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Vacation checklist

JT in MD

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February 13, 2010
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Year, Model & Trim Level
2005 XLT 4.0L
Next week I'll be taking my 05 XLT on a 7 hour drive for a 2 week vacation... what are some recommendations to help ensure a problem-free trip?

Within the last month/1000 miles, I've:
changed oil/filter
inflated tires
changed air filter
took the time to change rear/front differential fluids
changed wipers

All lights are still functioning fine and the truck has 46000 miles.

Any other ideas?
 



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How is that really relevant? I'm just looking for maintenance related items for the 7 hour drive.. I was probably not clear by saying "problem free trip".. I should have said "problem free drive"... but I'm going to a beach on the east coast...
 






whether you are camping, driving through certain environments, weather conditions. will it be a mixture of camping/hotels/friendsnfamily houses. hope that makes sense. some people vacation by touring the desert, or the redwoods, or up through the mountains. hope that makes sense.
 






I'm going to a beach on the east coast...

I will do 100% highway driving on I-95 from Maryland to the Carolinas. Like I said, I've just never taken it on a 7 hour drive and want to make sure that I'm not forgetting any maintenance items that would be wise to check...
 






for example, ive vacationed a few times this summer up in tahoe, and every time i go up there i never leave home without my hydro-jack, and for this latest time i brought my brand new high lift jack. one visit i camped, the other i made my way through the hotels and casinos, but both times i had some fun in the mountains wheeling. both times i needed my jack to get me out of trouble being that i was riding in a one truck caravan.
 






Sounds like you've got it mostly covered.

Might want to drop the spare tire down and inspect it and make sure it is inflated to the correct pressure, as well as ensure your jack is in good working order. Check all of your lugnuts on your 4 wheels and make sure they are tight.

Also check the brake, power steering fluids, and coolant level.

Next week I'll be taking my 05 XLT on a 7 hour drive for a 2 week vacation... what are some recommendations to help ensure a problem-free trip?

Within the last month/1000 miles, I've:
changed oil/filter
inflated tires
changed air filter
took the time to change rear/front differential fluids
changed wipers

All lights are still functioning fine and the truck has 46000 miles.

Any other ideas?
 






LONO, I get what you're saying... but I don't think you get what I'm asking...

Think along the lines of oil changes, wiper changes, fluid changes, etc, etc.... what are the basic, run of the mill, non-Explorer specific, Explorer specific, maintenance items that one should take care of before going on a 7 hour drive?

I've done long drives with other vehicles, but these vehicles didn't give me the feeling that they could crap out at any second like this Explorer does.
 






Thanks.. good call on checking the spare. I'm taking jack stands and a hydraulic jack with me, so I should be good there. I'll check the other fluids.

Sounds like you've got it mostly covered.

Might want to drop the spare tire down and inspect it and make sure it is inflated to the correct pressure, as well as ensure your jack is in good working order. Check all of your lugnuts on your 4 wheels and make sure they are tight.

Also check the brake, power steering fluids, and coolant level.
 












I figured, which is why my second post clarified as a problem free drive.
 






I've driven my Explorer from Northwest Florida to San Antonio and back with no problems which is a 24 hour drive there and back and it had 82k miles at the time and a 6 hour trip to Orlando was just fine. I usually get the oil changed, make sure all fluids are good to go and tires as well as my battery. You should be pretty well off at 46k miles and the basic maintenance check up. I'm sitting at 95k now with stock everything and have not run into any problems traveling.
 






check your belts and hoses too. I regularly drive the 400 miles between Chicago and Minneapolis and only check the fluid levels and tires and hit the road. Been doing this for four years and at least a dozen or more trips. Only time I had a problem is the belt tensioner pulley bearing started making a lot of noise. was able to fix it myself and then back on the road.
 






-Check brake pad thickness
-Rain X the windshield
-roll of quarters for vacuum machine to get all the sand out
 






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