Truck Maintenance Tips for long trip

[Shokyle1]

I always just go off the computer it will adjust the interval as necessary

[Boze]

I would have both TV and trailer checked out real well. Have TV shocks changed if over 40,000 miles. Have tranny checked and serviced. Change coolant. Check brakes and replace if over 30,000 miles. Your battery should be good for a few more years. Check tire tread wear and replace with the best tires you can afford if less than 60% tread left. Do a light check. But a spare fuse kit. Have the wheel alignment done and the suspension components checked. Have u-joints checked. Outfit a decent tool box for the truck and the trailer. Take extra cash. Consider a second spare tire/wheel for trailer. Have someone go to your house at least 2x per week to get mail, mow lawn, etc. Home lights on timers? Maybe have mail held up at PO if no one can collect it. Make a pre-trip checklist.


Have fun!

[Tireman9]

If you change oil yourself I would do it before the trip. Might save you $50. If you run 100% synthetic might be OK for entire trip then change once you get home.


My Chevy has a dash indicator on oil "life" and made Ohio> Oregon> Calgary> Yellowstone >Ohio in 7 weeks and oil life still OK.

[CaptainVideo]

We get 10 to 12mpg while traveling in INdiana. I’m sure it will go down when we hit the mountains.

[Wireman]

Originally Posted by CaptainVideo

This summer we're heading out for our first long RV trip - Indianapolis to Seattle and back. We'll take about a month and cover 8,000 to 9,000 miles. We have a 2106 Ford 150 3.5 Lariat with towing package. We're towing a Whitehawk 29'. Do we need to change oil more often? Whatelse?

How many miles on your truck? How many towing miles?

If it's over 50K I would seriously consider changing the transmission fluid & filter.

Towing is hard on the tranny and there is no such thing as a lifetime tranny fluid as so many manufacturers state, especially when used as a tow vehicle.


Not cheap but a heck of a lot cheaper than a new tranny or rebuild.

[RogerR]

I only saw one mention of the air filter. Make sure it is a good quality one and if it is not bright white and has been in for a while go ahead and change it. Long trips and lots of roads may be dusty and a engine that can't breath will not perform well. I agree, a good synthetic change and inspect everything. Rotate your tires before you leave and maybe again halfway due to heavy wear on the rears.

[Johnnymailman]

Originally Posted by Boze

I would have both TV and trailer checked out real well. Have TV shocks changed if over 40,000 miles. Have tranny checked and serviced. Change coolant. Check brakes and replace if over 30,000 miles. Your battery should be good for a few more years. Check tire tread wear and replace with the best tires you can afford if less than 60% tread left. Do a light check. But a spare fuse kit. Have the wheel alignment done and the suspension components checked. Have u-joints checked. Outfit a decent tool box for the truck and the trailer. Take extra cash. Consider a second spare tire/wheel for trailer. Have someone go to your house at least 2x per week to get mail, mow lawn, etc. Home lights on timers? Maybe have mail held up at PO if no one can collect it. Make a pre-trip checklist.


Have fun!

Pretty much sums it up. Anything that has half or less of its life left, brake pads, tread, battery, and such, for that length of trip. The transmission fluid change that was mentioned, might get a few comments on here though. See all the threads on that topic lol.

[Atlee]

I will add to my earlier post, and reiterate what some earlier posters said.

I had nearly 50k miles on my truck before we went on our 8900 mile tour of the Rockies and northern plains. I decided, even though the maintenance schedule for my F150 3.5Eb engine didn't call for new plugs until much later, to have the plugs changed.

Also, knowing that braking was going to be doubly important in the Rockies, especially pulling the trailer, I had heavy duty brake pads installed. Again, I figured better safe than sorry.

[Bill Johnson]

Just wondering I have the V10 and a 35.5 foot motorhome I only get 8 mpg at 75mph, the engine is still new though

[Will P]

Jeez, Boze, I wish I had that much money ! Now we are talking about tow vehicles. I have no expertise in motorhomes however I think my answer would be the same: change the oil, and filters according to the manufactures sever duty recommendation. Motor oils in this day and age have all the additives needed to go the distance that the mfg. recommends Check your fluid levels frequently on you trip and relax, enjoy your trip.

[Atlee]

I sort of agree with you. Some of that may amount to overkill.

However, one area I tend to agree with Boze. Brakes. When negotiating the Rockies, I want my brakes to be in absolutely tip top shape. The brakes on my 2014 F150 seemed to be doing fine in 2018, although they were getting closer to time to replace the pads.

Because I was going to the Rockies, I had the old pads replaced with heavy duty ones.

I also know it was early according to Ford requirements, but I figured why not change out the plugs while I was at it. Some people recommend changing them every 50k miles anyway.

Originally Posted by Will P

Jeez, Boze, I wish I had that much money ! Now we are talking about tow vehicles. I have no expertise in motorhomes however I think my answer would be the same: change the oil, and filters according to the manufactures sever duty recommendation. Motor oils in this day and age have all the additives needed to go the distance that the mfg. recommends Check your fluid levels frequently on you trip and relax, enjoy your trip.

[skids]

Originally Posted by Atlee

(snip)

Also, knowing that braking was going to be doubly important in the Rockies, especially pulling the trailer, I had heavy duty brake pads installed. Again, I figured better safe than sorry.

How did your ecoboost do decending the interstate passes? Did you do Vail pass?

[Atlee]

Didn't do Vail. In fact I avoided I-70 in Colorado.

My biggest problems were in national parks. There are some steep inclines and declines. To maintain speeds and not have to break a lot, I was down in 2nd gear sometimes, and the rpms were 3500 to 4000. Biggest problem w/ 3.5 EB is lack of engine braking.

Originally Posted by skids

How did your ecoboost do decending the interstate passes? Did you do Vail pass?

[cekkk]

The OP knows what condition his truck is in. Good tires, good brakes, have a good time. Save all that money to cover a problem you hadn't anticipated. As Boze established you can spend a ton of money trying to cover all the bases. But you can still be surprised. Remember Murphy's Law.

[skids]

Originally Posted by Atlee

Didn't do Vail. In fact I avoided I-70 in Colorado.

(snip) To maintain speeds and not have to break a lot, I was down in 2nd gear sometimes, and the rpms were 3500 to 4000. Biggest problem w/ 3.5 EB is lack of engine braking.

Yes, that is my biggest fear. My 3.5 eco speeds up going down grades with no load!.

[cekkk]

In lower gears?

[skids]

Originally Posted by cekkk

In lower gears?

No, but more so that my other Dodge truck.

[cekkk]

We lived in Colorado for about 18 years. Our home's elevation was 9000'. So we had plenty of downhill driving every time we left the house. Brakes are for stopping, gears are for holding back. Oversimplified, but something for those unfamiliar with mountain driving might keep in mind.

[skids]

Originally Posted by cekkk

We lived in Colorado for about 18 years. Our home's elevation was 9000'. So we had plenty of downhill driving every time we left the house. Brakes are for stopping, gears are for holding back. Oversimplified, but something for those unfamiliar with mountain driving might keep in mind.

I am quite familiar with mountain driving. My house is at 8800 ft elevation. I have not yet towed our new trailer with the 3.5L ecoboost (accept to get it home), but I can tell you that engine braking is not what your truck in the tagline will achieve. I will be hooking a low gear when descending Vail Pass, but acceleration due to the turbos is much different than deceleration using enging braking with a 3.5L 6 cylinder. I am just trying to get a feel by asking those with similar equipment.

[Atlee]

It will work, just have to get used to using even lower gears that if it were a huge gas V8 under the hood.

As mentioned earlier, during my travels in the Rockies, especially inside the national parks, sometimes I'd be down in 2nd gear. But it generally held my speed down to where I wanted it to be. Sometimes my speed would begin to creep up beyond what I wanted. When it did, I'd just brake hard to 5 or more mph below what speed I wanted to maintain, get off the brakes, and let the engine wind up to 4k plus rpm. If my speed creep too high, I'd repeat the braking process.

Originally Posted by skids

I am quite familiar with mountain driving. My house is at 8800 ft elevation. I have not yet towed our new trailer with the 3.5L ecoboost (accept to get it home), but I can tell you that engine braking is not what your truck in the tagline will achieve. I will be hooking a low gear when descending Vail Pass, but acceleration due to the turbos is much different than deceleration using enging braking with a 3.5L 6 cylinder. I am just trying to get a feel by asking those with similar equipment.