Johnston mixes suburban commuting with a fair amount of towing, because the lake and the recreation ground north of town bring boats and trailers through in season. Heat is the mechanism, and a transmission that has spent summers pulling a boat without a fluid change has a shorter life than the odometer suggests. Current hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM, Sat 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM, closed Sun.
Towing is where transmissions get tested. Heat is the mechanism, and a transmission that has spent summers pulling a boat without a fluid change has a shorter life than the odometer suggests.
How the roads run around Johnston
NW 86th Street is the spine and it carries the traffic north toward the lake and south toward the interstate. Merle Hay Road connects back into the older metro.
The routes north toward Saylorville put a load on a vehicle that flat commuting does not, particularly on a hot afternoon with a trailer behind.
Do I need a transmission service if I tow a boat?
Yes, and sooner than the standard interval. Towing generates heat, heat degrades the fluid, and degraded fluid is what ends transmissions. It is the cheapest insurance available.
My trailer lights work intermittently.
Almost always corrosion at the connector or a bad ground rather than a bulb. We check the ground first, since that is where most of these end up.