Vehicle prep before making a long haul ?'s

[blaz4wd]

Hello everyone. I recently had a thread on newbie to camper towing. And I took your guys opinions and started this thread. So here it goes. Our first family trip will be going from Wisconsin to Wyoming in the beginning of july. Tow vehicle is a 93 ford f250 7.3 non turbo diesel e40d trans 3.55 gears. Towing a travel trailer 27ft long unloaded weight of est. 4,050 lbs. Preps I made so far finned rear axle cover with synthetic 75/140, biggest trans cooler I could get (installed years ago), got a new throttle positioning sensor coming, changed trans fluid last year. So I'm thinking on doing the upper and lower radiator hoses. What else do you guys recommend on doing before the trip.

 

[Mulochico]

If you are doing hoses, go ahead and do the heater hoses, too.

If you can, get a pyrometer. Exhaust gasses get hot quickly when pulling, especially non turbo.

A real temp gauge for coolant also helps. What is there is a glorified idiot light.

And of course check all fluids, etc.

 

[jwalterus]

check the tires, make sure you have a good spare, change the oil, carry a fuel filter and some 12ga wire just in case, make sure there's plenty available on the credit cards......

oh, and once you pass Rapid City (assuming you're taking I-90), that gearing and load, you'll probably have various issues going past 40mph, mostly overheating and trans heating issues, so get a friggin trans temp gauge

 

[tbrumm]

blaz4wd, I see you are from Ft. Atkinson. Used to work there many years ago - grew up on a farm near Johnson Creek. If your truck has the serpentine belt drive, definitely check over the belt, tensioner and idler. I had a bearing in the tensioner pulley go bad and leave me stranded once. Now I carry a spare tensioner, idler and belt, and the tools needed to change them out. While you are checking all that stuff, look up underneath the water pump and make sure there is nothing coming out of the weep hole. Try and rock the fan back and forth and make sure that WP bearing is still tight. Is your fan clutch working okay? You definitely want that clutch to lock if she gets warm pulling a grade. I would also give the brakes a check over. Make sure you have lots of pad left up front and check those front hoses - they get cracked from age. May want to pull rear drums and have a look in there too. Is Your AC charged up and working good?

 

[blaz4wd]

If you are doing hoses, go ahead and do the heater hoses, too.

If you can, get a pyrometer. Exhaust gasses get hot quickly when pulling, especially non turbo.

A real temp gauge for coolant also helps. What is there is a glorified idiot light.

And of course check all fluids, etc.

For the pyro meter any that you can recommend. I have a cheap off brand installed now.

 

[blaz4wd]

check the tires, make sure you have a good spare, change the oil, carry a fuel filter and some 12ga wire just in case, make sure there's plenty available on the credit cards......

oh, and once you pass Rapid City (assuming you're taking I-90), that gearing and load, you'll probably have various issues going past 40mph, mostly overheating and trans heating issues, so get a friggin trans temp gauge

Have a off brand trans temp gauge. I would of never thought of a spare fuel filter and wire. Added that to the list.

 

[blaz4wd]

blaz4wd, I see you are from Ft. Atkinson. Used to work there many years ago - grew up on a farm near Johnson Creek. If your truck has the serpentine belt drive, definitely check over the belt, tensioner and idler. I had a bearing in the tensioner pulley go bad and leave me stranded once. Now I carry a spare tensioner, idler and belt, and the tools needed to change them out. While you are checking all that stuff, look up underneath the water pump and make sure there is nothing coming out of the weep hole. Try and rock the fan back and forth and make sure that WP bearing is still tight. Is your fan clutch working okay? You definitely want that clutch to lock if she gets warm pulling a grade. I would also give the brakes a check over. Make sure you have lots of pad left up front and check those front hoses - they get cracked from age. May want to pull rear drums and have a look in there too. Is Your AC charged up and working good?

Yep brakes are good on the truck. I will give the clutch fan a wiggle. Would the electric fan swap be to much of a pain in the short time frame/ would it benefit towing?

 

[blaz4wd]

I also picked up a different brake controller. The old one I have had two selector switches for hard and soft adjustments. I don't know if I should trust it and don't know how to adjust it. But it does work I can feel the trailer brakes working.

 

[Clb]

Go thru the trailer brakes, wireing , inside the drums, and check the wheel bearings out also.
Some guys have mounted up a spare controller so as to unplug one that failed and switch to the spare.
You could look up the manufacturer of the controller and call the tech guys and pick their brains as to how the thing works.
The e brake on the truck and the elect trailer brakes can get ya stopped in a failure of the truck brakes, it won't be pretty, the truck is not gunna want to stop the trailer with out some help.
Think downhill.
The biggest issue I see is knowing your gear is solid, if you feel confident you can drive to work and back as many times as the trip will log then your fine. Fwiw...knowing you can stop is better than going 75 in the fast lane.

 

[blaz4wd]

Where did you guys pickup your pyrometers? I have a cheap ebay $30 buck one installed now so looking for good brands I see a lot on Amazon,ebay. Info please thanks joe

 

[Clb]

There are several threads about this.
Isspro is top shelf, any American name brand will do.
I had an glowshift in the 88' h8ted it cuz it kept changing colors.
Worked ok.
The 93 has an autometer, no complaints.

 

[blaz4wd]

I was looking at glowshift on Amazon.

 

[The Warden]

I was looking at glowshift on Amazon.

I've heard mixed reviews of Glowshift's quality.

I've been running an Isspro pyro on my truck for 11 years and have been very happy with it, and I would recommend Isspro to anyone. One thing I would suggest...after securely connecting the thermocouple leads to the wires going to the pyro, coat them in liquid electrical tape. Even a tiny bit of corrosion in the connection will make the connection intermittent or will make the pyro lose signal altogether. They're VERY sensitive to signal fluctuations...