Straight talk from the TL tech team

Overdrive, or Not?

I recently traded pickup trucks, from a 1990 Chevy full-size to a new 2000 Chew Silverado. It's used to tow a 27-- foot travel trailer and has the Vortec 6000 engine. My new truck has a four-speed automatic with D, 3, 2,1 gear positions, plus on the shift lever there is a TOW/HAUL button. Can I be safe using just the TOW/HAUL button or should I drop gears from D to 3 also? I haven't towed yet with this truck; it's still going through the break-in period.

RICK GERBER

ROANOKE, ILLNOIS

Your truck's owners manual states that it's OK to taw in overdrive with this model. It also mentions that if the transmission starts to downshift and then upshift frequently (we call that shift "busyness" or "hunting") that you should downshift to third. You can use the TOW/HAUL position if you like. It will lock out overdrive most of the time and may reduce your fuel economy somewhat. In the flat Midwest it may not be necessary.-K. F.

Loose Axle Lug Nuts

I have a 2000 30-foot Sierra by Forest River with 15-inch chrome wheels and chrome lug nuts. I pulled the unit home from the dealer, and wanted to check the lug nuts before my first trip. At least two lug nuts on one wheel and three lug nuts on another were not even finger tight. I thought this was a dealer mistake, but after approximately 200 miles, I checked them again and the same thing happened. I have pulled the unit about 1,000 miles since January and every 200-- 300 miles the lug nuts are very loose, finger tight or less. I torque them to 95 ftlb-I don't want to over-tighten them, as this can be a bad thing, too. Is this the problem? Or is it the chrome on chrome, lug nuts on steel wheels? What can I or what should I do to keep them tight?

DAVE KAUFFMAN JR.

VIA E-MAIL

You're doing the right thing by checking the lug nuts every few hundred miles, Dave, but they shouldn't be coming as loose as you've described. The problem you have is the slippery chrome-on-chrome effect of using chrome lug nuts and chrome steel wheels. Both are slick surfaces, and they just don't provide enough grab for the nuts to stay tight.

Forest River doesn't offer chrome wheels on your type of trailer; so they must have been a dealer-installed or aftermarket item. There's nothing inherently wrong with using chrome parts, but there's a bit of preparation involved. It's important to burnish or "rough up" the chrome on the conical mating surfaces so they're not so slippery, which gives some "tooth" for the lug nuts to grab on the wheels. In your case, it seems like the burnishing didn't take place yet. Take the trailer back to your dealer; its service department should be able to handle this task for you. J.J.

Yet Another Stalling Dodge?

This is in reference to 'Stalling Dodge' in the January issue. I also own a Dodge Dakota 3.9-liter V6 with 116,000 miles (a 1992 model). We also started experiencing a stalling and backfiring problem only when we slowed to tum or stop at a traffic light. We also took it to a dealer, but it would not act up for the dealer. It finally got so bad that we told the dealer to just to let it idle in the shop and eventually it would mess up, which it did. The problem was in the distributor. Apparently, there is a plate inside that is held in place with three rivets. On my truck these rivets had become loose, allowing the timing to change at low idle, which would cause backfire or stalling. Please forward this to Ron Buechs in Canton, Michigan.

CRAIG RICKENBACK

VIA E-MAIL

Thanks for the note, Craig. This is one I haven't heard of in this application, so I'll pass it along to everyone as another item for the memory bank.-K.F.

Balky Fifth-Wheel Jacks

I have a 1987 Sunnybrook 27-foot fifth-wheel trailer, and I can't lower the landing jacks unless the trailer is connected to the truck. I've checked all the fuses and they're good. Everyone keeps telling me to check the fuses, but it has to be more than that. Do you have any suggestions?

RAY TERRY

VIA E-MAIL

Initially, it seems as if your trailer battery is weak, Ray, with the jade only working when the truck is connected and the jacks draw on the truck's 12-volt battery and charging system. If the rest of your fifth-- wheel's 12-volt DC appliances work fine, then most likely the battery is charged, but the circuit breaker for the jacks has been tripped and needs to be reset.

Look for a 4x4-inch junction box near the gooseneck frame-and jack area of your fifth-- wheel (it's the junction box that the trailer plug wire leads into). There's a circuit breaker inside that box, along with a heavy-gauge power wire from the trailer battery The trailer battery line routes through the circuit breaker and on to the jacks, while the 12-volt DC power Line from the truck bypasses the circuit breaker and goes directly to the jacks. A tripped circuit breaker disconnects the jacks from the trailer battery but leaves them connected to the truck circuit.

There's a small pin on the circuit breaker that's located either on the face, near the screws, or in the end. Push that pin in, which may require a small pointed object such as a pencil tip, and you should now have power to the jacks. If in doubt, contact the trailer manufacturer at (219) 825-- 5250 for more information, or a referral to a Sunnybrook dealer near you. J.J.

Radiator Riddle

I purchased a 2000 model Ford F-150 standard cab that's equipped with the 5.4-liter V8, automatic transmission, 6,300-pound gvwr package and the factory Class III towing group, which includes the super engine cooling/auxiliary transmission oil cooler. Since 1975, I've purchased three trucks and I made sure that I purchased all the equipment needed for the maximum cooling available for each vehicle (I had a bad experience with a 1975 Ford E-250 van that overheated badly in stop-and-go driving).

The day after my truck purchase, I was comparing a 1999 Ford F 150 (with the same equipment) to my 2000 F-150, and I was quite surprised to see that my truck had a single-core radiator and the '99 F-- 150 had a two-core radiator. I wondered if my truck was properly equipped, so I checked a couple of other 2000 F-150s on the dealer's lot and they had the same single-row radiator. I'm very concerned that my truck has a smaller radiator than the '99 version and would like to find out why

BOB WALKER

MOUNT PLEASANT, TEXAS

According to Ford engineering, for the 2000 model year, the two-raw radiator was replaced with a one-row radiator on all V-8 F-150s with the trailer-towing package. The two-raw radiator in 1999 consisted of two 26mm-thick cores with 40 fins per decimeter (fpd) density. The radiator for 2000 is a one-row, 36mm-thick core with 60 fpd density. It's a new core that is still thicker than the base model and has greater fin density and (according to Ford engineering) has equivalent cooling performance to the two-raw radiator it replaces.-K.F.

Ford Bed-Height Reduction

During the last year or so I have read about many late-model Ford pickups having beds too high to accommodate some fifth-wheels.

I'm a happy owner of a 1997 F 350 crew cab 4WD truck. However, we're about to buy our first fifth-wheel, and my truck bed is too high. I read about a kit that provides all the parts to lower the truck. I'd rather lower the truck than raise the trailer, due to center of gravity matters and all.

RICH SZYMKOWSKI

VIA E-MAIL

This question keeps raising its head, Rich, so we repeat the data now and then. Go to your Ford dealership and have the service representative refer to Technical Service Bulletin no. 99-9-5. An earlier TSB, no. 98-17-2, covered the same subject. These refer specifically to 1999 Ford trucks built through 2-14-99, but the general procedures would also apply to your truck, since the rear suspension arrangements are very similar. You may need some slightly different part numbers than those listed in the Ford TSB, but it's really a simple project.

Don't completely discard the possibility of raising your fifth-wheel a bit. Adding perhaps 3 or 4 inches to its ride height at the axles won't affect stability and handling enough to be noticed under most driving conditions, and if the truck-lowering project doesn't give you enough gooseneck clearance, raising the trailer may be a viable option. Just be sure the work is done by a reputable shop with qualified mechanics.-J.J..

Ford Won't Crank

I would appreciate your help with a truck-starting problem that is unresolved. Our rig is a 1988 Ford F-150 pickup truck pulling a Nash 1997 19B trailer. The truck has a 5.8-liter V-8 engine, air conditioning and a factory-installed trailer-towing package. Our problem occurs when we stop for gas and turn off the engine after the truck has been pulling the trailer at highway speeds for an hour or more. After filling the tanks, the truck won't start. The starter motor can't seem to turn the engine over due to some large load. If we wait 15 to 30 minutes, the truck will start. We usually don't use the air conditioner so that isn't a factor. I have found if I open the hood while waiting, the period is shortened. When the truck is driven without the trailer, we have no problem. It seems the engine heat is related to the problem. I don't see others with trailers waiting after pumping gas. Can you help me sort out this problem?

ROY CHAPEL

VIA E-MAIL

This type of problem usually affects older General Motors V-8 engines, but is seen occasionally on Fords. Typically, the starter becomes "heat soaked" right after the engine shuts dawn, when air circulation stops.

Often, as the starter ages it draws more current, especially when hot. I recommend that you have a starter current draw test done when the engine is cold and then when it's hot. If the starter current is within specs, install a heat shield to insulate the starter from the exhaust manifold heat. Make sure it's made of non flammable material and doesn't rub the wiring.-K.F.

More Power, Please I am new to fifth-wheeling and need some help. I pull a 25-foot trailer with a 1990 Chevrolet three-quarter-- ton pickup that's powered by a 5.7-liter V-8 and four-speed automatic with over-- drive. On level roadways I have no problems, but uphill my rig will slow down sometimes below 40 mph. I would like to know what I can do to increase horse-- power without changing to a larger engine or spending a small fortune.

ROBERT SUMMERS

KALISPELL, MONTANA

It seems like everyone with big blocks wants better fuel economy and everyone with a small block wants more power. There are no magic potions for this problem and ultimately it may be cheaper to trade for a similar-- year truck with a big-block engine. You didn't mention if the truck has four-wheel drive or what rear axle ratio your truck has. If it has a ratio numerically lower than 4.10:1, I'd recommend changing to that. Also consider headers and a free flow exhaust and air filter, such as a K fr N unit. These model trucks also have replaceable computer chips, check with our advertisers for one designed for towing that's emissions legal.-K.F. TL

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