Newbie with a few ??

[Sporttees]

o.k. I bought a used 2001 xlt 2x4 expedition and have a few questions about tow ratings. I bought it to tow a travel trailer and am curious if the expedition is adequate to do it. The trailer weights around 5000 lbs and I will be towing it over mountains. My truck has the 4.6 and the axle code is 17.

Also what does transmission code on the door u mean?


Are there any upgrades that I should get to help with towing and mpg?

 

[dougmcp]

Axle code 17 is a non-limited slip 3:31 ratio, pretty good for fuel economy but a little weak for trailer towing.
You should be able to tow a 5000 lb trailer without any trouble but you won't have much power so don't expect it.
A chip or Edge/Bullydog tuner may help a little.
Make sure you have an equalizer hitch, a HD radiator and an oil cooler for the transmission.
Don't tow in the OD mode, push the button on the gear selector to take it out of OD.
Don't put large diameter tires on it.

 

[Thermo]

Keep the engine RPMs under 2200 when driving on the highway. When accelerating, depress the gas pedal and hold it in one spot so the truck naturally shifts at about 2500 RPM. Yes, you are going to accelerate slower than cars, but you are driving a 7,000 pound truck.

Yo ucan also look into the Gotts mod. That will help some. You can also look into converting over to electric fans.

As for towing, you have probably the worst gear ratio for any serious towing. keep it light and you will be fine. Also, towing and mileage are complete opposites. If you are towing, just accept that odds are, you will be down into single digits if you are towing any serious weight.

 

[dougmcp]

I have a 2000 2WD with an H7 axle, the same as the OP only limited slip. The GVWR on mine is 6700 LBS.
I towed a 3500 lb boat trailer without brakes for 4 years and it was OK but dangerous in a panic stop situation.
If you are towing 5000 lbs maybe you might consider changing the rear axle ratio to an H6 3.73:1 which would give you the best towing ability.

Here are the axle codes:
17 = 3.31 non-limited slip
19 = 3.55 non-limited slip
H6 = 3.73 limited slip
H7 = 3.31 limited slip
H9 = 3.55 limited slip

 

[Sporttees]

Thanks for the replies. How hard is it to add a oil cooler for the transmission? I towed the trailer today without any real issues except the transmission had a smell when we stopped at the top of the mountain we were going over. I'am thinking of lots of mods that can be done but I'm thinking that would be a good starting point.

 

[rburch]

Adding a trans cooler isn't difficult. You will want to tap into the return line after the radiator so the trans fluid will get to operating temp quicker.

The common trans cooler people choose to run is the SD because it will bolt right in.

 

[Sporttees]

Would a transmission cooler work off of a expedition with the 5.4 motor vs 4.6? I have found a wrecked o2 expy with the 5.4 engine that has one on it that I can get cheap as well as any other parts. If so are there any other parts that may be useful in the future?