Ok I have a 95 turbo talon awd that has pretty much everything done to it (huge turbo, ems, big intercooler, etc...) and I just bought a 2001 expedition eddie bauer with the 5.4l. its got 34k on it, never towed anything and is in perfect shape. also has every single option that ford offers as far as I know.

My car weighs in at 3160, not exactly sure what a dual axel open wheel trailer weighs but i'll need the truck to be able to tow my car on that trailer when I go to the track. one track that i frequent as a spectator is raceway park in nj but I've never ran my car there because fear of breaking it. that track is about 180 miles away from me.

this truck has the tow package and the plug for the lights and such, but i'll need to get the electric brake controller. anything else I should get??? how do I know what gears i have in the rear??

i just turned 20 a month ago and all I knew about the expedition was that my dad had 2 of them both being 4.6l xlt's and i liked those but always thought they were underpowered, so i dont know much about them in depth

question now is what else should I consider??? obviously i'd have tools with me, as well as a jack and at least one other person but maybe even 4 or 5 people if a bunch of people decide to come. i want the truck to be reliable and as safe as possible for a trip such as this. any insight is greatly appreciated

 

Sounds like your go to go with the tow. You have the right truck for the job, and the car is pretty light, so just do it. You said you have the tow package, but just to make sure look in front of the radiator and see if you have two additional smaller coolers there. If so you have a tow package, and if I am not mistaken you should have 3.73 gears. I have used my 99 5.4l E.B. to tow about a 4500 lb trailer, with 5 people (2 were kids under 25lbs each) and our extra stuff inside for 285 miles one way and it never had a problem. I am sure others will chime in but it sounds like your good to go.

 

well I know I have the hitch hole in the back and i saw the plug in the back also, but I didnt heck the coolers, if I dont have teh coolers I need to get them right?

 

FYI trailer tow package does not mean 3.73's. Our '97 had 3.73 while our '00 had the 3.55's, both had the trailer tow package. Also look in your owners manuel to see if the two relays/fuses were installed. They went in the fuse box in the engine compartment and were supplied with the pigtail for the electric brakes. If you don't have them I would check Ebay for the kit. The stuff was in a plastic bag stuck in the glove box.

Also have the dealer look up the vin and see if the fuel filter has been changed or not. It's a good idea to change them regularly. Good luck

 

most 97-99 fords that came stock with the 7 pin round connector on the rear, were prewired for the electric brake controller. so it's a plug and play. you can get the harness from the dealer that connects into a connector under the dash. refer to owners manual.

I would suggest adding a set of air lift 1000 air bags, with onboard compressor. unless you have the stock automatic load leveling. they realy stablelized my 99 EXPY

 

how would I know if I have that auto thing

 

Look under the passenger dash just forward of the kick panel. If you have a switch there you have it. The switch turns the system off (changing tires, jacking the rear up, etc. is suggested to turn the system off).

 

and what exactly does that do??? is that the same thing as what the navigators have, like the the air suspension thing when you park they get lower?

 

It is an air bag suspension, but only in the rear. I do not think they lower when you park, at least mine does not feel like it does. It really just gives extra lift when towing or carrying a load.

 

GSX: What model do you have? The '01 XLT with 2-wheel drive and the factory class 4 tow package will always have the rear air suspension, a black receiver mounted underneath the bumper that is bolted to the frame and has a 3.55 gear ratio. The same model in a 4x4 should have the 3.73. Vehicles that came with the 255/70-16's had a 3.55. Those with the 17" wheels would have had the 3.73. Look inside your driver's side door jam for the original factory tire info. If you look at the rear axle where the shocks are, if you have big black boot looking things there as well, then you have the rear load-leveling suspension. In any case, the Owner's Manual will tell you that you'll have no problem pulling your car with a trailer. Good luck!

 

I have a 2001 expedition 4x4 eddie bauer 5.4l. pretty much has every option as far as i know, moonroof, heated seats, chrome rims, bucket seats in the back, its very nice.

 

GSX, it sounds like your all set to tow! DeeAnna

 

Just out of curiosity where are you getting your info on specs? I ask b/c my 99 E.B. 5.4 came with the tow pkg, 16" wheels, and a 3.73 rear. I just want to see if the specs changed over the years or what.

 

I have a 1997 Expedition, 5.4 and I have no idea what rear gears it has, or if it has a 'towing package' - but I've towed my 3600 pound 1974 Trans Am on top of a fairly heavy U-Haul tandem axle trailer and it pulled it no problems AT ALL.

 

To: 01SilverGT

"Just out of curiosity where are you getting your info on specs?"

I have a 2001 XLT and know about this year and model more then any others. However, I work in the medical field and do lots of research and put the same effort into other things I'm interested in. In the case of the Expy, I've used "google" searches to find out more info then you would probably even care to know about our vehicles. It's how I originally found this forum. It just takes time and patience and you can find almost anything you're looking for. And yes, '99 specs may be different then '01 or any other years.

DeeAnna