# Unexpected change in TV



## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Egaads! You'll never believe what happened (well, maybe you can because of the Topic Title)









I'll ramble on for a while here - thanks for your patience.

I picked up my family and TT last Friday from the camp they were attending. Pulled the TT successfully for about 400 kms (240 miles). Parked it in the in-laws yard and set it up for sleeping. Everything is ok so far.

Saturday morning I started the TV to head to the store for some shopping. Started per normal and sounded good. Dropped her into drive and proceeded to head to the store. Still ok so far.

Finished at the first store, and started to drive to second store. That's when the trouble started. The engine started to behave like it was mis-firing or hesitating. Like it was going to stall. Initial reaction is to pop it into neutral and give it a bit of gas. That worked and it didn't stall. Dropped it back into drive and the hesitating happened again.









Strange, I thought.

Oh well, perhaps it's just bad gas. But, on second thought, if it was bad gas then the engine would behave the same whether it was in drive or not. Could it be worse? Nah, couldn't be because I just put $600 into the engine to repair a leaky intake manifold. Everything is suppose to be working great!









Little did I know.

Returned to the house and explained it to the wife. Decided to take her for a drive so she can experience it too.

It happened again, so dropped it into second gear. Was fine for a bit but then it hesitated again. Not looking too good here. We're thinking there's a transmission problem starting to appear. Lots of grabbing & slipping happening. Definately not good!

We decided to head to the local Ford dealership and just see what they have in used trucks. No harm in looking since looking is free, right? Ya, right.

Found a 2002 F150 SuperCrew with tow package and took it for a spin. Liked it!

Returned to dealership and mentioned to him that inorder for me to purchase it, I need to ensure it'll pull the Outback with confidence. He allowed me to take the truck for a test pull. Pretty nice considering he didn't know me at all. There's a bonus for dealing with small-town dealerships.

Test pull was successful. Before returning to the Ford dealership, we drove through the Chrysler lot to see what they had available. Went to their door to talk to a salesman but they were closed. Too bad for them, I guess... no sale today.

Returned to Ford and put in the offer. Salesman (Barry) said he could offer no more than $1,500 for my GMC (260,000 kms [156,000 miles] on it already).

But... I have 4 brand new LT235/75R15 tires on it worth over $600! And a new hitch, and a new brake controller. I was not too impressed.

To shorten the story abit, he said I could take the tires and whatever else I wanted. So I removed the hitch, brake controller, and wiring harness (left the stereo though).

So, bottom line is that I have a different TV. (updated signature picture still to come).

Whew. Thanks for reading this far.

It was an expensive weekend but I'm feeling very confident in the new TV and since it has 4 doors, the kids will have more leg room.

Jody


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## Jose Fernandez (Jun 22, 2004)

Welcome to the Ford family. I to have an F150 Supercrew (2003) and love it... Much more room, both front and back than my previous Nissan. The 5.4L engine has plenty of power, and pulls our 21RS with ease.

Enjoy.

Jose


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

LOL I think its Truck Month here at the Outbackers, last one to upgrade wins/loses! Congrats on your new rig.


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Going to pickup the kids and Outback this weekend (wife and I are kidless this week - oh what to do with all the time...)









Will provide an update when we return from vacation 1st week in August.


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Hey CC,

Sorry about the problems but congrats on getting the new TV. I stop at every dealership I see looking for a bigger TV.

I'm getting close but haven't found the right one yet.

Enjoy!


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

L2R,
I hope you're not forced into it like I was.

J


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Another Supercrew owner in the group









12000 miles so far and only problem was moonroof needed fixing and rear bumper replaced due to slight rusting under the chrome.

Ours has:
LT 265/70/17 tires
FX4 with skid plates and Rancho shocks
All leather front and back, captain's chairs in front
power moonroof
power sliding rear window
chrome nerf tubes
Bed Rug bed liner
ExTang Black Max tonneau cover
basically every option except the DVD system, because of the moonroof.

Absolutely love this vehicle.

Hope you have good luck with yours..










KS


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Hurricane,
I'm getting quite fond of the SuperCrew. Washed it and then went over it last night from bumper to bumper. It's got a lot of sportscar-type "getup 'n go" so I'll have to teach my foot to be a tad lighter on the pedal.


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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

We have the 03 Supercrew Lariat edition and love it. It pulls our 28RLS with no problems. We have had zero problems with it. All we've done is change the oil.


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## DANJOGAVINMO (Apr 17, 2004)

Congrats,

Try not to think back much on the reasons you had to switch and just enjoy the new truck! Having 4 doors + a bed to haul wood/bikes/etc is really a plus. I see a lot of supercrews towing these days.

Not sure if you have any tow mirrors yet. The slip-on CIPAs for typical F150 fit on my rig, but I can't find any permanent extend-a-mirrors that fit on a supercrew (there must be something different about how they mount to the doors).

Feel free to shoot me a line if you ever have any questions (does this happen to your truck, etc).

Danny


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Hi DANJOGAVINMO,
Thanks for willing to answer truck-related Q's I may have. Appreciate it!

So here's one to start with:
Looks like I have a very similar F150 to yours. Same gear ratio too. Since I haven't actually towed the 26RS yet (other than the quick test pull as mentioned above), I'll ask you this:

Do you click the OverDrive off while hiway driving?

FYI, I'll be going to the Outback dealer tonite to exchange the mirrors I bought for the '92 GMC for a '02 F150 set. They are willing to exchange them - nice folks!

Jody


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Hi

Congrats on the new rig and also the TV. You never did tell us kind kind of TV??









Thor


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Ok...add me to the NEW TRUCK CLUB! I spent a ton on a new rig myself. I went with the NISSAN TITAN. The CHEVY TAHOE Z 71 is off to be sold. It was fun checking out all the different brands of truck, but I went back to the first one I drove. With all the new hype about the TITAN beating the crap out of the BIG THREE in tests, I figured I'd give it a try. It's a very capable truck, and it's downright FUN TO DRIVE!


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Congrats Pete! Question is does it burn bio-rice diesel fuel























Nobody can say the Outbackers aren't doing their fair share to keep the economy going!

Campers, trucks, mods, oh my
Campers, trucks, mods, oh my
Campers, trucks, mods, oh my

Guess I better get my order in for the 2005 F350 pretty soon or my 03 Av will be old news.


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## DANJOGAVINMO (Apr 17, 2004)

Jody,

I definitely tow with O/D off. Seems like I run ~2400rpm at 65mph and can handle rolling interstate hills without downshifts. I have turned it on once to see how it would do, and it does shift down more frequently on small grades, so I chose to keep it off. i think most people would recommend towing with it off.

FYI, for steeper grades I usually end up downshifted to 2nd gear and running ~3200rpm or more to keep 55mph. I have never been >4000 rpm though.

The dealer told me when I got the truck that the computer will adjust tranny settings based on my driving style (over first few hundred miles). This apparantly gets reset when the battery is disconnected. I am not sure it would make much difference but it might help optimize shifts?? Might be worthwhile to unplug your battery and get the settings reset. If any other ford owners have a comment about this, please chime in, maybe the dealer was not telling me the truth, who knows.

danny


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Thor - it's a 2002 F150 supercrew (see signature). Seems to be very closely related to DANJOGAVINMO's. (except mine's silver with red fancy-pantsy splashes on the sides)

DANJOGAVINMO - thanks to you for the O/D insight. Will be driving that way. I read somewhere that the truck does have some type of tranny brain so perhaps I should disconnect the battery. Hope there's a Ford dealer/guru on this site that can help us with this question.

NDJollyMon - congrats on your new TV.

I tip my hat to you all for sharing your knowledge.









A funny thought occurred to me as I was at the Outback dealer tonite (exchanging the GMC mirrors for a set for the Ford): the parking lot was full of testosterone-filled trucks. Everything from an F150 (mine) to GMC 2500 HD's etc. ar ar arooo more power!

FYI - also upgraded my Voyager controller to the prodigy. Had to keep up with all you folks.







Installed it tonite but it was a tad painful drilling holes in the trim for the bracket.







But such is life.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Y-Guy said:


> Campers, trucks, mods, oh my
> Campers, trucks, mods, oh my
> Campers, trucks, mods, oh my


LOL







With two small girls here the Wizard of Oz reference didn't pass me by.









Now I'm suddenly feeling inadequate with a 5 year old truck


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

LOL Jim its one thing about the Stargate series I enjoy... the various Wiz of Oz references.

5 year old truck? What are you a rebel?


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## lukn2doit2 (Jun 4, 2004)

to funny! I had on 03 f150 s'crew. 5.4 3.73 lariat - LOVED IT - wife bought tahoe, and i felt we didn't need 2 big rigs, so i traded down to a nissan because the tahoe would pull the 21' great. THEN we took the saved monthly money and bought the outback 28' - then the tahoe was the weak link with the 3.42 rear - geezzzzzz

if i had the f150 and the 28rls i would have saved a LOT of money - live an learn though.

congrats CanadaCruizin.

y-guy... your running out of time!!! hahahaha (a startgate fan and an rv'er - i thought i was the only one)

California Jim hang tight if you can, I can't wait. I am SO FAR UPSIDE down, if I total the new truck, Ill have to take out a 2nd mortgage to pay off the difference!!! hahaha Just hope its worth it over the next few years of hopefully running around the U S of A.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I'm with you Jim,

My (read wife's) truck is an ancient 4 years old







, you all enjoy your new rides!!!

Mike


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## Ymryl (Mar 2, 2004)

> FYI - also upgraded my Voyager controller to the prodigy. Had to keep up with all you folks.


Ok, this has peaked my interest... Is the Prodigy really so much better than the Voyager that I should rush out and get one?
What is so great about it?

Paul teh what the hell, I'm already so far in the hole a few more bucks aint gonna make a difference...

(Hijacking another one Y-Guy







)


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Paul, I can't really make an educated answer here, as before I bought a controller, I did a lot of research and found the Prodigy to be thought of as the best out there, so that is what I bought. I've never towed with another, so the only comparisons I can make are third party. The prodigy is smooth, and the braking action is great. It is easy to set up, and can be mounted at angles of up to 70 degrees (Don't quote me on that one, I seem to remember that from the installation instructions though).

In all my research, I found no one actually says anything bad about the Prodigy.

Hope this helps.

Tim


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## lukn2doit2 (Jun 4, 2004)

Ymryl, I want to see a picture of that Armada hooked up to an outback!
As Tim said, I also can't say that much about Voyager to Prodigy. But I can speak LOADS from Envoy to Prodigy. Both had a type of inertia (thanks iespell) activated sensor - but the Prodigy was a million times better. So far after 3 long trips, I have only touched the prodigy 1 time to up the boost and then i turned it off 20m later.
Set it and forget it, I just look down to see the voltage change so I know it's working. (well worth the 100 + shipping and modular cable)
Thats my 2 centz.


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## Ymryl (Mar 2, 2004)

Thanks guys, I think I will start another thread to see what the others have to say about the Prodigy. Seeing as I have only used the Voyager that I am currently using, I have no idea if I really should be looking at spending more money on a unit that isn't may or may not do anything different for me. I mean, the Voyager does turn the trailer brakes on and off when they need to, what more should I really expect?









We're headed out this weekend to Old Orchard Beach in Maine, I'll snap some pictures when we get up to the campground. Haven't actually hooked up to the trailer yet, just transplanted the brake control (that was easy enough, just removed the 4-Runners connector and reconnected to the one that came with the Armada). The receiver is about 1/2" higher on the Armada than it was on the 4-Runner so I figured I would leave the hitch alone until I pull it next weekend. Kind of a pain in the butt to hook up and pull it up out of my driveway only to have to back it back down again...

I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of Jody (Canada Cruisin) and Jolly Mon's new vehicles (ok, especially Jolly Mon's because I really wanted a Titan...).


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

I upgraded from Voyager to Prodigy based on what I read on this site. Altho I haven't yet towed with the Prod, it was easy to install. I like the digital readout which replaces the Voyager's green -> orange -> red light.

Voyager has a mechanical thingy inside it (sorry if I'm getting to technical here - LOL) that pivots during braking. Prodigy is all digital; and self-levelling.

DANJOGAVINMO, last night I was working on mounting the prodigy. Where did you mount yours? I mounted mine in the middle, close to the floor, against the dash/trim. Seems to be close to the 70 degree max angle though. Screws didn't seem to grab all that well either. Hmmm, thinking I should of waited before drilling holes in the new truck!


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

CC,

That is about where my Prodigy is located, just left of center and low, had to bend the bracket a little to get it square to the dash.

I had it to the left of the steering wheel but my wife said she kept hitting her knees on it so I moved it.

Works perfect

KS


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