Trouble With Towing Light Trailer
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From: nevada
slowing down?
Is your truck slowing down on the hills, and then not shifting to a lower gear? I have driven my brothers '03 V10 for several hours on trips to Canada pulling a fishing boat with 4 guys in it and the bed loaded with gear. With the cruise set at 75 it does just what it is supposed to do- on the hills it drops down a gear and runs at 75. Maybe a 'puter prob?
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The trailer weighs only 3500 lbs.....that's with quad and equipment and all....
When going up the incline, it will drop down in gear, (3200 rpm) but after about 100 yards, upshifts to 2800, another 100 yards up to 2200 rpms and I loose all power of course.....I hit the accelerator, same thing over and over....top speed maybe 50.
The dealer has had the truck since Dec. 11th....had the VDR (Vehicle Data Recorder) on it, got 4 good recordings, the dealer says "it's completely normal"....I've been advised by the State Bureau of Auto Repair to contact the District Service Manager for Ford, but the both the Dealer and the Ford Consumer Hot Line refuses to give me the name and number.....I already have a claim filed with Ford, (which is useless)....guess it's time to seek legal advice.
Very frustrating, but I refuse to give up!
When going up the incline, it will drop down in gear, (3200 rpm) but after about 100 yards, upshifts to 2800, another 100 yards up to 2200 rpms and I loose all power of course.....I hit the accelerator, same thing over and over....top speed maybe 50.
The dealer has had the truck since Dec. 11th....had the VDR (Vehicle Data Recorder) on it, got 4 good recordings, the dealer says "it's completely normal"....I've been advised by the State Bureau of Auto Repair to contact the District Service Manager for Ford, but the both the Dealer and the Ford Consumer Hot Line refuses to give me the name and number.....I already have a claim filed with Ford, (which is useless)....guess it's time to seek legal advice.
Very frustrating, but I refuse to give up!
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: North Dakota
Sometimes you need to drive a truck as they are to be driven, the truck is operating as intended. Everybody wants to tow a load without knwoing its back there. Its getting scary as I see more and more people that have no Idea how to tow a load towing 15klb campers and toy haulers just because they have a big truck. every body thinks just jump in and drive just like it a car. You need to remember your towing somthing. A 3500lb trailer is nothing for a V10, the fact that it's upshifting is that you don't have enough push on your throttle to keep it in gear, yes I realize if you push it to keep it in gear you'll be doing 80mph at the top of the hill. This is why you have the option to select your gears, just push your little OD butten and operate the truck as its to be operated, In 3rd gear under load!!! Sometimes you just need to use commen sense over what the truck does. remember your smarter than the truck, just keep saying that over and over.
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: North Dakota
sorry for the post if it come off a bit harsh, its been a long friday morning as I now have to work sat and sunday too, thats 21 days on with one day off!
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Yakima
I agree with SLE. Manually kick it out of OD. That small trailer is nothing to the V-10.
I'm jealous of your V-10 and am looking at one of them now, an '01 XLT SC with only 30K. Asking $17.5K for it. It's below KBB price (but dealer has all used below KBB).
I'm jealous of your V-10 and am looking at one of them now, an '01 XLT SC with only 30K. Asking $17.5K for it. It's below KBB price (but dealer has all used below KBB).
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From: USA
I agree, drop it out of overdrive and your problem will be solved. You're killing the transmission by letting it hunt back and forth between 3rd and overdrive. All the shifting heats up the trans and eventually it will retire early. Keeping it in overdrive on the hill by keeping your foot mashed in the throttle isn't a good idea either. Let it operate in a lower gear and the truck will thank you later in it's life.
The other concern mentioned above about the axle ratio is also a good one, especially if you have put oversize tires on the truck, which changes the effective axle ratio that the engine and tranny 'see'. A V10 truck with 3.73 axle ratio and 35" or bigger tires won't pull like a V10 truck should, more like a truck with a small-block due to the high (numerically low) effective ratio.
The other concern mentioned above about the axle ratio is also a good one, especially if you have put oversize tires on the truck, which changes the effective axle ratio that the engine and tranny 'see'. A V10 truck with 3.73 axle ratio and 35" or bigger tires won't pull like a V10 truck should, more like a truck with a small-block due to the high (numerically low) effective ratio.
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Guess I should clarify a few things....
Before going up the hill, I take it out of OD, and have also shifted into 2nd which I have put the throttle all the way to the floor, absolutely no response, no power. Have driven up hills and just before I get to the top, have no power, doing 30 mph and transmission won't shift at all with OD off.
With VDR installed on truck, can go up an incline twice with shifting problem, turn back around, go back up incline again and truck shifts perfect. Turn around, go up incline again, transmission won't shift at all.
I agree with 99f350sd, have been told it could be bad torque converter....when mentioned to the dealer, they say "No, all the lights and whistles would go off it was bad converter"......
I should mention, the truck has only 24,000 miles on it. Can put a quad, camping gear (loaded down in bed) and the truck shifts perfect, and yes, it will go 80mph if I want to when not towing.
Seems to be only when towing. Truck has 3.73 ratio, stock factory tires.
To answer the question about elevation and steepness, this is on the "Grapevine" between Los Angeles and Bakersfield - 50 miles of steady uphill with a top elevation of 4400 feet.
Before going up the hill, I take it out of OD, and have also shifted into 2nd which I have put the throttle all the way to the floor, absolutely no response, no power. Have driven up hills and just before I get to the top, have no power, doing 30 mph and transmission won't shift at all with OD off.
With VDR installed on truck, can go up an incline twice with shifting problem, turn back around, go back up incline again and truck shifts perfect. Turn around, go up incline again, transmission won't shift at all.
I agree with 99f350sd, have been told it could be bad torque converter....when mentioned to the dealer, they say "No, all the lights and whistles would go off it was bad converter"......
I should mention, the truck has only 24,000 miles on it. Can put a quad, camping gear (loaded down in bed) and the truck shifts perfect, and yes, it will go 80mph if I want to when not towing.
Seems to be only when towing. Truck has 3.73 ratio, stock factory tires.
To answer the question about elevation and steepness, this is on the "Grapevine" between Los Angeles and Bakersfield - 50 miles of steady uphill with a top elevation of 4400 feet.
Last edited by lightfoot1950; Jan 28, 2005 at 07:21 PM.
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: NE Indiana
Either take it to another dealer/ tranny shop, or demand the original shop that they get another tech from Dearborn to figure it out. It should not even show any signs of the hill with the v 10....
What a crock.
Get another v 10 with the service manager and go up grapevine, then take him with yours (loaded as spec'd)
D
What a crock.
Get another v 10 with the service manager and go up grapevine, then take him with yours (loaded as spec'd)
D
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To DennisT
This is the 3rd dealer I've had it to....the dealer I bought it from.....all we're getting is the run-around,
Last night they told me the Ford engineer will be out of town (back in Detroit) for training for 3 weeks and to come pick up the truck....
I would give anything to get either their tech or the engineer to go with me up the vine or similar grade, but all I get is excuses.....
I'm trying like hell to get in touch with the District Service Manager, but the dealer is trying to get me to give up.....excuse after excuse.....very frustrating. Saying this is normal, I drive a 250 all day at work- it does not perform like this at all.....the reason I bought this 250 with a V10 is to be able to pull pretty much what I need....but this one can't even pull a 15' toybox!
This truck was designed to pull 11,000 lbs, doesn't want to pull 3500! I should also mention that when the truck was new - the shift solenoid went out at 900 miles!
This is the 3rd dealer I've had it to....the dealer I bought it from.....all we're getting is the run-around,
Last night they told me the Ford engineer will be out of town (back in Detroit) for training for 3 weeks and to come pick up the truck....
I would give anything to get either their tech or the engineer to go with me up the vine or similar grade, but all I get is excuses.....
I'm trying like hell to get in touch with the District Service Manager, but the dealer is trying to get me to give up.....excuse after excuse.....very frustrating. Saying this is normal, I drive a 250 all day at work- it does not perform like this at all.....the reason I bought this 250 with a V10 is to be able to pull pretty much what I need....but this one can't even pull a 15' toybox!
This truck was designed to pull 11,000 lbs, doesn't want to pull 3500! I should also mention that when the truck was new - the shift solenoid went out at 900 miles!
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: NE Indiana
Our lemon law is 3 times for the same problem, or 4 weeks out of service reguardless and they buy it back.
IF you can stick to your guns, threaten to fill the bed with lemons, and you will park it on their lot or across the street for however long it takes. My dad did this @ Dearborn in 1989 +- and call Bill Bonds at channel 7 news in Detroit and it took oh say 1 hour and he was at the dealer picking out his new truck. (no kidding, I learned alot from him, Ford has bought 2 back from me)
I get the loaner car and will not return it until the vehicle is fixed! They threatened me here in Ft Wayne, IN with calling the cops, but alas, the cop said hey fix his truck or he has the right to keep the loaner!
So the 2002 got bought back at retail due to the gas pedal hesitation, which only happened after they flashed my computer. My 04 has a padlock on the obd port under the dash so it cannot be flashed unless I let them. They do not like me to say the least... in the service dept anyway.
IF you can stick to your guns, threaten to fill the bed with lemons, and you will park it on their lot or across the street for however long it takes. My dad did this @ Dearborn in 1989 +- and call Bill Bonds at channel 7 news in Detroit and it took oh say 1 hour and he was at the dealer picking out his new truck. (no kidding, I learned alot from him, Ford has bought 2 back from me)
I get the loaner car and will not return it until the vehicle is fixed! They threatened me here in Ft Wayne, IN with calling the cops, but alas, the cop said hey fix his truck or he has the right to keep the loaner!
So the 2002 got bought back at retail due to the gas pedal hesitation, which only happened after they flashed my computer. My 04 has a padlock on the obd port under the dash so it cannot be flashed unless I let them. They do not like me to say the least... in the service dept anyway.