I just got back from a 3,400 mile trip with my Screw and thought I would share a couple details ,about my trip in the Screw. Driving from Colorado to Michigan I averaged 16 mpg driving 70-75 miles per hour , and sometimes 60 when trafic was congested. the truck was a pleasure to drive. I would drive for 5 to 8 hours each day and found the leather captain chairs to be very comfortable. my hands would sometimes get fitigued from a firm grip on the steering wheel, my related to me than the truck I am sure.
Driving home from Michigan to Colorado I was towing a 4000lb 25' travel trailer. and averaged between 9 mpg and a low of 6.5 mpg
keep in mind this is on the return trip pulling the trailer over hills and at time in very windy conditions at one time in Kansas gust were up to 60 MPH!!!

I have a 2001 4X4 Super Crew with 3.55 gear ratio 5.4 v8 auto transmition.factory tow package 17" wheels and on a side note I have the small 1" standard radiator. I keep a VERY close eye on the temp gage NEVER once even on a day that it was 98deg and I was pulling the trailer at 65 ,pulling up and down hills did the gage move upwords at all! I did find that the truck was happiest in overdrive on flat or downhill situations , but definetly liked non overdrive when hilly or very windy when towing the trailer!

Over all I was very happy with my first long roadtrip in the Supercrew and rest asured the truck is up to the task of towing a trailer of this size or larger in hot weather over long distances , without the radiator upgrade. I was previously undecided about the radiator changeouts that many are doing on this forum .... and I am not sure I will push my dealer to make the change out.

hope you found this trip report interesting or helpfull .I know I did not get really detailed or specific , and that is for a reason ,this is just what I found on my trip not what you should expect , no figures are exact , and are not intended to start a debate. there are just too many other factors that come into play to get more precise than this such as tire condition of trailer driving habits weather conditions and so on and so on m your milage may vary,thanks , Dan aka Skully

This was previously posted Super Crew but couldn't find it so thought would post a copy here because is related to towing.
sorry if anyone read it twice.

2001 supercrew lariat 4x4 5.4 3.55 auto trans 17" wheels 6 disc moonroof leather ARE lid

 

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[This message has been edited by max mitchell (edited 06-25-2001).]

 

I hate to rain on your parade, but the temperature gauge on Fords never moves because it's controlled by the computer. It won't move up above normal until the engine is about to shut down. Lots of posts about this in the engine forum.

The oil pressure gauge does the same thing.

You can see the actual coolant temp by using the diagnostic mode on the odometer - lots of posts on that, too.

Ian

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99 Expedition EB
5.4l, 4x4, 4.10 LS
WMS Tube, Bassani/Gibson Cat Back Exhaust, Superchip Flipchip, PIAA Superwhites

 

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[This message has been edited by max mitchell (edited 06-25-2001).]

 

Ian - The temp gauge will react with a change in temp. It does not just react when motor is overheating. Where did you get this bad info? If what you say were true then the gage would jump as soon as you start your cold motor. Watch it - it will move gradually as the motor warms up.

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2000 F150 XLT SuperCab, Short Bed, 4X4, ORP, 5.4L, Auto Trans, 3.55LS, Captains Chairs with power drivers seat, rear slider, class III towing package, remote entry with alarm and just about everything you can get on this truck. Added a Ford bug deflecter, floor mats, a Dynamax Race magnum muffler and 3" mandrel bent pipes, Superchip, K&N FIPK Gen II, Bilstein shocks, Redline Synthetic oil, Kenwood stereo system, an MTX Thunder 204 4 channel amp, ProComp AT 33/12.50/17 tires and 17X8 American Racing Python wheels.

 

Ron - Check out
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000633.html
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/004181.html
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/004127.html
there are more but these were the ones that came up on a quick search.

The issue is not that it doesn't read cold - it does. The issue is that Ford has damped the gauge to not move with changes in engine temperature once operating temperature has been reached. Did you ever notice that it never goes beyond mid-scale? I just thought it was because I have HD cooling - now I am not so sure.

Ian

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99 Expedition EB
5.4l, 4x4, 4.10 LS
WMS Tube, Bassani/Gibson Cat Back Exhaust, Superchip Flipchip, PIAA Superwhites

 

Ian - nothing in those postings that tells me much, with perhaps the exception of the post by Dennis who talked to a Vistion Rep (who supplied the gauges) and was told the temp gauges do work. As with many of the complaints voiced on this board about our trucks, there is certainly lots of speculation and paranoia.

I know that they work (temp gauges). I drive around Death Valley in 110-120 degree temps. My truck will sometime sit and idle for periods in these temps. The gauge will move slightly, but I have never overheated. I know when a vehicle is overheating because I have, in the past driven overheating or hot vehicles. Believe me you can tell when a vehicle is getting hot. Power is down and eventually you will get fluid from the overfill. Besides, you don't even need a gauge in the new Fords. All V-8s have the automatic shutdown system that will shut down one bank of cylinders when the motor is overheating. Never happened to me and I doubt anyone on this board drives their truck in the same temps that I do.

I also drove my truck and towed for over a year with the 1.02 radiator in it with the tow package. I now have the new 1.42 radiator. Guess what - there is no difference in the cooling ability of one over the other. If the 1.02 will do the same job for me as the 1.42 in the conditions I use my truck, then the 1.02 is adequate for anyone. Not only do I operate in high temps, but I also tow a 6500lb travel trailer.

Do you think Ford is going to sell approximately 1 million vehicles a year that could self-destruct without letting the driver know that something is wrong? Temp gauge discussion is much ado about nothing. I drive mine where they (and just about all manufacturers) "hot weather" test them. yes, these cooling systems are that good.

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2000 F150 XLT SuperCab, Short Bed, 4X4, ORP, 5.4L, Auto Trans, 3.55LS, Captains Chairs with power drivers seat, rear slider, class III towing package, remote entry with alarm and just about everything you can get on this truck. Added a Ford bug deflecter, floor mats, a Dynamax Race magnum muffler and 3" mandrel bent pipes, Superchip, K&N FIPK Gen II, Bilstein shocks, Redline Synthetic oil, Kenwood stereo system, an MTX Thunder 204 4 channel amp, ProComp AT 33/12.50/17 tires and 17X8 American Racing Python wheels.

[This message has been edited by Ron Kaltenbach (edited 06-24-2001).]

 

Well actually, I do think Ford would let you think the vehicle is fine until the moment of failure - look at the oil pressure gauge!

Also, Ford has the automatic shutdown/cooling if it gets too hot - as you said yourself, you don't need a temp gauge since Ford will look after you. I have to disagree with this - I think Ford needs to stop treating its customers like children. GM's gauges work (including oil pressure). I look for trends; is the oil pressure decreasing over time, is the coolant temp increasing over time?

Since you are in the desert, perhaps you can provide the definitive answer by comparing your temp gauge reading to the actual temp off the odo display and let us all know the results to put this issue to rest. I agree there is a lot of conjecture about this with little solid data - yours included. My factory shop manual doesn't say anything on the subject.

Ian

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99 Expedition EB
5.4l, 4x4, 4.10 LS
WMS Tube, Bassani/Gibson Cat Back Exhaust, Superchip Flipchip, PIAA Superwhites

 

Ian - I don't think there is any convincing you about this - you've already made up your mind. Ford makes their vehicles for the 99% of people who get into their vehicles, start it and drive it every day with no problems, especially overheating or oil pressure problems. They sell millions of vehicles without known complaints of overheating or sudden oil pressure loss.

The one exception to overheating was the 97 Mustang Cobras (I owned one) which needed to have a radiator upgrade. By the way, in stop and go traffic my 97 Cobra would sometimes run too warm. Yes, I could sit and watch the temp gauge slowly rise toward the red zone. It did not suddenly overheat with the gauge stuck in the middle in the normal range, The gauge actually slowly moved toward the red zone. That tells me that the temp gauge actually works. End of argument. Stop the paranoia.

I also had a sports car (Mazda Rx7 Turbo) with nothing but idiot lights lose every bit of its oil when a Mechanic failed to tighten an oil line when he installed my new turbo. I was cruising along about 50 mph, saw the oil light come, thought about it for a couple of seconds (trying to figure out what was wrong) before finally shutting it down. The motor had run about 3 or 4 seconds with no oil pressure. No damage to the motor or the new turbo and the mechanic told me that the loose hose had caused the exit of all the oil.

Unless you are racing, you do not, on the street, need real gauges unless you are a total idiot that drives the vehicle around with the oil pressure light on and the temp gauge in the red zone. In that case you get what you deserve. The temp gauge does work, I have seen it work. If you do not believe that, then continue worrying about it - I don't.

I also owned a Porsche 911 with a real oil pressure gauge. totally useless on the street because the oil pressure always varies with the rpms the motor is running. On the street rpms are constantly changing. Only way it would have been useful is if I would have been running the motor at higher rpms for long periods of time. Then I could have noticed if the oil pressure started to drop while at the higher rpms which would indicate a possible problem. But for stop and go driving with some freeway driving, real oil pressure gauges are of little use and even somewhat annoying watching the needle move so much in the kind of driving that 99% of people do.

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2000 F150 XLT SuperCab, Short Bed, 4X4, ORP, 5.4L, Auto Trans, 3.55LS, Captains Chairs with power drivers seat, rear slider, class III towing package, remote entry with alarm and just about everything you can get on this truck. Added a Ford bug deflecter, floor mats, a Dynamax Race magnum muffler and 3" mandrel bent pipes, Superchip, K&N FIPK Gen II, Bilstein shocks, Redline Synthetic oil, Kenwood stereo system, an MTX Thunder 204 4 channel amp, ProComp AT 33/12.50/17 tires and 17X8 American Racing Python wheels.

 

Surely the water temp sender and gauge would be easy to check. Just remove the sender, run a jumper lead from the threads to ground, turn ignition on, use a heat gun on the sender and see if the needle heads up into the red zone.

I have an Autometer water temp gauge, and a few months ago I climbed this very steep hill, 1500ft in 1.8 miles. The coolant stayed at 200F but my transmission got as high as 220F. The outside temp was about 85F. I have little doubt that the 1" radiator is up to the task. If my dealer would give me a 2" one I'd take it, but it's been a long drawn out battle and I'm in no hurry to have my Amsoil ATF spilling all over the floor.

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'00 5.4L AUTO 4X4 F-150 Lariat
'98 4.0L 5spd Jeep Wrangler Sport
'02 F-350 PSD CC DRW 6SPD 4X4 Lariat (order this year)
www.hawthorn-engineering.com

 

I towed my 6200# camper through the Texas hill country last weekend with the temp. at a little over 100 outside. I used the test feature and watched the readout and the gauge. The readout went from 94 to 102 and the gauge only moved a fraction. This was towing up and down some good long hills in very high heat and I think the the radiator worked OK.

The thing to remember is there are two 1.02" radiators. One has more fins per inch than the other. However, I still think I should have gotten the 1.42" rad.

 

Well, I did a bit of driving with a heavy load up long hills just recently and was able to see the needle move up a bit. Not much movement, but there definitely was a bit. I know the engine wasn't overheating in my case because of two things. One, I didn't notice any lack of power you would expect from an overheating engine. No pinging either. Two, when I reached a stop light, the fan wasn't roaring when I started up again. If the engine was hot, the fan clutch would have been fully engaged, but it wasn't.

Believe me, I've had my share of overheating engines and I know what happens when an engine gets too hot.

 

Dennis, Are you sure the fan clutches on these trucks are thermally activated. I thought they were just slippers and simply reduced speed at high rpm. Then, at idle they would always turn at the same ratio to engine speed regardless of temp.

 

Yes, I'm sure. I had it come on once on flat high ambient temperature run driving with the wind. Came to a stoplight. Got underway and heard the fan roaring which indicates that the clutch was engaged. Was still engaged at 2,000 rpm.

You'll also experience an engaged clutch when you first start the truck in the morning. Try starting the engine and driving off right away. You can usually hear the fan roar, but only briefly. A second or two, normally.

 

Interesting, I have heard that sound on startup now that you mention it. It makes more sense than my old theory of the engine just over-revving on startup. I could never tell before as ford felt any body with an XL didn't need a tach.