Probably ought to post this in the V-10 forum, but I'll throw it out here first. We are out camping, and on the trip up here (UP of MI), the X ran smooth, but fuel mileage was off, and it struggled up hills on Rt 31 that it has flown right up in the past....No codes, and as I said, it ran smooth as always. Just seemed like the power was down.... Almost like I had the emergency brake on a little. Yet I even pulled over into a parking lot on a slight slope, and put it in neutral, and it started rolling, so everything is loose and smooth as it has been...

Bad gas? But it would run terrible then too, wouldn't it?
The trailer is loaded the way we always do, ie. no extra weight.....

What am I missing? Is the X just getting tired? Shouldn't, it only has 136k miles on it...

Bob

 

Let's keep it simple first (KISS) and go back to basics. Fuel filter? Air filter? Plugs? Are your hubs rotated to 4x4? Is only one rotated?

Trans fluid level correct?

I know you said it seemed to roll ok in neutral, but could your brakes be dragging anyway? Could the trailer brakes be dragging?

Do you have custom tunes?

Did you use a code reader to check for codes, or are you going by the SES light?

Stewart

 

Thanks Stewart. The X has a stock tune, and the plugs and ALL filters are fresh as of June. I tried unplugging the trailer once and it still felt the same. I have MileMaker manual hubs and they are unlocked. And I have my code reader with me and it shows nothing...

Without the trailer it feels OK.....

Bob

 

How is your trans fluid level?

Also, you said you unplugged the trailer and it still felt the same, but then you said without the trailer it feels ok. I'm a tad confused.

Stewart

 

Gotta run bro. Will check on the thread later tonight when I get home. Hopefully others will have chimed in by then.

Stewart

 

Did you fuel at your normal place or places? Gas can vary quite abit when it comes to additives different brands use. Did you check your mileage to see if it fell off any on this trip vs others? Headwind???

 

Usual place at home for the fill up. Checked the mileage oln the way up. Previously I had gotten 8.9 MPG pulling the camper up here in MI. This trip I got 7.1mpg. Weather was beautiful on the way up. 80 and sunny with zero wind.

Stewart, what I meant was that the X felt good without the 8,000 lbs behind it....

 

Our 95 351 truck all of a sudden lost 2mpg once. It still ran fine and all. Turned out an injector or more were slightly bad. After replacing the injectors and o2 sensor the mileage was right back up where it normally was. This was at 250K miles on the truck.

 

Did someone leave the windows open in the trailer?

Actually, I would lean toward the fuel being the culprit.

 

Bob:

When was the last time the trailer hubs were inspected? Several things may be going on with the trailer brakes.

• Check for dust being held in the hub area - doesn't take much brake dust to cause a drag on the brake shoes.
• Check closely for cracked shoes - One assembly on mine showed micro fractures all along the center shoe area after only 10,000 miles.
• Actually check for voltage being sent back to the brake electric line - install a temporary electric line for checking if you suspect stray current is getting to the brakes. Lots of places for a bit of voltage/current to be picked up - connections, umbilical line (prime suspect), trailer wire routing, and truck wiring to name a few.

Besides the brakes, carefully inspect the trailer tires while you have them off of the trailer...most trailer tire manufacturers recommend replacement of the trailer tires due to age issues after three to five years. Look closely for age cracks and any separation issues. Bad tires can really increase rolling resistance.

Make sure you turn the hubs while they are off - some mechanics and manufacturers recommend turning the hubs every year during inspection. Certainly turn them each brake change, more often if you are having trailer tire/brake issues. Most shops only charge 10 bucks per drum - make sure the shop has an adapter to properly center the drum - trailer drums tend to have a larger bearing bore than comparable size automobile drums.

Two other important items - check the air pressure in the tires before you start each trip, and every time you stop druing the trip place your hand on each tire and hub before they have a chance to cool down - "hand feel" temperatures will tell you a lot if something is going on with the rotating gear. It's always a good idea to do a full vehicle walk around and visual inspection during each stop, just add the "hand feel" to the tires - it will soon become a habit.

Have you ever pulled your rig through a CAT scale? For 20 bucks and an hour or so of your time you could really put your mind at ease - it's surprising how heavy some camping trailers can be - also a good opportunity to ensure the tires and/or the axles are not overloaded.

With all of the problems with the "ST" trailer tires recently a continuous read remote pressure/temperature system for the trailer/truck tires may be of interest. Prices on these systems are coming down and they are certainly cheaper than repairing damage caused to the trailer by a thrown tread.

Happy and safe camping - hope you find an easy and cheap solution to your issues.

 

Just go to your local grain elevator, they will probably do it for free.

 

the other terrible thing we dont even wanna think about though is the trans slipping. when i had my last tranny go it started slipping in all gears but i thought it was a loss in power...i replaced ALOT of stuff motor related that prolly didnt need to be touched then 3 days later the trans dropped out from under it. once i figured it out it made sense. a slight slip can come off as power loss. just an idea.

 

It`s the crappy mid-west gas! I had the exact same problem. I always used to get 7.5 mpg. towing my current trailer. this year on a trip up to Minocqua WI. I got 5.5mpg and the X was a dog. this has been a slowly worsening issue over the lasy couple of years. after that trip I replaced the plugs, cleaned the K&N, throttle body and on the next trip it still got the same mileage. I always used to run 87 octane in the X and it was never an issue. well I did some research and lots of other people had the same complaint. so on our next trip to the Smokey MTS. I ran 93 for the entire 1600 miles. guess what..... my mileage came back. I averaged 7mpg for the entire trip which included plenty of mountain hill driving. the problem is the ethanol they put in the gas to make it cleaner. sure it`s cleaner, but now you use more of it?! try using 93, I think you`ll be pleasantly surprised!

 

?? I'm confused. The 93 doesn't have ethanol?

 

Nope, not the good stuff. although some of the cheaper gas has the ethanol in it! and even if it did the higher octane rating of the 93 makes up for the presence of the ethanol! mine got to the point that on a small weekend trip, (it was the same before I did the maint. on the X) it had a hard time holding 60 with very little headwind and only got 5.5 mpg!!! this was with the pedal on the floor! then on our trip to the Smokies I ran 93 exclusively and avg. 7mpg for the entire trip. I could also accelerate up hill and hold 67mph without a problem with power to spare. the X runs good with no driveability problems. the only change was me running the 93. out west I believe it is easier finding fuel without ethanol.