Long RV Trip Report - Also Engine Heating

[Jskane125]

Greetings! I have a 2020 Ford Expedition with max towing. 52,000 miles. Rebuilt transmission by a Ford dealer in 2024, didn't cost me anything. Though I had to have the transmission software reset before our month long trip south from PA because of some clunking at 4-3 gear. That seemed to fix it. I put nearly 1500 miles on BEFORE we left, to train the transmission. We took a path south from PA to Roanoke and then Chattanooga, and finally Pensacola. On the way back, we traveled through Georgia to a state park run SC near Murrells Inlet.

We got about 8.2 MPG, which seems to be typical. Stopped a lot for gas.

The only problem we have was engine temperature. I complained to the dealer about this, but they checked and said there were no problems. Going up hills or pushing turbo, engine time would pop up on the dash at 230, 235, and as high as 238. I would drop quickly once I let up on the turbo. If I stayed closer to 55-60 it popped up less.

I noticed that the tranny fluid was a bit low and went to a dealer in Pensacola. Nice folks, they topped off for free. That did help a bit on the trip back.

From everyone I read, this temp behavior appears to be normal, and the higher temp does not move the image on screen past half way. It goes away quickly, and I don't see it at all when not towing. It seems that others have reported this as well. Oddly, I never saw in or just missed the ten pop up the first 3-4 years we pulled campers with it, though our newer one if a bit heavier (5,900lb).

Other than that, it pulled perfectly. No sway, very smooth .. and lots of power when needed i.e. coming down ramps onto I95. The tranny behaved. Tranny temp did not top 205 -210. I monitor that closely. Other than the transmission rebuild and related issues - this has been a very good, comfortable vehicle. I'm hoping they rebuilt the tranny with the newer elements, so it does not repeat. itself.

Any comments on the engine temp issue? Seems it is not a problem and fairly common, and related to pushing the turbos on hills, etc.

Thanks .. we had a great month long trip. Our "retirement trip" that took a month and 3,760 miles (including driving around not hooked up to camper).

 

[JasonH]

What gear were you pulling in? Elevated temps can be result from the engine using boost instead of gearing to handle the load. Low RPMs will also reduce coolant flow.

 

[Squark]

I used to tow with a 2018 Expy and had the same thing with the engine temp. Our camper was 7,800lbs and the engine temp would display on the gauge cluster frequently, even on relatively flat roads. Like you, the gauge itself never got high and the temp dropped pretty quickly when letting off the throttle. Once I had the transmission temp climb pretty high (slow mountain climb, gauge was pushing 3/4), but even then the engine temp didn't get out of hand.

 

[LovinPSDs]

The overheat is super common on these engines... First thing you can do is try to drop a gear or two manually to increase coolant flow.

From there it gets a bit messy

 

[Jskane125]

So, for example, do you mean block out say gears 10, 9, and 8 so it runs as a 6 speed .. and that might help? Seems counterintuitive as the lower gears stress the engine more, correct? I also noticed that it happens less when traveling 60 and under.

Thanks for all the tips. Doesn't seem to be a real problem, but it bothers me when I see the engine temp pop up

 

[ccssid]

Delete

 

[jjscsix]

So, for example, do you mean block out say gears 10, 9, and 8 so it runs as a 6 speed .. and that might help? Seems counterintuitive as the lower gears stress the engine more, correct? I also noticed that it happens less when traveling 60 and under.

Thanks for all the tips. Doesn't seem to be a real problem, but it bothers me when I see the engine temp pop up

No, not correct. Too high of a gear is hard on the drivetrain under load. I always use “tow” mode. We pull a 7,400 trailer with our 2023. We have been in a lot of hills and never seen the transmission get overly hot.

 

[LovinPSDs]

So, for example, do you mean block out say gears 10, 9, and 8 so it runs as a 6 speed .. and that might help? Seems counterintuitive as the lower gears stress the engine more, correct? I also noticed that it happens less when traveling 60 and under.

Thanks for all the tips. Doesn't seem to be a real problem, but it bothers me when I see the engine temp pop up

The idea is to get the coolant flow up... More RPM = more flow from the coolant pump.

This has been discussed at nauseum on the F150 forums. Part of the "issue" is also the location of the temp sensor. I believe it's directly after the turbos, so the second you get out of the boost/let off the peddle the temps drop.

Guys have added bigger radiators, different thermostats, added trans coolers, etc etc etc... This mostly just slows the raise of the temps down. You can get pretty deep into this if you want, but there is also a bit of a sequence to it.

Start by manual dropping 1 or 2 gears to get coolant flow UP and go from there.

I do know someone was discussing slightly smaller pulleys for the Water Pump to pick the speed up, but sorta lost track of that.

 

[Jskane125]

FYI I do only drive in tow mode. Never without. This just started this past year, never saw it the first few years. FYI my radiator fluid was slightly low, so the dealer in Pensacola topped it off. That helped a b it.

LovinOSDs, by "dropping 1 or 2 gears" do you mean blocking 9th, and 10th gears? So it runs at an 8 speed? When in towing mode?

 

[LovinPSDs]

FYI I do only drive in tow mode. Never without. This just started this past year, never saw it the first few years. FYI my radiator fluid was slightly low, so the dealer in Pensacola topped it off. That helped a b it.

LovinOSDs, by "dropping 1 or 2 gears" do you mean blocking 9th, and 10th gears? So it runs at an 8 speed? When in towing mode?

Sort of.. I’m saying if you’re needing to roll into the peddle down shift to 9th or 8th or whatever it takes to bring the RPMs up.

The eco makes so much down low torque it’s happy to chug along almost like a diesel but it brings on the boost which brings on the heat.

Just give it a shot and see how it goes.. it’s the most common approach on a stock truck with the F150 guys

 

[bshowalter]

Have you replaced the thermostat? The original thermostat part number was superseded with a revised part. I replaced it on my 2019 and both engine and transmission temp stay much lower now in normal driving and when towing.

Ford quietly redesigned the thermostat in 2022...replace it

If you are having cooling issues you should know Ford quietly redesigned the thermostat in 2022. Replace it now if you have the old one. The problem was the thermostat sticking closed. The other thing to know is thermostats do not last forever and should be replaced every 50,000 miles or any...

www.expeditionforum.com

 

[Jozef Zoldos]

I had a problem with overheating and it has recurred episodically in this forum. I posted on this specific issue previously. https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/2020-expy-overheating-at-highway-speeds.55007/#post-505673. I found the problem to be a faulty thermostat.

Joe Z

 

[VBreithaupt]

I brought up this same issue as well Jskane125. I pulled a camper last summer and and didn't have this issue with the temp. rising up on me. I noticed it happening this winter when I was pulling my utility trainer. It always happens in 9th or 10th gear when the turbos are running for extended period. Running it in manual 8 or 9th gear does solve it most of the time but that just seems like work around. I read that a possible radiator clog could be the cause and dealer can check the temp coming out of radiator to see if its within right range. I about to take mine in and have them figure it out because I don't think it is normal.

 

[VBreithaupt]

Looks like thermostat would be the easiest and quickest thing to rule out first. I going to do that and report back

 

[Rezolution]

Have any of you tried running the racing plugs that are 2 steps colder than the regular plugs?

 

[LG_123]

I’ve towed our 8,000# trailer across the continent a couple times and have found deleting 10, 9, and sometimes 8 helps keep the RPMs in the optimal range. I also change the oil by 3500 miles and keep the coolant topped off to control the temp spikes which can happen towing uphill. Slowing down up a steep climb also helps.

 

[slow3v]

Get your thermostat and thermostat housing replaced with the new revised OEM part. You'll drop 15F on engine temps, FYI.

 

[JasonH]

I brought up this same issue as well Jskane125. I pulled a camper last summer and and didn't have this issue with the temp. rising up on me. I noticed it happening this winter when I was pulling my utility trainer. It always happens in 9th or 10th gear when the turbos are running for extended period. Running it in manual 8 or 9th gear does solve it most of the time but that just seems like work around.

Using the lower gearing isn't a work around. It's how the engine functions under heavy loads. The taller gears result in more boost, which elevates temps. By using lower gears the engine RPM is increased, which increases coolant circulation. It also reduces the load on the engine by employing mechanical leverage.

 

[3rd Expyowner123]

My 2018 started showing temperatures numbers above the bar graph as it started getting hot when pulling my 21 foot boat at 75mph in Texas summer heat.
After having Ford dealer replace the thermostat this never reoccurred. Ford has modified the design of the thermostat.
Your pulling a much bigger load in terms of area so my experience may not apply.
Water pumps commonly develop slow leaks after mileage. I would replace both the water pump and thermostat.

 

[wfdw]

I'm currently doing the same towing with the same vehicle and am very happy. No temp problems with the engine or tranny. Very strong and stable.
I don't know if I'm just lucky or if a previous owner did some fix but hope you can get there too.