RE: What gear do you tow in?
You can town in OD as long as the tranny is not hunting (switching in and out of a lower gear). The Tow/Haul mode actually is similar to a 'flip chip' and changes the shift pressures and shift points.
RE: single scale ????
Yep, I do exactly wht Steve said.
Once you have all of the weights, you can then do what ever calcualtions you want... GVWR (TV & TT), GCVWR, Tounge Weight, so and so forth.
RE: Bypassing Trans Cooler through Radiator
I'm courious - are you getting this temp reading from an OEM gauge?
Or did you add after market gauges? If so, where is the sending unint installed?
It sounds like to me that you'er fine right where you are - the stacked plate cooler is the best design there is and adding a fan just made even better. But if the engine is getting that hot climbing, then the tranny will probably get that way even if it is not run thru the radiator... in fact, it would prably run hotter more often. Short term tempature spikes are not what kills a transmission.
210* is not that bad for a short time, granted, you do want to run that all of the time. This just means that you should follow a 'heavy duty usage' maintenance schedule and change your tranny fluid more often (and it wouldn't hurt to use synthetic), your manual should have a maintenance schedule in it.
RE: Transmission Cooler
Like Fulltimer50 said - the first step is to have a gauge.
I have a temp gauge that I put in, then I also bought a ScanGaugeII - the ScanGauge typically show 3-10* warmer than my gauge. The reason is that it uses the OEM temp sensor that is buried deep in the tranny. All 1995 and newer vehicle have sensors throughout the vehicle, even if the mfg didn't put a gauge in the dash to show it. (BTW, I bought mine from MGT Motorsports, great place to work with and right now they have SCII for $159.95 with free S&H)
Your truck should have a tranny cooler already - it just may not be enough. If you look underneath the front, you'll see 2 lines that go in to the bottom of the radiator - that's the first stage of cooling (also helps warm it up in cold weather). If you follow those lines, one will lead back to the tranny, the other should go to a supplemental cooler (if you have one) then back to the tranny.
If you monitor your temps and feel they are getting too high, then you need to enhance what you have. You could replace the supplemental cooler (if present) with a larger one, or add another one in-line with the current one (probably over kill). The other option is if you already have a supplemental cooler, you can add a fan to it and either put in a manual switch or include a temp triggered switch.
If you do go with a add-on cooler, I'd recommend a Tru-Cool by Long (can't find the mfg site, but you find them all over the place). This is a 'stacked plate' cooler that provides better heat dissipation that the traditional 'fin' type. plus it has a 'low pressure drop' feature that basically make the fluid by-pass the cooler when it is cold.
RE: Ft.deSoto Park, Florida
I have another place for you try out... 2 years ago we stayed at Holiday Cove RV in Cortez (near Anna Maria Island and Bradenton). We throughly enjoyed our stay and they are just minutes to the beach with plenty of public parking.
You should check them out...
RE: Best RPM range.
Invest a little money and get a ScanGaugeII, you'll get lots of info out of it including real-time mpgs, HP, throttle position and, intake & h2o & tranny temps (plus more) and it can even read 'Check Engine' codes. It also has an awsome trip computer that tracks your average trip speed, driving time, trip MPGs, max coolant, max RPM, miles, fuel used... and the list goes on.
You can get one for as low as $159.99 at MGT MotorSports and that's with free shipping.
I got mine with the BlendMount so it mounts above the rearview mirror - fits real nice and I can read it at a glance.
RE: Awning Cleaning - Are you sure you use Tilex?
I usually clean it once with regular soap (may be dish detergent, may be car wash soap), then go back on the tougher spots with 1:10 bleach/water (sometimes as much as 1:5 mix) in a spray bottle and a brush. What ever is left after that I figure just belongs there... it's an awning, not a dinner plate.
RE: GPS ??
As far a model - it depends on the feature st you are looking for.
For brand - Garmin and only Garmin for me. Here's why...
I have a Garmin handhled that I use for hiking and biking - its actually my second one, the first was stolen. With the first unit (LegendC) I had noticed it was taking a little longer to acquire satellites and then in the mildest of coverage, it would loose them. I sent back and in less than a week, they sent a new one. When that one was stolen, I had to transfer the maps to my new VistaHCx. I started the process via email, but when then got in a hurry and called them... I spoke to an actual person that could speak and understand English.
I have a Magellan and their customer service SUCKS! I have Maestro 3250 and was trying to activate the traffic service... after several attempts, it kept rejecting the license number. I called customer disservice and sat on hold for what seemed like an eternity - anyhow, when I finally got someone, I could barely understand them (they outsource to foreign countries). Long story made short - it took 17 business days to get it resolved. Not again!
TomTom - don't have one, know several people that do and seem to like them - but I have no personal experience with them.
RE: Ford V10 Power/Torque Upgrade Needed?
Some have reported happiness with the Banks system, other have said it was a waste of money. The v10 out of the box, is tuned out to nearly max already (about 80-90% efficiency), so I believe that there is not much to do with the engine itself.
So the next thing is to look at the drive train. There is a company, Gear Vendors, that makes an Over/Under Drive that attaches to the rear of the tranny - basically doubling your gears. It'll set you back about $4k, but I think it would be a better investment than the Banks system.
Do you know what gearing you have? Gearing can make a huge difference. I'm guessing the you probably have the 4.30 rear - if so, going to 4.56 could help you out some. You could figure on about $1k to re-gear.
Like tomasinnv said, the v10 like to rev, that's where the power is. Last year we traveled up I77 in to Va and passed thru Fancy Gap, there are a lot of long 7% grade there. My v10 would rev at 4k+ in 2nd gear, but it kept up speed; in fact, it gained speed. I kept an eagle eye on the tranny temp - it peaked a few times, but only for a few minutes. I recently bought a ScanGauge II and believe it is a great investment for anyone that tows. It reads the OBD for different sensors and you can really learn a lot from it - including how to pick up a couple extra MPGs. I was a bit surprised to see that my v10 burns about 0.8 gals/hour just sitting idling.
Finally, you can check out the Ford Truck Enthusiast V10 Forum for tons of more info.
RE: Open your TT windows for sway control?
NO! That is about ridiculous! I swear, sometimes I don't see where people come up with stuff like this.
Are you sure your co-worker isn't pulling your leg?
RE: Just purchased my first TT and I have an awning question.
Nice rig you got there.
Do you absolutely need a center supprt... not absolutely. But it will extend the life of your awning and reduce the chances of something going wrong.
Here is a really good write up by Greywolf on the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum
RV Awning 101 - Basic stuff you need to know
*I noticed you drive a chebby and prolly don't get on that site very often (no offense intended, just a little picking).
RE: Upgrading Expedition to Excursion
Chad... beautiful setup.
On the hubs I always forget, but the best way to find out is turn them one way, then reach behind and see if you can turn the front drive shaft, then turn them the other way and check again. Which ever way you can turn the drive shaft is the auto feature; If you cannot turn the drive shaft, you're locked in.
Also - my the knob for my hubs gets mucked up about 2 times a year, all you have to is spray it with a little WD40 or Lithum Grease (my preference).
Too bad you can't make it to G'burg; but I'll be interested to hear about Jeckyll Island - it's on my 'wanna go' list.
RE: Upgrading Expedition to Excursion
The door locks are a common Ford problem and since the dealer is going to make good on them I won't worry about going in to the fix - but there is one and it's simple and cheap to do.
I'd be very interested in this since I'm most likely going to face it in the future.
Read thru this post on FTE and you'll find a couple different fixes - one only costs $0.01 per lock. Post #20 has some pretty good pics of the inside of the lock.
It's a long thread, but the 'meat' of it is in the first few pages.
RE: Upgrading Expedition to Excursion
The door locks are a common Ford problem and since the dealer is going to make good on them I won't worry about going in to the fix - but there is one and it's simple and cheap to do.
Congrats on the X and welcome to the BSEG (Big Sh!t Eating Grin) club of V10 owners.
One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier post (and surprised no one else did either) is to look and see if you have a rear Anti-Sway bar. If you are unfamiliar, it should be a round bar attached to the axle - if you don;t have one, you may want to make that your first investment. Or look at the RoadMaster Active Suspension or the Landyot Radius Rods. If you do a little searching you'll find that 'out of the box' the suspension on the X is somewhat lacking; this come from Ford trying to make it ride like a car instead of a 1 ton truck (which it is). If you do a search for crappie_fisherman and his posts on towing, you'll find an abundance of knowledge. He has done a lot of research in to maximizing the towing stability of the X.
Finally, it's coming up quick, but if you have the free time you should come on up to Gatlinburg for the Excursion Diversion (or link in my sig) on the weekend of July 25th. We're gonna have a great time and get to see a bunch of other X's!
RE: FIXING HOLE IN FRESH WATER TANK
I usally buy it off ebay. I get the 25 or 50 ft roll, then I always have some on hand for emergencies (works great for awning reapirs too).
