2002 F150 Towing Issues
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5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2020
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2002 F150 Towing Issues
I have a 2002 F150 XLT with the 5.7L engine. According to the seller, it has the towing package installed. It was used to pull a 5th wheel. It has 40k miles on it. I recently took a trip up into the mountains, approximately 125 miles. I was only towing a 1400 lb trailer and it was having issues going up hills. It wouldn't go over 50 mph and I'd have to floor it to get it to shift. Transmission fluid level is good and the fluid doesn't smell burnt. Shouldn't this truck have more power going up hills?
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2019
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Depends on the size of the grade of the hills and I didn't know they had a Chevy engine in your truck. The Ford had a 5.4L and Chevy had a 5.7L that year.
Now was the trailer a camper or a car hauling type? The camper has a big front wind sail that catches the wind and will pull you down. So how much stuff did you put into the camper if it was a camper as every little bit of stuff adds up more weight to the empty weight of the 1400 lb trailer?
The transmission will not shift out under a load as it thinks it is doing its job by the RPMs and all that. You have around 330HP and the torque is not that great either on these engines.
Now was the trailer a camper or a car hauling type? The camper has a big front wind sail that catches the wind and will pull you down. So how much stuff did you put into the camper if it was a camper as every little bit of stuff adds up more weight to the empty weight of the 1400 lb trailer?
The transmission will not shift out under a load as it thinks it is doing its job by the RPMs and all that. You have around 330HP and the torque is not that great either on these engines.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Brentwood,CA
I have a 2002 F150 XLT with the 5.7L engine. According to the seller, it has the towing package installed. It was used to pull a 5th wheel. It has 40k miles on it. I recently took a trip up into the mountains, approximately 125 miles. I was only towing a 1400 lb trailer and it was having issues going up hills. It wouldn't go over 50 mph and I'd have to floor it to get it to shift. Transmission fluid level is good and the fluid doesn't smell burnt. Shouldn't this truck have more power going up hills?
It's a 5.4 with 260hp new. There is also a great chance the spark plugs are well past due for a change as heavy use tends to erode the plug gap. The truck should be able to do well past 50 with that trailer. However you need to stay in the engines powerband. It's normal on hills to run modular engines 4-5k rpms as you need to be in the powerband.
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5th Gear
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It's a 5.4 with 260hp new. There is also a great chance the spark plugs are well past due for a change as heavy use tends to erode the plug gap. The truck should be able to do well past 50 with that trailer. However you need to stay in the engines powerband. It's normal on hills to run modular engines 4-5k rpms as you need to be in the powerband.
Ah, got it. RPM's might have had something to do with it as I didn't rev it up past 3-3.5k rpms. Pardon my ignorance as I've never towed anything or had this large of a truck for that matter. What is redline (or is there such a thing) on these engines?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Brentwood,CA
At 3500 rpms you wondered holding it back and lugging it. It was probably also trying to upshot which further hurts you. You effectively can run these engines foot to the floor for sustained periods without damage. These engines need to Rev and don't be scared to use the pedal.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2019
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What irks me is that 5th wheel idea. It’s not all that easy to find a truly 1/2-ton towable 5th wheel. So, it’s possible the fluid was flushed before the sale and issues may have been hidden. A basically 20-year old truck will have some wear and tear on it. A typical 5er that’s way beyond a 10th Gen’s capacity accelerates that process.
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John Wacker
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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