Ford V-10 Issues

[Propflux01]

I am in the process of looking for a used RV (24-28ft max) for a relative who needs one to stay in for a couple of months until her house is finished. I'm looking for something in the 2000-2010 model year. I see a ton of them out there, that would fit the needs perfectly, but most all of them seem to be on a Ford 350 Chassis with a V-10. No problem with the Ford in general, and with some research I have found the V-10 is a serious gas hog, and I'm ok with that, but I also read about the spark plugs either blowing themselves out, or when changing, breaking off inside. Has anyone dealt with this, and is this a deal-breaking issue with these engines? is there any other issue people normally experience with these engines?

 

[rijndael]

but I also read about the spark plugs either blowing themselves out, or when changing, breaking off inside.

These are common issues with the 3V Ford engines of the 2000s. I don't have experience with the V10, but I do have a bit with the other 3V engines. If they've had a plug change since then, the updated plug design is a bit better. Lisle makes a tool to help with broken plug extraction, a 65700, and it works well. When it blows a plug out, sometimes you lose a thread or two, and there aren't many to begin with. You may have to put in an insert, I'd suggest looking at TimeSert.

One trick is to get the plugs warmed up (not super hot) and zip it out with an impact. Don't let the engine cool much from your first plug to the last. Work on getting them out first, then go back and do the installs, to minimize the duration. I learned this trick from FTM.

 

[mrsilv04]

Do like I did when I had a Coachmen motorhome on a F53 Ford Chassis with the V10.

The solution is very, very simple. Leave the spark plugs alone. Don't touch them. Let that sleeping dog lie.

Never had one blow out either.

 

[nwjones18]

The V-10 is a good engine and will be fine in a motorhome. Those won't need a plug change till 100k anyway so the odds of you needing to change them is low. I know multiple folks with v10 motorhomes and none have had any issues with the engine itself.

Class C is much more maintenance friendly than Class A as well if you're worrying about that stuff. All the rubber bits on a 15-25 year old RV are going to give you more problems than the motor itself. Changing radiator hoses on a class A can be a nightmare.

 

[thastinger]

The V10 mod motors are 2V motors, so they don't have the 2 piece spark plug of the 3V engines.
I have two 2V 5.4 mod motors, one with 195K and one with 170K and I've never tossed a plug. I don't personally know anyone who ever tossed a plug from a mod motor but it obviously does happen sometimes.

 

[rijndael]

The V10 mod motors are 2V motors, so they don't have the 2 piece spark plug of the 3V engines.

There were 3V V10s, are you saying those weren't used in motor homes?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Modular_engine#6.8_L_V10

 

[AZjeff]

The sparkplugs are the least of your worries. Guaranteed there are going to be things that need fixed in a 15-25 YO RV no matter what the current owner says. Do you or someone close know RVs to DIY whatever comes up? 100% serious.

 

[GON]

Definitely concur with @AZjeff the 2v V10 6.8L engine will be the least of your worries. The motor home at that age will be a full-time job if you're lucky, likely much more than a full-time job.

I have a 2v V10 6.8L with 200k miles sitting in my driveway. I would not think twice about towing a trailer in the summer heat from New Mexico to Florida today. A great engine, except the spark plug ejection issue. I purchased the V10 with 150k miles, and a helicoil in spark plug #3 because the prior owner had a plug blow out. I have read and believe if plugs are replaced every 30k miles and over torqued a bit, plugs won't eject. I keep a time-sert plug ejection repair kit in the truck at all times.

Note, while towing in the mountain west with a trailer, mileage with the V10 is about six mpg.

 

[dogememe]

I had a 5.4 I got in a trade deal that has a misfire. Turns out previous owner helicoiled it but did it wrong. A little jb-weld fixed it right up.

That said, I think the engines are overall reliable, and the last thing you need to worry about when you buy that RV.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I had a 2003 F350 for about nine years. Accumulated 137000 miles before I sold it. Literally zero issues with the engine. Never changed spark plugs. Hauled two different horse trailers with it. Normal maintenance and that is all..

 

[50yr Street Mech]

2000-2010 motor home ???? IF you get a 2010, that's still almost 16 years of ALL types of maintenance that's going to be needed. Plumbing / electrical/ roof/ interior do-dads....I haven't even scratched the engine / tranny/ brakes/ tires/ engine electrical systems / filters. Someone is gonna need some deep pockets to get this thing up to par. Unless you luck out and find a pristine one that was barely used, then you'll be somewhat ok. The tires alone are big bucks. Very nice of you to be helping a relative, but there are always set backs when dealing with houses. Especially older ones. You open up a can of worms over here, next thing you're guttin an entire floor due to bad wiring / plumbing / termites. Still, I'll give you credit where credit is due. Not easy dealing with relatives for an extended amount of time. Best of luck to you , and hope you find a good motor home.

 

[thastinger]

There were 3V V10s, are you saying those weren't used in motor homes?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Modular_engine#6.8_L_V10

View attachment 295455

I didn't think so but it looks like the F53 chassis ones did get the 3v 6.8L in 2006+

 

[AZjeff]

I am in the process of looking for a used RV (24-28ft max) for a relative who needs one to stay in for a couple of months until her house is finished.

Is the intent to park it somewhere until the house is done then sell it?

If you don't use RVs go over to the Rvthe.us website and ask what to lookout for on older ones. It's a sister site to BITOG.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The 2 valve V10 can blow plugs out. I have a friend with one in a RV and it's launched a few plugs. The trick is to overtighten them to 24-29 lb/ft. Then they won't back out and spit plugs. He tows a Jeep on a trailer with it and it gets run HARD. The part of the powertrain that isn't great is the 4 speed transmission. It just doesn't have a low enough first gear for a gas engine that NEEDS to wind out. I can say that it has towed through the mountains of PA going well above the speed limit. Once it's moving fast enough to hold 3000 in 1st gear it'll do whatever you want it to.

I'm not sure when the motorhome / F53 switched to the 3v, but we have another friend who tows her jeep with a motorhome that has the 3v V10 and 5R110 transmission. The plugs can break off in the head for the first year or two of 3v engine but they are a bit more powerful. The valvetrain components are a lot smaller and lighter than the 2 valve engine. They don't have cam phasers but do have the paper gaskets under the tensioners that can blow out and cause dry starts. But it won't launch a plug. And the 5 speed has a lower 1st gear which works well with the rev happy v10. It can get moving better.

If it's an Econoline platform, those stuck with the 2 valve V10 and have either the 4 or 5 speed auto. The 2 valve V10 with the 5 speed auto in the Econolines is probably the best combination.

 

[MNgopher]

Not much to add to whats been said above - spitting plugs on the 2V, stuck plugs on the early 3V (the Lisle tool is the magic trick for those).

Beyond that, pretty darn reliable but very thirsty. The exhaust note sounds a bit funky too with the extra two cylinders compared to a V8.

They were a staple in work fleet trucks that didn't warrant a Diesel in that era...

 

[Propflux01]

2000-2010 motor home ???? IF you get a 2010, that's still almost 16 years of ALL types of maintenance that's going to be needed. Plumbing / electrical/ roof/ interior do-dads....I haven't even scratched the engine / tranny/ brakes/ tires/ engine electrical systems / filters. Someone is gonna need some deep pockets to get this thing up to par. Unless you luck out and find a pristine one that was barely used, then you'll be somewhat ok. The tires alone are big bucks. Very nice of you to be helping a relative, but there are always set backs when dealing with houses. Especially older ones. You open up a can of worms over here, next thing you're guttin an entire floor due to bad wiring / plumbing / termites. Still, I'll give you credit where credit is due. Not easy dealing with relatives for an extended amount of time. Best of luck to you , and hope you find a good motor home.

Yeah, pretty much all the budget allows at this time. As @AZjeff asked, its purpose is to stay in it until she gets the house done, then do with it as she pleases. I just wanted something halfway liveable in the Washington state coastal area. She has been told that once she gets it, if it blows up or whatnot, it's on her. She's not going to be going cross country with it or anything, but I just wanted to make sure the engine wasn't going to be a first issue. My father used to do RV all the time but he has passed and I have no one else to ask about this kinda stuff. I will definitely look into the RV site mentioned earlier, to help pop my bubble!

 

[vwmaniaman]

I have a 2005 V10 2valve in our 27 ft Coach House Platinum 2 and it has been great. On a Ford E450chassis and the previous owner put the full Banks Power mods on it. It has full long tube headers and a large muffler and exhaust.. Also has a specific modified tune in the computer. Our first trip we got a calculated 14mpg on fairly flat terrain. Most trips in the mountains we see 9.5 to 11 mpg. Thats lots better than our Class A did at 7 to 7.5 mpg. Still has plenty of room with 2 slides and a walk-around queen bed. We love it but you need to make sure to buy one that has the factory manuals with it. You will need them for all the accessory items like water pumps, inverters,awnings,water heaters, air conditioners, furnaces and the chassis. Coach House is all fiber glass body with insulation between inside and outside. Very cozy and no roof leaks.

 

[D60]

As @SwampSurvivor says, the vans kept the 2V all the way up until the discontinuation of the E-series circa 2014.

The 2V is much more robust than the 3V but of course less hp. The 3V (4.10, F350) absolutely sucks in the CO mountains and the gas pedal is essentially binary: nothing or you-get-what-you-get. I regularly pulled over Wolf Creek and it was terrible, with the Ford 6.2 (4.30, F350) being a noticeable improvement

I don't know what trans they put in these chassis, but I actually liked the 5R110 despite its relatively short run. The 6R140 is absolutely better, though.

Just like Taken, "good luck"....I'd hunt out a GM 8.1 if possible

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Yeah, pretty much all the budget allows at this time. As @AZjeff asked, its purpose is to stay in it until she gets the house done, then do with it as she pleases. I just wanted something halfway liveable in the Washington state coastal area. She has been told that once she gets it, if it blows up or whatnot, it's on her. She's not going to be going cross country with it or anything, but I just wanted to make sure the engine wasn't going to be a first issue. My father used to do RV all the time but he has passed and I have no one else to ask about this kinda stuff. I will definitely look into the RV site mentioned earlier, to help pop my bubble!

I don' know what your capabilities are, but I would think that a trailer would be more suitable than a motor home, particularly if it isn't going to move much. This presumes you have access to a decent truck to move it if needed. You eliminate the issues of the motor and possible restarting if the motor home doesn't get started and used for some long intervals.

 

[AZjeff]

I don' know what your capabilities are, but I would think that a trailer would be more suitable than a motor home, particularly if it isn't going to move much.

What I was going to say. Less $ to buy and insure, less to be wrong or go wrong, more living space for the same size.