Ford latest water ingestion fix (pictures)

[N8XV]

I just installed the latest "improved" air inlet for the Ford F-53 water ingestion problem. Inlet tube pictures

[ISLAPP]

Thansk for the pictures. Do you know what model years this TSB was for?
Mike

[N8XV]

At the Ford seminar where I learned about the inlet tube I believe they said it was for the 1999 through 2004 with V10.

[ISLAPP]

Boy, I have to tell you I must have been asleep at the switch. I was not aware of any ingestion problems with the F53. I thought it was the Workhorse. I am checking with my Ford dealer to see if my '02 chassis is included. I havent driven in alot of rain, but some, and havent noticed any problems.
Mike

["007"]

All the Ford V-10's were susceptible to intaking water into their air-filter.
Some people used 3" aluminum dryer hoses when Ford wouldn't admit to the problem. "007"

[N8XV]

Mike, our 2000 motorhome had the early shroud fix installed to reduce the water problem. But after driving 3 to 4 hours in a steady rain it would start to miss. I got so I just carried a extra air filter and changed it when it got water logged. It will be interesting to see how the latest fix works. But since it's rare to drive long periods in steady rain it may be months before we know it the new fix works.

["007"]

N8XV, The tube looks to be above the main grill opening the only location water could come in would be at the top of your hood opening when it is closed. The Newmars top crack of hood opening would allow all the water from center of windshield thru crack an into the air-tube of 8.1 engine.
If you were to place a bulb type weather-strip across this crack it would raise your air tube opening the height of your hood width. If you do this you can test with engine running with a water hose, the screen of your tube will be dry.
The strip costs $15 at Auto -Zone. You have great pictures some day I might figure how to post them. Good travels "007"

[Afton]

I also own a 2002 Winnebego Adventurer 32U with a Ford V-10. We recently took a trip to Florida and drove in heavy rains. My air filter became wet and "sucked" up into the top of the air filter cannister, choking the air flow causing my engine to flood. It fouled the plugs and ruined the Mass Air Flow Sensor before we were able to figure it out. I bought a K&N air filter which has metal re-enforcement and will not get wet and clog up as a paper filter will. My Generator, which is located behind the drivers side rear wheel, also got flooded and kept shutting off while we were driving. Ford has no plans for a re-call but as they have stated, they will fix it, if it is still under warranty. I also found out that the spark plugs in these V-10's will back out, causing damage to the heads if not checked periodically. Mine were only hand tight and I only had 16,000 miles on it when I changed the fouled plugs.

["007"]

Afton , Welcome to irv2
Thanks for your info I'am sure, what you have said, many Ford V-10 owners will take your advice an do some checking. Just do something for your air-intake to raise it above your grill opening so you too will have trouble free miles. "007"

[George Miklas]

This happened to my 2000 F-53 last Spring 2004. Hershey Ford installed the shroud kit, changed the mass air flow sensor, changed the fouled spark plugs and re-calibrated the transmission due to the problem. All that plus the labor cost me over $400.00 I was only 2 months out of warranty! Talk about being bummed out! No chance in this ever happening to my new RV

George

[Afton]

I feel your pain. My factory warranty went out in May and this happened in June. Luckily, when I bought my motorhome, they threw in an extended warranty. It cost me a $50.00 deductible. I had already replaced the plugs and changed the fuel filters though. I just bought the shroud kit and installed it myself to fix the air filter problem. The kit was $13.00 and it installed in about 30 minutes.

[George Miklas]

Afton: I'm glad that aftermarket warranty is paying off for you. At our point of sale, the finance lady encouraged us to buy the warranty by saying, "You have to buy it now, we can't sell it to you after you go home." So we bit. We thought that we understood that it was a bumper to bumper warranty. When we learned (the hard way) that it wasn't bumper to bumper, we immediately cancelled it. All I can say now is that selling aftermarket warranties is a money making racket for the dealership. We had the 7-year warranty only 9 months, and lost half of the premium when we cancelled it. The explaination was that the 7-years began when the chassis was first titled (put into service), not when the Miklas' bought the same unit used. Even after cancelling the STAR warranty and paying for the ingestion repair out of pocket, I was still over $1200 ahead of the racket.

George

[Afton]

George, I usually never buy extended warranties myself unless it is on electronics that include battery replacement. However, this one was included with my purchase as a "close-out" special. I am sure that I paid for it somewhere in the paperwork. The extended warranty that I have is DFS Advantage, Platinum Motor Home Plus. When the mechanic submitted the repairs, the only question they had, was about using aftermarket parts instead of original "Ford" parts. When the mechanic told them he only installs original equipment replacement parts, they just paid the bill. Billy Sims Trailer Town, the dealer that sold me this unit, told me that they have used this company many times without any problems getting the repairs done.

[ISLAPP]

Bill,
When you got the part from Ford, did you get only part or were there two things that came with it? I had the dealer order the part or parts and he says one part came in and he is checking on the other part. I didnt ask him what part he had or what part is "missing". I just wonder if he thinks there is something else coming in that really isnt needed.
Mike