I currently have a 2004 Mountaineer Premier V8 that I use to tow my rather heavy tent trailer (5600 lbs). I have a trailer brake controller installed so the braking is fine, and the anti-sway allows it to track well, but hills of any significance seem to put quite a load on the Mountaineer. I've installed an SCT performance tune with upgraded shift firmness and run the 91+ octane that the tune requires, but that didn't make as much of a difference as I had hoped for.

The Mountaineer serves as my winter daily driver as well, and the wife, kids, and our camping supplies need to be able to fit in the vehicle comfortably when heading out for a camping trip, so I'm not really interested getting a full-size pick up.

I'm wondering if the slightly higher HP and torque of the Aviator may improve my confidence when towing this camper enough to justify the cost difference if I were to trade up to the Aviator, or if it will likely be negligible. I haven't yet driven an Aviator, nor am I thrilled about test driving one and trying to tow the camper without a brake controller installed. I'm hoping for inputs from someone who has towed a significant load with both a V8 Explorer/Mountaineer and an Aviator.

-Rod

 

Well, I have an Aviator that I have towed 4000 lbs with and it had lots of power to do it.
I can't compare to Explorer/ Mountaineer, but I am sure the Avi will do better.
If you find one with a tow package, you can install the brake controller. I haven't installed the brake controller, but I have the tow package and the connector is tucked up in the dash. I haven't looked for it. Where did you find it on your Mounty, and where did you mount the controller, on the bottom edge of the dash near your knees?

 

Thanks for the info. I found some information last night suggesting that 90% of the torque for the Aviator engine is available from 2500 rpms. That right there will probably help with the towing.

The brake controller harness in my Mountaineer was located behind the glove box, on the left side of the opening. I installed the brake controller low on the panel near my knees on the left side (just to the right of the parking brake release lever). That way when I remove it the screw holes won't be very noticeable and it is pretty much out of the way. I haven't hit it with my legs at all getting in and out of the truck.

-Rod

 

OK, thanks for the info.

 

So I pulled the trigger last Friday on a 2004 Aviator with 77k miles on it. I must say, the seats are more comfortable than my Mountaineer, and it tows the camper MUCH better too. I can definitely tell there's more low rpm torque and I haven't even tuned it up yet. I'm looking forward to many years of service from this truck.

And, Old Farmer, I found the plug for the brake controller above the accelerator pedal rather then above the glovebox where it was on my Mountaineer. It is much easier to access.

-Rod

 

Rod...any pics?
2nd row bench or captain's chairs?

 

The only pic I have so far is of my garage after doing the cylinder decarb with Seafoam last night, but you cannot see much of the truck.

I haven't washed it, clayed it, or waxed it yet, so I'll wait for all that before taking photos.

The second row is the 40-20-40 bench with factory DVD entertainment system.

-Rod

 

Here you go, MCDavis!

Tonight I clay barred the Aviator and applied a coat of Collinite 845 wax. I didn't see many swirls or scratches so for now I skipped the polish step. I apologize for the washed out photos (But I refuse to admit I have too much light in my garage). One of these days will be nice enough for outdoor photos.

Earlier this week I cleaned the seats with 303 Aerospace Carpet and Fabric Cleaner. I think this may be a bit too aggressive for the leather as some of the color seemed to come off on the rag, but the seats look clean and still have uniform color. Tonight I also "installed" my tune from Unleashed Tuning.




-Rod

 

Rod that looks awesome. Nice Aviator for sure. I'd love to hear your impressions now with that tune installed.
What trans is behind the 4.6?

 

Hi Rod, Thanks for the info on where you found the brake contoller connector.
Is that the black grille in the pic?
My Avi is black too. They really look sharp all polished up.
I have the same rims as you. One thing I would offer, I found the factory installed Michelin Pilot LTX tires to not be very good in winter. So to save the rims and get a better grip I searched the net and found some stock aluminum rims at a decent price and put real winter tires on. As for the TPMS, I put new ones on the winter rims and I can train them with a magnet real easy.
Where do you install the tuner, which one did you get? Does it increase power and mileage or just power?
Thanks!

 

Hi McDavis, I looked in my manual and my Avi has the 5R55S tranny.
There is a sticker on the inside edge of the driver's door with the VIN and other specs like wheelbase, interior, and transmission, along the bottom.
On mine the spot marked TR has a V in it, which means the 5R55S trans.
I just had the fluid replaced in mine at 55,000 miles, because they are known to have issues, when they get older. I hope I can prevent them.
I also got the rear diff oil changed because they can develop a whine, also prevention.
I would rather err on the side of caution and use a little too much oil than waste a tranny or diff.

 

Yep, this has the matte black grill insert. The grill surround is chrome though. My avatar may provide a slightly better idea of the grill.

I went with an SCT X3 tuner from Unleashed Tuning. At first I had him provide me with a tune for towing the camper. I found that it was a bit too aggressive for everyday driving so I also had him provide a tune that only firmed up the transmission shifts. I REALLY like this tune. It doesn't hurt fuel economy but the sometimes lazy shifts are completely gone without being too harsh. It takes a drive cycle before the shifts smooth out which is to be expected. I didn't run the performance tune long enough to know if it has an impact on performance, and quite honestly I'm not sure if it increases power. It did move the shift point for the transmission which is why I went to a tune that retained stock shift points. The tuner just connects to the OBD-II port, downloads the factory tune (which I backed up to my PC), then uploads the "performance" tune to the vehicle. Once the upload is complete (about 5 minutes) I unplug the tuner and store it for when I want to change to a different tune.

My Avi has 77k miles on the odometer. Not knowing the history, I just had the transmission fluid and filter changed as well (not a flush). Changing the differential and transfer case fluids are on my list as well. When I drove it home I noticed the brakes felt a bit spongy so I flushed the brake system with Valvoline synthetic brake fluid and have a great pedal feel now. My scan tool allows me to activate the ABS pump and valves so I was able to get fresh fluid in that too.

-Rod

 

Good idea with the syn brake fluid.
And the trans fluid change.
As a side note, I used to own a 1994 T-Bird with a 4.6 2v V8. It was a great car, but I got the trans fluid changed with a pan drop every 50-60K because it started to shudder on an upshift. It never happened again as long as the fluid was changed regularly. It is now on it's 4th owner and he never takes care of a car. I saw him a while ago and told him about the shudders and to get the fluid changed sometime soon. He got it flushed, no pan drop, and now the tranny is failing. Probably stirred up particles and sent them through the trans. So of course he called the guy he bought it from and complained to him.
Live and learn.