Ford V-10 motorhome engine: maint tips/info wanted

[Andy Perreault]

My folks bought a used 2000 Bounder motorhome powered by a Ford Triton V-10 & 4-speed automatic. A diesel was out of their budget, and they got a good deal on this one. It has 13K miles on it.

I don't know anything about these motors. Has anyone on these forums owned one? I just wonder if there's anything unique to this engine or if there's any special tips in regards to taking care of the engine (and the transmission). Any "Watch out for... ", "Make sure you... ", or "Keep an eye on the ---, they're known to ---" type of tips that dad should know about?

BTW, he's a TDR member, too.

Thanks in advance,

Andy

 

[Bob Wagner]

A friend of mine

has a Ford F350 4x4 WITH THE triton V10 and boy does his fuel mileage suck.



Very poor mileage

 

[Mactruck]

I had the v-10 in my old 99 f-250.

1st. It uses the new weight of oil (5w30 I think). It is a thinner viscosity than the 10w30 so make sure they use that type.



A few people have complained that the V-10 is not as powerful as the old 460 (they're right) Banks has a Kit that includes new headers and exhaust to improve the power of the motor. I've heard it works real well with no complaints.



Not sure about anything else on the motor. It's supposed to be a 200,000 mile motor. we'll see.



The transmission( E4OD) is not the best transmission in the world. If it has 13,000 miles. I would drop the pan and check for metal. then replace the fluid. at the bare minumum change the fluid so you get better mileage out of it.



It's not the best for mileage bu8t it beat out my old 460 by 3 MPG. The V10 gave me 11 mpg in a crew cab SB

JMHO

 

[COBRAJET]

In the latest Truck Trend the V10 Ford faired pretty well. It was quicker to sixty and neck and neck with the new 8. 1 and 8. 0 in the qtr..... three hundredths off the Dodge and 7 hundreths ahead of the 8. 1. All were 1 ton extended cabs with 4X4. It was second in the test when they were loaded... narrowly lost to the 8. 1... beat the 8. 0. It delivered the best mileage as well... even with the 4. 30 gears versus the 4. 10's in the others. These gears likely helped in the acceleration as well. The higher cruising RPM is not a concern since the redline on the engine is 5500 versus the 5000 on the 8. 1 and the 4500 on the 8. 0. Not shabby for giving up a lot of cubes. The highest rated 460 was 245/400. The new V10 is 310/425 with a much flatter torque curve and WAY better mileage. It makes more HP and TQ per cube than the others. The early engines had some piston slap... but a 2000 model should not have the problem. The plugs are a real pain to get at... with a coil on top of each... I would go to the dealer for that. 5-30 is pretty standard oil now adays. Ford actually is using 5-20 in a lot of its engines now. I would see if it takes that, but I am relatively sure that changed in the 2001 year. The E40D went by by in 98... the truck has the new 4R100 in it which is a completely new and different transmission. It should do just fine in the V-10... the PSD's can give it a work out... especailly when they are modified. This attributes to most of the complaints as does the BOMBING of the Cummins auto. Don't be afraid to let it rev... it makes good power up there and is likely geared for it... . CJ

 

[John Berger]

A friend of mine has a 36 ft. Santera with the Triton V-10. The motorhome is nice, the engine in that big of a vehicle is another story. My neighbor has a 3/4 ton Ford with the V-10 in it. Both motors are dogs and would benefit from a BOMBing excursion. The motorhome version just doesn't have any get up and go. I wouldn't want to drive it out west in the mountains The auto probably has a lot to do with the response of both vehicles. And the gas mileage in the motorhome really sucks! I think he gets somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 gallons per mile

 

[Big K]

A pusher was out of my budget, also. We have a '99 Fleetwood Flair w/ the v-10. Did lots of research beforehand, and ran with many of our friends that were on their 2nd or 3rd coach. At the time, the brand F chassis was the best option, due to the track width, and rear discs. GM had not yet become Workhorse, and was still narrow up front. Probably even money now. We tow 90% of the time, and gross comb. is about 23k, 2k over, oops. Unloaded mpg, the one time we did it was right at 9. Loaded has been right at 7. 2, but we just went to synthetic,(15k mi. ), and on last trip of 2k mi. mpg avg. 7. 5. Anomaly? We'll see. These figures are about what we expected, or slightly better. If they trouble you, forget it or step up to the pusher. I had not driven another gas coach, so I cannot make a power comparison, but have found that I can run right with similar loads behind 460 & 454 equipped models. There was a factory recall with respect to the cruise control cable. Call brand F customer Care and find out if it was replaced. The motor likes to rev, so don't be afraid to run uphill at 3500-4000 rpm. It wants to shift at 4500 in lower gears. Factory equip. w/ 5. 38 gears & 19. 5's. Brakes are great. Synthetic in rear oem. Non-servicable u-joints . I have two friends with the same chassis, and both have done the Banks kit. They seem pleased with the results, but it's about $2500+. I don't plan to keep this unit for long enough for that kind of investment to pay. As the Bounder and Flair come from the same family, we're cousins. I hope your parents enjoy their new toy.