I recently acquired an older (1980)33' motorhome with a Ford 460 for power. The RV has about 42,000 miles on it and the transmission is a C-6, so with only 3 speeds at about 60 I am turning about 3,000 rpm. The manual specifies 30 wt oil, but I feel that with the superior formulations available today, I may be better with a 10-30 Rotella HD. I am in the deep south, so tend to run in fairly high temps. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
HD oil for Motorhome
- Thread starter john_luke
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Or 15w-40 HDEO if it isn't too cold, you couldn't have made a better choice of oils.
second that...15w40 hdeo like Delvac, Rotella, or Delo (what we use on all of our farm equipment & vehicles).
dnewton3
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I think you'd be fine with either choice. The dino HDEOs, regardless of grade, offer a great protection/dollar ratio. If you're not sure, why not run some trials, including UOAs, and see which is "better" for your situation?
Personally, I use 10w-30 HDEO in much of my equipment. And my annual average high temps are not much less than yours. You didn't mention where in LA, so I picked Lafayette as a mid-state guess. According to weather.com, you annual summer highs are around 90 deg F; not that hot, in reality. I'm sure it seems nasty when the humidity is included (which has no effect on your engine), but overall, the temps are not as "extreme" as you'd think.
Try the 10w-30 HDEO. Good protection, robust add-pack, right prices, and in-grade for your engine.
Personally, I use 10w-30 HDEO in much of my equipment. And my annual average high temps are not much less than yours. You didn't mention where in LA, so I picked Lafayette as a mid-state guess. According to weather.com, you annual summer highs are around 90 deg F; not that hot, in reality. I'm sure it seems nasty when the humidity is included (which has no effect on your engine), but overall, the temps are not as "extreme" as you'd think.
Try the 10w-30 HDEO. Good protection, robust add-pack, right prices, and in-grade for your engine.
x2 on the HDEO recommendations. I have a neighbor who used a '87 F350 with a 460 for towing for ~200,000 miles; as I recall he used 10w30 or 15w40 depending on the season.
How much oil pressure do you have at operating temperature?
An uncle of mine had a 1980's 460 Ford powered motorhome, it would get very hot when climbing long grades. When I say it got hot, I mean everything. He ended up adding an auxilary transmission cooler and an electric fuel pump at the tank to help with vapor lock.
A transmission temperature guage may not be a bad idea, and I would use a quality gear lube in the differential.
How much oil pressure do you have at operating temperature?
An uncle of mine had a 1980's 460 Ford powered motorhome, it would get very hot when climbing long grades. When I say it got hot, I mean everything. He ended up adding an auxilary transmission cooler and an electric fuel pump at the tank to help with vapor lock.
A transmission temperature guage may not be a bad idea, and I would use a quality gear lube in the differential.
10W30 Delo or Amsoil ACD 10W30 if you are looking for a syn.
I actually used Castrol GTX 20W50 in my old '73 440 Dodge Class A chassis motorhome to keep the oil pressure up hot (warm weather use only), but a 15W40 HDEO would probably have a better add pack.
thanks, I may try the Maxlife. Oil pressure is pretty good, starts around 60 then stays about 45 lbs when the engine is warm. During the summer the engine runs fairly warm (about 210-215 degrees) but doesn't go higher than that. I think the vehicle sat up a long time and plan a radiator flush soon. For a while, I had a constant ticking sound that I thought may be a lfiter, but I put in a quart of LUCAS oil treatment and it is almost gone.
I just bought a 1979 Lindy with a 460 Ford. I'm putting in 15W-40 Delo. It has a tick which I've read might be the smog pump.
Changed oil, added a quart of Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 ('cuz the bottle said high in zinc) to the Delo. Still ticks.
if its a 460 im willing to bet you a nice steak dinner its a leaking exhaust manifold. broken studs are VERY common on these beasts.
Originally Posted By: Dualie
if its a 460 im willing to bet you a nice steak dinner its a leaking exhaust manifold. broken studs are VERY common on these beasts.
Yup. My grandparents had a motorhome with a 460. Ticked all the time from the manifolds.
if its a 460 im willing to bet you a nice steak dinner its a leaking exhaust manifold. broken studs are VERY common on these beasts.
Yup. My grandparents had a motorhome with a 460. Ticked all the time from the manifolds.
I do not have a motor home but my uncle had a big motor home for many years. It had a big diesel and automatic transmission. He had major problems with both the engine and trany.
I believe his problems were caused by letting it sit each winter unused.
I would be concerned with moisture in engine and trany oils for any motor home that is allowed to sit unmoved for several months.
His engine and trany required rebuilding at different times. The trany problem was rust caused by moisture. It prevented parts from sliding and caused the trany to stay in one gear.
If it were mine I would look into some type of heating systems attached to the engine and trany to be run up to operating temperature for a few hours every few weeks, or think of getting them up to those temperatures with a torpedo kerosene heater, or special rigs of electric heaters . It would be a little tricky because you want to get them hot enough to give off the majority of any moisture but not have any danger of fire. Another option would be to put fresh oils in before storage, and possibly change again just before using. Sounds like a lot of wasted oil, but considering the cost of repair, and also the problems of having a motor home break down away from home, not really a lot of cost.
Just thought I would share what I saw my uncle go through. After seeing his problems I thought that If I ever had a motor home I would put fresh oils in it before storage and also before beginning use in the spring.
JimPghPa
I believe his problems were caused by letting it sit each winter unused.
I would be concerned with moisture in engine and trany oils for any motor home that is allowed to sit unmoved for several months.
His engine and trany required rebuilding at different times. The trany problem was rust caused by moisture. It prevented parts from sliding and caused the trany to stay in one gear.
If it were mine I would look into some type of heating systems attached to the engine and trany to be run up to operating temperature for a few hours every few weeks, or think of getting them up to those temperatures with a torpedo kerosene heater, or special rigs of electric heaters . It would be a little tricky because you want to get them hot enough to give off the majority of any moisture but not have any danger of fire. Another option would be to put fresh oils in before storage, and possibly change again just before using. Sounds like a lot of wasted oil, but considering the cost of repair, and also the problems of having a motor home break down away from home, not really a lot of cost.
Just thought I would share what I saw my uncle go through. After seeing his problems I thought that If I ever had a motor home I would put fresh oils in it before storage and also before beginning use in the spring.
JimPghPa
Or start it every few weeks or so and drive it a little to keep things lubed-that'll also cut down on the "square tire syndrome" that heavy RVs are prone to-flat spots!
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