Trip advice
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2013
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Trip advice
Hello,
I’ve been inactive on the forum for the last couple of years and my wife wants to dust off the excursion and take it for a trip to Park City ,UT in December. I’m driving from Los Angeles where I was born and raised. on to my question.
what advice can you guys give on prepping the Truck for the trip so I can bring the family back safely.
thanks in advance for any advice or info.
regards
Lou
I’ve been inactive on the forum for the last couple of years and my wife wants to dust off the excursion and take it for a trip to Park City ,UT in December. I’m driving from Los Angeles where I was born and raised. on to my question.
what advice can you guys give on prepping the Truck for the trip so I can bring the family back safely.
thanks in advance for any advice or info.
regards
Lou
Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Probably would advise doing the usual as with any vehicle. Check the fluids, change the oil, maybe tire rotation and/or balance. As long as no major issues were present before storing it, its likely in a similar state. Only thing to be weary of is any electrical gremlins from mice getting at it, or if the battery died and the computers might get angry. Other than that its probably not far from being ready to go as is.
Veteran/Sheepdog
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 6,047
Likes: 110
From: Western AR
- Tire condition and pressures first and foremost.
- Coolant condition and level
- Oil condition and level
- Power steering fluid condition and level
- brake fluid flushed and replaced completely
- condition of drive belt and pulleys
- condition of fuel filter checked
- check trans fluid level
- batteries load tested for free at local automotive store
- alternator checked for free at local automotive store
Should be good after above.
- Coolant condition and level
- Oil condition and level
- Power steering fluid condition and level
- brake fluid flushed and replaced completely
- condition of drive belt and pulleys
- condition of fuel filter checked
- check trans fluid level
- batteries load tested for free at local automotive store
- alternator checked for free at local automotive store
Should be good after above.
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 322
Likes: 35
From: Chicago
I was in a similar position last July when I took my '02 Exc V10 4x4 to Denver from Chicago on a family trip. I did all the things mentioned previously -- even had my mechanic put on new Michelins and check out truck for any obvious issues before the long haul. The truck's PO was a mechanic who only drove it in the summer to tow his RV, so it didn't see much winter use. Kept it garaged and trickle-charged for 14 winters in a row, accumulated only 103k miles. Always serviced it like a fanatic. I thought it was going to be a trouble-free trip.
Instead my driveshaft went out-of-balance after a sprint past 90 MPH in Colorado, shredding the driveshaft boot, spraying grease all over the rear underside and causing some trans leaks. Game over. The truck went to the Ford Dealer in Denver and we rented an F-250 crew cab to get back home.
My point is: you might want to have your driveshaft balanced and u-joints inspected/greased. I hear some guys on this forum do it as part of regular maintenance every handful of years.
Godspeed and travel safe!
Instead my driveshaft went out-of-balance after a sprint past 90 MPH in Colorado, shredding the driveshaft boot, spraying grease all over the rear underside and causing some trans leaks. Game over. The truck went to the Ford Dealer in Denver and we rented an F-250 crew cab to get back home.
My point is: you might want to have your driveshaft balanced and u-joints inspected/greased. I hear some guys on this forum do it as part of regular maintenance every handful of years.
Godspeed and travel safe!
Laughing Gas
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 855
Likes: 40
From: SoCal
Ditto on all the advice from others. Specially Little Radio's advice on the drive shaft. I drove my Ex cross country this past summer and had my driveshaft rebuilt as preventive maintenance. The shop that did the work said my shaft was on it's last legs because of play inside the u-joints. It would probably have failed on a long road trip. Also how many miles does your truck have on it? Hows your fuel pump?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 880
Likes: 13
From: Northcentral Wisconsin
Only things I can add are the brake pads, calipers like to stick. They can be cleaned and grease the pins IIRC. Buy some Seafoam and use it the first couple tanks of gas. Have a nice trip. Every time you get out of the EX, glance at the tires. A lot of times you can pull a nail or something out before it pushes in far enough to leak.
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Senior User
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I do really appreciate the advice, you guys are a godsend. I will compile all of this into a checklist and get it done before we leave.
That said I’ve always had issues with brakes wearing uneven. I will make sure to address that as well. Thanks for reminding me.
last thing, I’ve heard legends about this crazy stuff they call snow, what recommendations do you guys have? Buy chains or get a used set of rims for snow tires.
Is a engine block heater something I should worry about? Is the ford one good enough or should I look at something else? Man I just looked at the weather in Park City and saw 9 degrees next week, man am I scared. I think the coldest I ever felt was Vegas in winter 30-40 maybe.
I have over 300k on the odo. I don’t know if my profile still shows my truck info. I will try to update that as well.
That said I’ve always had issues with brakes wearing uneven. I will make sure to address that as well. Thanks for reminding me.
last thing, I’ve heard legends about this crazy stuff they call snow, what recommendations do you guys have? Buy chains or get a used set of rims for snow tires.
Is a engine block heater something I should worry about? Is the ford one good enough or should I look at something else? Man I just looked at the weather in Park City and saw 9 degrees next week, man am I scared. I think the coldest I ever felt was Vegas in winter 30-40 maybe.
I have over 300k on the odo. I don’t know if my profile still shows my truck info. I will try to update that as well.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 1,667
Likes: 182
As long as the block heater is functional, no need to worry about replacing. I'd plug it in overnight and see if you have temperature on the gauge. You can also sometimes hear them start to crackle when you plug them in. I'd make sure the plug is serviceable first. I had a case where an old plug had worn through the insulation (from flopping in the wind likely).
Make sure your 4WD works correctly before you get up there. You should be able to get it into 4 hi and low and feel the tires grabbing on dry pavement when turning corners. As to snow tires or chains, I'd say chains aren't a bad idea to have in the truck. Generally, if you've got good tread on the tires and you take it slow but deliberate, you shouldn't have any issues. You may find yourself running around in 4H most of the time, especially on snowpacked roads. Don't forget that 4WD doesn't help you stop. I find that in slick conditions with an auto, I'll kick it up in neutral when coming to a stop. Without drive pressure, stopping becomes a whole lot easier (at least that's how I see it).
Make sure your 4WD works correctly before you get up there. You should be able to get it into 4 hi and low and feel the tires grabbing on dry pavement when turning corners. As to snow tires or chains, I'd say chains aren't a bad idea to have in the truck. Generally, if you've got good tread on the tires and you take it slow but deliberate, you shouldn't have any issues. You may find yourself running around in 4H most of the time, especially on snowpacked roads. Don't forget that 4WD doesn't help you stop. I find that in slick conditions with an auto, I'll kick it up in neutral when coming to a stop. Without drive pressure, stopping becomes a whole lot easier (at least that's how I see it).
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