bgreer

I just completed a 5800 mile vacation trip from Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and back home, and averaged 23.1 mpg overall. Going up we were pulling a Uhaul 5x8 trailer with some antiques for my daughter and was a little sceptical as to how the 4.2 would handle the Rockies. Before I left I installed a Taurus 2 speed fan (only using the high speed) with a dccontrol. I drove around about a week before the trip to make sure the installation was working properly. Installation took about 6 hours with no surprises! Really a pretty easy install, mine took a little longer because I wanted to maintain the factory fan shroud so had to make some adapters to mount the Taurus inside of it. Actually turned out to be pretty easy and looks great.

I had a friend that spent 46 years in Ford Engineering group and he told me to tow in overdrive and as long as the transmission wasn't hunting for a gear and it didn't get hot, let er rip. Tried to keep the speed at 65 while pulling the trailer and never turned the overdrive off and it handled the Rockies just fine. As a matter of fact when it would downshift on a hill it would first downshift to a gear between Overdrive and 3rd, if the hill was steep enough it would then downship to third and if necessay to a gear between third and second, before downshifting to second on really long grades. It never hunted for a gear, and the temp never got above normal. Gas mileage while in the rockies went down to 17.1. After we dropped the trailer off in Idaho, we averaged over 24mpg with a high of 25.4 on one tank, was driving 75 most of the time after dropping off the trailer.

Handled the mountains, city driving, and the desert (inculding Death Valley where it was 119 when we went thru) with no problems.

the 4.2 isn't a race engine but had plenty of power for all but the biggest of mountains, never heated up, or gave us a bit of concern.

I can't praise the Taurus fan and dccontrol fan control enough. Easy to iinstall, gives you a little more horsepower, and better mileage. I was averaging around 17.5 in town before the efan, and have been averaging around 20.3 after installation. the only other performance things that I have done to my truck it to put dual exhaust with turbo mufflers, and installed a K&N air filter. Also have a tonnoue (sp) cover but don't know if this helps or hinders mileage.

For those of you thinking about going to efans, my vote is to go! Easy install and should pay for itself in a short period of time.

joe_shank

i was a driver for a print shop, and we had a 2001 E150 with the 4.2. we would throw 2000-2500 pound at it all the time and it would go 60-65 with no problems at all. it is a good work horse motor, especially when you didnt give a crap about it.

Good old Bill

Am glad you had a successful trip and experience with the 4.2. My 02 has that engine with 172K. Very happy myself but will probably go to the 4.6 next time around. That gear you felt between OD and 3rd, I've been told is the lock up torque converter, I believe its between all gears just not as noticeable.

NGM

Glad the trip was a success. es the "in between" gear was the convertor unlocking. I could be wrong, but I think the convertor only locks up in OD and maybe 3rd.

Good old Bill

I stand corrected, on the way home tonight, no matter what or how I drove, could only feel the converter lock up between 3rd and OD.

bgreer

It seems that if I didn't have the cruise control on, I couldn't feel the converter unlock, if you have the cruise control on you can feel the unlock between o/d and 3rd as well as between 3rd and 2nd. Don't quite understand the mechanics of it but is very noticeable with cruise control on.