Some vehicles/motorhomes types have similar issues at times, so I thought I would throw this question out there. (not trying to suggest one model over another is better) We keep up with general maintenance. But it is weird to have a 13 year old vehicle with now only 50,000 miles.
Any common things to watch out for?
2003 Ford 450 Jayco Greyhawk 25D
1986 Jeep Renegade
2011 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon JK
Tyrone & Gladys
27' 1986 Coachmen
Enjoy your trip.
Kevin
The good news is, they usually give some symptoms before they fail. Subtle however. Extended crank time when starting, or the "whine" becomes louder or changes pitch. The other good news is that when it fails, it does it parked. They don't usually just stop when driving. The last good news is you can usually get 1 or 2 more starts by smacking the fuel tank while somebody cranks.
The bad news is you have to drop the tank to change it. If you have a large storage bay in the back, you may be able to add a fuel-pump hatch.
2000 Ford E450 V10 VAN! 450,000+ miles
2014 ORV really big trailer
2015 Ford Focus ST
As pointed out, changing the pump typically involves dropping the tank. This is a job best left to a professional, as you should use non sparking tools. One spark, and it's all over!
2006 Four Winds Majestic 23A
A common over looked repair when having a braking problems.
At the same time drain and replace the brake fluid.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C
Any brake work do, replace the Hoses. You can replace them pre-emptively, but DO NOT let the Master Cylinder drain dry. You'll need your ABS re-programmed.
If God's Your Co-Pilot Move Over, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100 218" WB
IAMICHABOD wrote:
All very good advice so far but one thing to do on a rig that old is to replace all your rubber brake lines,they have a tendency to degrade over time. They will look fine from the outside but may collapse on the inside leading to no braking.
A common over looked repair when having a braking problems....
All very good advice so far but one thing to do on a rig that old is to replace all your rubber brake lines,they have a tendency to degrade over time. They will look fine from the outside but may collapse on the inside leading to no braking.
A common over looked repair when having a braking problems....
X10 !
Been there done that. Had new brakes put on. Hit the road and went to exit and NO brakes, damnn near died.
Problem? Front brake lines. They look just fine on the outside BUT they Collapsed on the inside. Break repair guy never suggested to replace the brake lines.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/rolleyes.gif "rolleyes")
and if you have a Ford they have to be replaced with OEM. No after market available. Soooo you will be sitting in a shop waiting for a Ford truck dealership to deliver them where ever you have broken down. And hope there is one nearby.
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
The problem with the hoses is "usually" that you can brake but the fluid can't get back OUT of the calipers because of blockage, and the pads stay in contact with the rotor.
When our right front brake locked up, the front axle was still a 2002 assembly. I bought reman calipers for both sides, new hoses, and new pads. All this was in stock at the Advance Auto Parts in the small town where we broke down. Just be sure your counter person knows it's the "E" Series (van) you're getting parts for, not the "F" Series (pickup). Anyhow, the hoses were readily available. The Right and Left are different. So are Calipers. Left WILL mount as Right and vice versa, BUT the Bleeders will be on the Bottom instead of the TOP where the air bubbles go to be bled out.
Then, I upgraded to a 2012 axle to get the big brakes Ford installed starting 2008. Hoses are still Left and Right and I ordered Dorman hoses from Amazon. Ford got smart on Calipers and put Bleeders on Top and Bottom, so now one Part Number fits Both Sides.
The Late Model (again, 2008 and newer, the E-Series with the "Dump Truck Grille," brakes are wonderful!!! A very good upgrade. When Ford made the change, they put the bigger brakes (larger diameter thicker rotors, bigger pads, bigger caliper pistons), they applied it to every Van. E150 all the way to E450, so you could upgrade any earlier E-Series. There'd be benefit, noticeable better braking. But on ours, 31-ft scaling at 14000 loaded for travel, it is spectacular.
CO and gas leak alarms.
Brakes, tires and alarms are serious safety items.
Don't feel bad about the 15years and only 50K. Our coach is 43 and only 165K.
Things to watch out for (we know about older). Flush the cooling system as the corrosion inhibitors have been depleted. Flush the Brakes because the fluid collects water and that corrodes important parts. While tires seem to start failing at 7~8 years, you can expect the other rubber parts to start going bad about now. So, as time and money permit, start inspecting at least and replacing some rubber just on principle. Start will the fuel and brake lines, but do not forget the coolant lines. Suspect everything rubber.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie
A sailor, his bride and their black dogs (one dear dog is waiting for us at the bridge) going to see some dry places that have Geocaches in a coach made the year we married.
Always like to stay ahead of highways troubles when long ways from home base.
sullivanclan wrote:
What year did the Ford E450 have spark plug breakage problems?
What year did the Ford E450 have spark plug breakage problems?
None. Broken 2 piece plugs was only an F series problem
Quote:
None. Broken 2 piece plugs was only an F series problem
None. Broken 2 piece plugs was only an F series problem
I am so glad to hear that! I just assumed all the Triton engines were the same regardless of vehicle type, with several different spark plug problems over the years. I have a 2004 E350 V8.
We have a 1992 GM 2500 van still going. A mechanic friend noticed cracks in the rubber front brake lines last year so I changed them. Belts and tires but no other rubber parts have been replaced. It has 200k miles on it.
* This post was edited 02/13/17 11:11am by Harvey51 *
2004 E350 Adventurer (Canadian) 20 footer - Alberta, Canada
No TV + 100W solar = no generator needed
Harvey51 wrote:
I am so glad to hear that! I just assumed all the Triton engines were the same regardless of vehicle type, with several different spark plug problems over the years. I have a 2004 E350 V8.
Quote:
None. Broken 2 piece plugs was only an F series problem
None. Broken 2 piece plugs was only an F series problem
I am so glad to hear that! I just assumed all the Triton engines were the same regardless of vehicle type, with several different spark plug problems over the years. I have a 2004 E350 V8.
I thought there also was a problem for several years with insufficient threads in the heads, causing it to be easy to strip the plug mounts.....which required removing the heads to fix.
Then maybe I'm getting that mixed up with another model ??
Sam Spade wrote:
I thought there also was a problem for several years with insufficient threads in the heads, causing it to be easy to strip the plug mounts.....which required removing the heads to fix.
Then maybe I'm getting that mixed up with another model ??
I thought there also was a problem for several years with insufficient threads in the heads, causing it to be easy to strip the plug mounts.....which required removing the heads to fix.
Then maybe I'm getting that mixed up with another model ??
'97-'99 V10 had less threads. That on its own didn't cause spark plugs to pop out, it just made it more likely to happen from over-torquing plugs during a change. The real cause was a machining fixture error which allowed threads to be cut off-axis from the bore, making them weak. That wasn't corrected until 2003. The bad news is, if one plug blows the remaining in that bank probably will go at some point. The good news is that by now, if a motor hasn't had a plug blow yet, it probably never will.
Quote:
Spark plugs are a whole different animal on this engine. They decided to place each of these sensitive coils upon a specialized spark plug that tends to break when removed. Due to the design of the combustion cylinder, essentially these engines are semi-hemispherical, the plugs needed to protrude down through the head to the combustion chamber. The situation is slightly ironic since earlier 2 valve 5.4L (97-03) tended to blow spark plugs out of the head but later 3 valve 5.4L (04-07) tended to break off in the head.
These plugs generally last around 100k miles but they are a bear to remove when you do go to replace them. They have extended sleeves that reside down inside the head that tend to break off because of possible carbon/rust build up. This issue was fixed by a redesign of the spark plug in the 2008+ years. More details are available in another article I wrote which include step by step instructions on Replacing the spark plugs on the 5.4L Triton at home.
Spark plugs are a whole different animal on this engine. They decided to place each of these sensitive coils upon a specialized spark plug that tends to break when removed. Due to the design of the combustion cylinder, essentially these engines are semi-hemispherical, the plugs needed to protrude down through the head to the combustion chamber. The situation is slightly ironic since earlier 2 valve 5.4L (97-03) tended to blow spark plugs out of the head but later 3 valve 5.4L (04-07) tended to break off in the head.
These plugs generally last around 100k miles but they are a bear to remove when you do go to replace them. They have extended sleeves that reside down inside the head that tend to break off because of possible carbon/rust build up. This issue was fixed by a redesign of the spark plug in the 2008+ years. More details are available in another article I wrote which include step by step instructions on Replacing the spark plugs on the 5.4L Triton at home.
5.4 L Triton 3 valve engine
I have already identified a mechanic who is familiar with the problems and has tools to deal with broken plugs. He says wait until the 100k miles before changing plugs.
* This post was edited 02/16/17 05:39pm by Harvey51 *
Pull your doghouse out and check the bolts. My 2010 E450 Class C had 6 broken bolts with only 28000 on the clock. Calling around to RV repair shops I was quoted around $1500-2000 to make the repair. Lots of labor involved. Very little room to work in the van cut-away chassis.
So to make things short, I cut my losses and took the RV to Banks in SoCal and had them install their cat forward header system for $2000. They have all the equipment to make the installation and as part of the install, they replace all the manifold bolts. Problem solved.
Mike
Harvey51 wrote:
This page discusses maintenance issues including the spark plug ones.
http://www.expertswrite.net/ford-5-4l-triton-3valve/common-problems.html
I have already identified a mechanic who is familiar with the problems and has tools to deal with broken plugs. He says wait until the 100k miles before changing plugs.
This page discusses maintenance issues including the spark plug ones.
Quote:
Spark plugs are a whole different animal on this engine. They decided to place each of these sensitive coils upon a specialized spark plug that tends to break when removed. Due to the design of the combustion cylinder, essentially these engines are semi-hemispherical, the plugs needed to protrude down through the head to the combustion chamber. The situation is slightly ironic since earlier 2 valve 5.4L (97-03) tended to blow spark plugs out of the head but later 3 valve 5.4L (04-07) tended to break off in the head.
These plugs generally last around 100k miles but they are a bear to remove when you do go to replace them. They have extended sleeves that reside down inside the head that tend to break off because of possible carbon/rust build up. This issue was fixed by a redesign of the spark plug in the 2008+ years. More details are available in another article I wrote which include step by step instructions on Replacing the spark plugs on the 5.4L Triton at home.
Spark plugs are a whole different animal on this engine. They decided to place each of these sensitive coils upon a specialized spark plug that tends to break when removed. Due to the design of the combustion cylinder, essentially these engines are semi-hemispherical, the plugs needed to protrude down through the head to the combustion chamber. The situation is slightly ironic since earlier 2 valve 5.4L (97-03) tended to blow spark plugs out of the head but later 3 valve 5.4L (04-07) tended to break off in the head.
These plugs generally last around 100k miles but they are a bear to remove when you do go to replace them. They have extended sleeves that reside down inside the head that tend to break off because of possible carbon/rust build up. This issue was fixed by a redesign of the spark plug in the 2008+ years. More details are available in another article I wrote which include step by step instructions on Replacing the spark plugs on the 5.4L Triton at home.
http://www.expertswrite.net/ford-5-4l-triton-3valve/common-problems.html
I have already identified a mechanic who is familiar with the problems and has tools to deal with broken plugs. He says wait until the 100k miles before changing plugs.
Yes, this is the 3 valve engines only, which they never used in the
E series.
Krusty
92 F-250 4x4 460 5spd 4.10LS Prodigy
97 Rustler RT190
EU2000i
Garmin
last summer i lost my dash AC, it started blowing out of the defrost vents only. this is a default for Fords so if you lose HVAC you still get defrost capability.
there is a short rubber hose after the vacuum chamber powered by the exhaust manifold UNDER the ac system. 20 hour repair by the book, draw down ac, pull battery, battery tray and ac system. this hose dry rots and eventually breaks. i rerouted the PVC vacuum line and put in a different vacuum chamber under the passenger side dash. tied that into the existing system after the failed vacuum chamber. all good now.
also noticed getting intermittent failures on the master window and lock switches. i have pulled and cleaned them once but may need to r&r this year.
Your generator's carb is probably shot. It may be old enough to be rebuildable, but most likely it will need to be replaced. Change the oil as well, because it is likely sludge. Heck, I would probably use an oil evac pump down the dipstick hole just to suck up the old oil, add oil to the fill line, try to run it, then change the oil again just to get out all the chunkies due to it sitting for so long.
I'd also replace "consumable" items like house and chassis batteries as well.
Harvey51 wrote:
He says wait until the 100k miles before changing plugs.
He says wait until the 100k miles before changing plugs.
That might be good advice IF you do NOT intend to keep it long enough to log 100K miles.....and pass the potential problem off to the next owner.
It seems rather strange advice, however, if you intend to keep it well PAST 100K.....because that would give it another 50K and maybe 5 years for them to rust and corrode in place, versus changing them at 50K when they still are relatively fresh.
There is a fair bit of chatter about E350 spark plug problems on forums. This post has the Ford TSB on the thread problem and it lists the E series, 1997 to 2008. Can't quote; it is a picture in a PDF file. Revbase.com
Curious, other sources say the thread problem was fixed for 2004.
I have seen other TSB posts that do not list E350.