Ford defect

[bucsfan116]

I saw this waring on Forest River forum and thought it should be passed on here.

This was brought to my attention by a friend of mine that owns a Class A Thor Axis. There is a possible issue with the transmission shift cable on the Ford V-10 engines. The problem can affect both Class A and Class C Ford E350 and E450 chassis. The transmission cable passes very close - dangerously close to the exhaust manifold and exhaust pipe. The heat from the exhaust can burn the shift cable protective sheath and disable the ability to shift the transmission.

To date there is no Ford recall.

To inspect, crawl under the coach on the driver side behind the front wheel. Go to just under where the drivers seat location is. Follow the exhaust pipe to the exhaust manifold. Right the the transition from the manifold to the pipe you will see the transmission shift cable routed down from the steering column, passing the manifold going to the rear section of the transmission.

My Class C E450 is fine but I did fine my cable had popped out of the clip that holds it away from the exhaust area. I was lucky. One Thor owner was not so lucky. This is not a RV make/brand issue it is a Ford issue.

[Mich F]

E350 Won't Shift out of Drive - Thor Forums

[Pothole]

To bucksfan116. You have done a great service sharing this information. Thank you!

[ArmandV]

Maybe I'll have my mechanic take a look. Thanks for the posting!

[winnie32v]

2001 Winnebago Adventurer 32v, F-53 Chassis.
Just wanted to see how my cable was routed so I got out my creeper yesterday and went for a ride under my unit.
I found my shift cable wrapped in some sort of insulation and well secured from the exhaust manifold.
The clips were all intact and secured to their respective attachments.....I even found an extra clip that was on the cable but not used.
So, I'm pretty sure that after all these years I'm not going to experience a 'burn-out' of this cable.
Thanks for the 'Heads-up" on this issue.

I have attached a photo but the angle seems to show the cable closer than it really is.

[Hikerdogs]

I believe the "defect" you've discovered on the F53 chassis may have been created by the body builder. I just inspected the shift cable routing on our 2013 Winnebago Adventurer to find the closest it comes to the exhaust manifold is over 10".

Winnebago has installed 2 brackets attached to the body to protect the cable. The cable exits along side the steering column and is immediately run through a bracket. There is a second bracket several inches away that routes the cable along the bottom of the floor. The cable is well past the exhaust manifold when it takes a 45* turn directly to the bracket on the transmission.

When Ford ships the bare chassis to the body builders the wiring harnesses and shift cable are routed over a temporary bracket attached to the drivers side frame rail. If you look at the drivers side picture of the 2014 bare chassis the bracket is visible.
http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...2014_LoRes.pdf

This same bracket also appears in the 2011 and 2013 F53 brochures.

The body builders remove this bracket as it would interfere with the engine compartment and fender enclosures. Apparently different body builders have taken different measures to route and protect the harnesses and cables.

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

I believe the "defect" you've discovered on the F53 chassis may have been created by the body builder. I just inspected the shift cable routing on our 2013 Winnebago Adventurer to find the closest it comes to the exhaust manifold is over 10".

Winnebago has installed 2 brackets attached to the body to protect the cable. The cable exits along side the steering column and is immediately run through a bracket. There is a second bracket several inches away that routes the cable along the bottom of the floor. The cable is well past the exhaust manifold when it takes a 45* turn directly to the bracket on the transmission.

When Ford ships the bare chassis to the body builders the wiring harnesses and shift cable are routed over a temporary bracket attached to the drivers side frame rail. If you look at the drivers side picture of the 2014 bare chassis the bracket is visible.
http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...2014_LoRes.pdf

This same bracket also appears in the 2011 and 2013 F53 brochures.

The body builders remove this bracket as it would interfere with the engine compartment and fender enclosures. Apparently different body builders have taken different measures to route and protect the harnesses and cables.

I had some pictures of when I got under there looking at some other items. You're correct, there's at least 10 inches clearance on mine. The transmission shift cable is clearly shown in the attached photo, the exhaust pipe to manifold connection is at the very bottom of the photo.