overdrive off.

 

How far are you towing the car? Whats the cost of a new tranny? New tranny versus driving the other car rather than towing.