Well, on Oct 27th, I became the proud owner of a 2001 Expedition, and so far, I love it.

I have a few questions though.

The chrome ring on the front is broken and needs replacement, anyone know a supplier that sells them for a reasonable price? I found one, chromed grill and ring, all one piece ABS plastic for about $50, but they wanted to charge 65 for shipping, and 15 for handling.

Seats. Acording to the diagram here: Ford Truck Enthusiasts - 2001 Expedition Specifications

The XLT didn't have the option for twin captain's chairs in the front, but mine does have them. I have a console seperating both seats, the armrest top style.

How do I tell which model transmission I have?

On the radio, there's a button that says RDS....I hit it, and all it says is RDS off. What is it, and how do I get it to work if it's something useful?

I'm contemplating doing a simple body lift and getting heavier duty rubber, anyone here done a B/L before, and if so, what kind of clearances did you get with a 2" lift? Secondary to that, what is a good all terrain tire for the Expedition? I know on my Ram 1500, I'm running Goodyear ArmorTracs, and they're perfect for it.

That's it for now, though I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions later on as I keep poking around the Expo.

 

Welcome!

Which engine you have probably determines which transmission. If you have the 5.4L the trans is a 4R100 just like the Super Duty trucks. If you have the 4.6L it is probably the 4R70W. The 4R70 has a square pan, the 4R100 has a square pan with a corner cut off.

I comfortably fitted 285/70-17 tires to my Expy. I did use a 1" spacer on top of the rear springs to cure the saggy butt it came with. Other than that, the tires fit great. I personally do not care for the look of body lifts, and I dont think the truck needs one. These trucks have very limited suspension travel so you dont need to lift it to run 33" tall tires.

I dont have the answers to rest of your questions, so I will let others chime in. BTW, my '99 XLT has captains chairs with a console and armrests stock too.

 

I do have the 5.4L, so I guess it's the 4r100, I'll get under it and look later.

If I do the body lift, I planned on getting some longer shocks, but I probably will need the height, since I get to do a decent amount of off-road driving/dirt road driving in mine. (I love my job).

As for the captain's chairs, maybe the link I was looking at is just incorrect when it didn't show that as an option for the XLT trim level.

 

From page 38 of your owners manual: Radio data system (RDS) feature, This feature allows your audio system to receive station identification or program type from RDS-equipped FM radio stations. If you don't have an owners manual, it can be found here. http://www.motorcraftservice.com/pub.../01exdog1e.pdf

 

I really only use my Expy as a camping and travel rig. I have a company truck for weekday stuff. I have had it off-road quite a bit already, that is why I bought it.

The only reason to do a body lift is to fit larger tires. The only thing that increases clearance under the truck is the tire size. You can run a 33" tall tire on the truck without a body lift. To go to 35's or bigger you really need to do a suspension lift. That entails a whole lot more expense and sometimes drivability issues. That is also when you will need different shocks. There really isn't anything made for just a couple inches of lift on these trucks. It is stock or 4-6" lift. Longer shocks on a stock suspension really isn't going to work anyway. With 33's I have 11 inches under the front, and about 9 under the rear diff. That is plenty for just about anything these trucks should be into anyway.

If you just want to do a body lift for looks...well then, that is about the only good reason. It doesn't serve any function.

 

Ok, when I said more clearance, I didn't mean under body, I meant wheel well.

Bigger height tire=less space for it to move, unless you lift the body to compensate for the larger rubber. I would rather not be hearing my tires rubbing or bottoming out against the wells if I could avoid it.

Though, perhaps I was mistaken about this forum group. I think I shall take my leave of you all, and wish you pleasant journies to wherever life takes you.

 

Geeeez, what brought that on ? I thought the info we were providing was very helpful, and provided in a friendly fashion. I guess he read something he didn't like.

 

Happens a lot here. People ask questions when they think they already have the answers. Then when those of us with first hand experience try to offer help or suggestions they become offended.

I was going to further suggest he look at some of the pics I just posted in my galley of the Expy off road. I have had just about every wheel off the ground and the opposite one stuffed into the wheel well. There is no rubbing even on a 33" tall tire. Thats pretty good, and generally means you dont NEED a body lift, unless you WANT one. These trucks have VERY limited suspension travel by design.

Oh Well

 

He was getting good service. Happy trails.