RE: 7.3 PSD Transmission question
So since the OP has a 2000, he should check. I was really surprised to discover this issue on my 04 tow package equipped Explorer. With no water/oil heat exchanger, the oil/air exchanger can't keep up when there is no airflow over it, like manuvering, backing up a hill, or pulling a slow mountain road, in other words when you need cooling the most you don't have it. And on the Explorer the oil / air cooler was not even out front but burried between the radiator and condensor. Twice mine got hot enough to leak past the front seal. Fortunately once it cooled it sealed back up. Initally I talked to a dealer, they wanted 800 to remove the trans just to find out why it leaked and stopped. That is when I started tracing lines and researching to figure out what was going on. Traded the Explorer when my family got too big, Expedition does not have this issue.
RE: 7.3 PSD Transmission question
Mark,
What years did not have the bottom of the radiator cooling loop? I remember reading about that while tracking down a concern with the Explorer I had at the time. My Explorer did not have the bottom of the radiator cooling loop, would get hot during manuvering and slow hills, and leak past the input shaft seal. I remember reading one of your posts stating some years of super duties had this issue as well. If OP has one like this additional cooling would be a good thing.
Daniel
RE: Finally Installed the correct TV mount
My TT did not come with a TV, or a mount, just a shelf over the dinette. I bought a smaller version of what is shown for the 22" I bought, and mounted it to to the outside upright of the pantry/wardrobe cabinet. Stowed it is resting on the shelf with a bungie to hold it in place. It can swing out and be viewed easily from the couch and 1/2 the dinette, or flipped and viewed from the double bed. It has worked out great.
RE: How to run TV off 12V?
Here are a couple suggestions.
1. Make sure the polarity of the adapter is correct for the TV. The tip is usually positive. My Radioshack 12V adapter that accepts any number of tips can be set either tip positive or negative. Make sure it is the same as what the tv requires.
2. Double check the tip and make sure both the Inner diameter and outer diameter are the same as the power supply. There are a lot of different tips and some are very close. I took my actual TV into Radioshack to be sure I got the right one.
3. Be sure the plug is fully going into the socket in the trailer. From what you describe, the TV not working on 12V adapter or inverter, this to me is the likely cause. For whatever reason, the ones in RVs are just slightly smaller than the standard ones in cars, and it can be hard to fully seat the plug. I know I have to push pretty firmly to get mine in. Mine adapter has a led that lights up when pluged in. You can take the TV and 12V power cord out to your car and plug it in there and see if you get power.
There is no reason this should not work, it is exactly how mine in set up.
RE: How much 12v power is used by the fridge while running in LP mode?
Wow, sure seems to vary a lot! I have a 2 door dometic made in 2005 (specific model escapes me right now) and it does not use much power or propane. We got back from a camping trip last Friday and I did not feel like unloading everything, so I left it. 5 days did not lower the batteries much(2x6V GC2) much less make them dead, and it did not use a noticable amount of propane. My fridge has the switch for the heater whick I always leave off, and unless plugged in I leave the fridge in "gas" mode vs "auto" I also have installed a small 2W computer fan to circulate and tapped into the hot wire for the light. The fan runs constantly. Fridge has no problem maintaining temp in the safe range on my thermometer, even when it is warm outside. And it is not what I worry about using the most power in my TT.
RE: Manual Transmission? Yea or Nay?
Unless I was buying brand new, I choose a manual.
It allows me the ability to pick the gear I want to be in, and how long I am going to hold it.
Model year 12 and newer vehicles excluded, what auto trans will let you hold a higher gear and really lug the engine? Yes, you can set the max gear, and wind it up, buy try to keep it in that high gear while really pulling up a hill...
Oh, and another bonus to driving a manual, you have a built in anti-theft device! The ability to drive a manual is a dying art.
Ford does. When you put a Ford automatic transmission selector in one of the numbered positions, it shifts to that gear as long as it won't over rev the engine, then holds it. There have been times when I have put the 6R75 in my 07 Expedition EL in 2 or 3, come to a stop for some reason, and then wondered why it was so gutless leaving the stop. I am not sure exactly what gears the newer 6R140 will let you start/hold, but I can start and hold in 1, 2, or 3.
I do understand what you are getting at, when climbing a hill and cresting a small rise, or slowing slightly for a corner, I don't want my automatic to shift up, then down, then down again, then back, I would rather just modulate the throttle, or if I can see the top of the hill and know if I just keep my foot in it a bit longer I will be at the top and let off the throttle instead of the transmission downshifting and screaming the last 200ft.
I love manual transmissions, I learned to drive on my dad's 81 Dodge 250 with a cabover camper on the back. NP435 (granny 4spd) with non synchronous 1st and manual steering. You had to pay attention while driving that truck. My personal vehicles have all been sticks but had to compromise on the family vehicle. But DW can drive my 5spd focus, and does all the time when it is just her and I am home. I will also be sure all my kids can drive a manual.
As regards to the OP's questions, it is purely a question of personal preferance. Anything with the 5R110 or later and there is no real dissadvantage to either one, just depends on how much you enjoy or don't enjoy driving a manual.
RE: Fallon to replace Jay Leno
I used to watch Leno some, always hated Letterman, but when I took my current job position it came with a 5am wake up call. My bed time is now long before late night :)
RE: How far can you tow prior to fill up?
With our Explorer V8 we got around 9mpg, with a 22g tank we were looking at 180mi. With the Expedition EL still get 9mpg but with 33.5g we don't have to start looking till 270mi. At our CA speed limit of 55mph that is almost 5 hrs, usually someone needs a stretch and bathroom break before then.
RE: Family Rv Trip to Alaska? So many questions!
I was I think 8 yeas old when my parents took my brother and I on a trip to Alaska. From SoCal to the arctic circle and back, about 6000 miles in around 5-6 weeks. In a 1972 VW Westfalia. No electronic giszmos! We did fine with the driving. I remember the worst day was driving all day from SoCal through the central valley to near the Oregon boarder, in summer, with no AC (and VW campers were not known for their speed). It was a fantastic trip and I have a lot of great memories from that trip. We took the inside passage ferry for a leg on the way back from Skagway to Prince Rupert. If you can I would take the RV, it gives you the freedom to go where and when you want. You may find once you are there you may want the flexability to change plans on the fly. I am hoping we at some point have the financial means to do something like this with our kids before they are grown. Good luck!
RE: Housing prices
Here in CA they are still stagnent. Ours is still down over 40% from when we bought it with very little change in the last several years. Low inventory in our area, but also very few people can get qualified to buy.
RE: Campfires: Love them or hate them?
I love campfires but hardly get to build one anymore. My 5yo son is a high functioning autistic, and a runner, so he requires physical hands on nearly 100% of the time. Often by the time we get to evening, I am just too tired to make one and the girls have expressed they don't want one either. My wife likes the idea of a campfire, but if it is cool outside she heads in after a few minutes. I am hoping in a couple years the kids will be more interested and maybe my son will not be as inclined to run. This last week we went for a couple days, and our neighbors had fires, so we got to have that campfire smell and atmosphere without building one myself :)
It does depend some on where and the weather. I have been places, like Yosemite valley, where an inversion layer sets up and the smoke litterally sits on the valley floor like a fog. Most of the time where we camp there is enough air movement to keep it any smoke moving.
RE: simple battery question
2 6V GC2 batteries wired in series to make 12V will have more capacity than 2 typical Group 24 12V wired in parallel. Amp Hours is the number that measures capacity. For 12V you add the Amp hours, for 6V you add the voltage.
Example
Group 24 12V = 85AH 2 of these gives 85+85 = 170AH at 12V
Group 27 12V = 105AH 2 of these gives 105+105 = 210AH at 12V
GC2 6V = 230AH 2 of these gives 6V+6V =12V = 230AH at 12V
Remember you have about half that as usuable AH, but 6V tend to have a higher tollerance to deep discharge than 12V, so you can often extract a bit more.
GC2 seem to be around $80 or so, about the same as a group 24. When I bought mine at Sams Club they came to about $180 total for the pair. Interstate SRM-24 were about the same price.
For the weekend warrior like me, the 2 6V GC2 were the way to go.
RE: New truck? Don't need a new one
I will be very happy the day our Expedition is paid off. It is just about to roll over 60k with nothing but maintenance, planning to make it go a long way.
We have had to tighten our belts the last couple years, and I had to sell my commuter to get rid of a payment. I replaced it with a used 2001 Focus ZX3 with 89k. I agree having the title in hand is a strong deterrent to new car itis. The focus now has 121k. The 2.0 zetec is a fantastic engine, and I fully expect mine to go 250k
I had a ranger for 13 years and 275k miles. It finally became more expensive in parts and time to keep it as my commuter, but sometimes I wish I had kept it just to putter around with.
My Fords have been good to me
RE: Going to go look at a TV- could use words of wisdom
The sticker being mentioned is the TREAD act sticker and it may not have been required yet in 2003 depending on exactly when that Ex was manufactured (could have been mad as early as mi 2002), and it may not have been required in Canada at all. In this case weighing is not a bad idea, but each axle is not required, just the curb weight of how it is equipped. Subtract this from the GVWR. Is it 2WD or 4x4? XLT or Limited? The payload can vary pretty significantly depending on options. I believe you will find 8 passengers eat up most of the available payload. Since the Excursion is already on a 250 platform, I am pretty sure there were modifications that could increase payload, such as replacing the springs with stiffer ones and such.
And do not even THINK about an Expedition! Max payload of any Expedition is around 1700lbs making it only slightly better than the 1/2T Suburban. Family of 8 makes most of that dissappear, and unlike the F250 based Excursion, there is nothing you can do to the 1/2T Expedition to make it hold 8 people AND tow a trailer big enough for those 8 people :)
RE: Pretrip trailer lights check
I do the same as others, turn on the running lights and flashers and take a quick walk around to be sure all the wiring and bulbs are good. If the flasher relay itself is bad then I can tell from inside. I did catch a turn / brake circuit not working once due to corrosion in the 7-pin. Also do a quick manual brake lever activation to be sure the brake circuit is good.
RE: Jacking trailer up to stabilize on blocks
The scissor style by BAL (and other mfrs) are capable of supporting several thousand pounds. If your trailer is equipped with the long folding legs that drop down, these ARE NOT. Also, it is not necessarily the capacity of the jack, but where and how it is mounted. If the jack is not mounted directly to the main frame rail, the mounting location may not handle the weight. Also, some frames on lighter weight models may not capable of handling jacking except where reinforced at the axles. My TT is not light, and has a thick 6" C channel frame the entire length. The jack mounting pads are welded to my frame, I have no problems using them for weight bearing, however I have to be sure I do an equal amount of lift on both jacks or the frame twists a bit and I have trouble with the door :)
RE: Stabilizing a TT with 4 jacks
There are a lot of different trailers with different frames suspensions and axles, so what applies to one does not always apply to others. For example, my TT is opposite the above. It did not come with stabs, but had pads welded directly to the 6" frame. I bought the standard scissor jacks. These jacks in these locations are capable of supporting the trailer if required. I never have, but I have no concerns of using them to gain an inch on one side, more than that I use lynx blocks. Same with jacking. I have leaf spring over axle so my frame is WAY off the ground. No jack I know of has enough extension to even contact the frame much less lift it high enough to take up the suspension and get the tire off the ground. I place the jack saddle under the axle tube right behind the backing plate where the U bolts go around. However I know on torsion suspension this is a no no. Best advise is to read your manuals first and then contact your manufacture if necessary.
RE: Power tongue jack --Why ?
For me it is kind of like power windows and door locks. Nice to have but not absolutly necessary. Our family car has them, my 12 year old commuter does not. My TT did not come with an electric tongue jack, and I have not been able to justify the expense to myself. Every time I think about it, I think of other things I would rather spend the money on. But this applies to anything in life. For example, I don't care for gambling, I do not even get entertainment out of it, I keep thinking about what CD or widgit for the TT I could have just bought (maybe because I never win anything). Everyone has different priorities, no reason for anyone to be disparaging.
RE: Can this be right? Laramie longhorn crew 4x4 1500
To me it sounds like Dodge is compromising in the direction of ride comfort, softer suspension would account for a lower GCWR. I would assume they have done surveys to determine what people use their trucks for, how often and how much they tow with them etc. They likely found most people who buy 1500s really want a cool family car with a big trunk where dirty muddy stuff can be tossed, occasional trips to the home center, maybe tow a water toy to the lake. So if this is what most people buy 1500s for, why not give them the most plush, cushy and decked out 1500 you can buy. The truth is most people do not go into a dealer planning on towing medium to large TTs with the 1500 they are looking at. Of course there is a high proportion of people that do here because it is an RV site, and unfortunately for us, the salesmen do not seem to have been trained any better.
The 2500 and up, people buy those to work, and as we have seen, Dodge is pushing the upper envelope with their new HD trucks. So I would say they have been refining their target audience for each of their series. So if you want to stay Dodge and tow, it will have to be 2500.
Oh, that 10,000lb tow rating? That is literally no luxury trim, driver only towing a boat or flat deck cargo trailer loaded over the axles so it presents a 10% tongue weight.
