How can I tell if I have the towing package on my 97 Ford F150 V8 it's a 4.6

 

Most obvious will be an installed factory hitch and 7 pin connector. I think on the 4.6's, they get an aux tranny cooler as well. Other items are a 130 amp alternator, additional fuses, relays and heavy duty shocks.

 

To find the trans cooler, look in front of the radiator. There will be a small cooler on the left for your power steering. If you also have a small cooler on the left that is a trans cooler.

 

If you have the factory tow package you should easily find a brake controller connector under your dash (not to be confused with the OBD II dignostics plug).


Dino

 

Check your radiaitor to see if it's only 1 inch thick. Then you don't have the tow package. I did my own upgrade.

 

ALL trucks have the connector under the dash. This is not an indication of wheather or not a truck has the tow package.

 

hapynzap,

looks like you put your own trailer tow package on your truck. When are you getting the Ranco shocks? did you see the 4 for the price of 3 sale for April? I have my RS9000 shocks on order.

How thick is the upgraded radiator?

 

Greencrew
I know about the sale. I gotta wait till after tax time, heh, to see if I have any money left over.
The transmission cooler was about an inch thick. It just barely fit behind the hood latch support, but I got it to work. Was a lot of work but I don't have to worry about over heating my transmission now. I want to be able to tow a car across the desert if I want to. We have a Coleman pop-up camper now that we tow to go camping with but it's not real heavy.
Here's a pic of the cooler, pre-install.

 

Looks like a good cooler, bigger than the stock cooler. I've been in AZ in July, and that's some heat to deal with. I think the cooler is the most importart pice of the tow package.

Yes, paying your taxes first is the responsible thing to do. I'd make the same decison myself.

 

This is the link I posted on getting the transmission cooler

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=109105

 

MitchF150,
If I, couldn't see my truck sitting in my driveway. I, would swear that you had my truck. They lok just alike. But, I have only 62k on mine. Thanks for the help. Being a woman I'm not to swift on these things. How can I measure the radiator? It's all enclosed

 

krlees,
Mine had 62k on it when I bought it two years ago! It's actually got 103k now. Gotta love that blue color (and a woman who drives an F150!!)

To see the size of the rad, you have to kinda look around at the corners, under the top cover. What you are looking for is the width of the core that's between the end tanks of the rad. It's hard to see, and you will need a flashlight, but you can get a general idea from that. Anything wider then 1" is the 'larger' rad.

Since you have a '97, you should have the 'larger' one, if you have the factory tow package. Ford started getting 'cheap' (IMO) later on and put the standard 1" rad in all the F150's whether you had the tow package or not.......

FYI, don't be fooled by the temp gauge in these things either...... They don't tell you anything except that your temp is greater then 150* and less then 220*. The normal operating temp is 190*-195*. So far, I have not seen my Autometer gauge show more then 195*, but I have not towed with it in the summer time yet either. I've got a tranny temp gauge too, and it stays < 150* while towing, but again, not used it in the summer yet. I'll get my chance real soon!!

 

Hey, what kind of tranny and water temp gauges did you get and how did you mount them? Also where did you hook them up to the engine and tranny? Thanks in advance.

 

Hi MitchF150,
Found out I don't that the towing package.It seems like we have more in common that just the truck. Here we go. I, got my truck two years ago and I, just got a Prowler camper. Mine's not as new as your . It's a 92. Hope I, won't have any problems towing it, Is your a 5th wheel? The weight on mine is 5200. Do you thing I will be ok?
I am towing it about 200 miles . It is mostly flat land . But, I do have two steep hills to get up to the camping site.
Thanks again, Hope I haven't bugged you to much. And yes, I love that blue color on our trucks.

 

Get a transmission cooler installed and dont run the air conditioning when towing up those hills.