2022 F53 V8 7.3 on 8% grade have question

[flharleycop]

I live in the Rocky Mountains so our new Fleetwood Flair with the V8 motor is getting a work out. We just got back from a several week trip in the Rockys. Owners of the new V8 on the F53 does your unit get really loud with the engine under a load? My RV when going up a really steep incline and maintaining 40 mph it downshifts to usually 2,3rd gear and that noise and high rev I understand but I am also hearing an additional sound like a electric fan kicking in our torque converter noise but I dont know which. The unit seems to get more power during the time that the louder noise kicks in and then it usually upshift to the next higher gear. That is why I am thinking torque converter noise. I tried searching but cant find any post about this. I tried to video it but the video doesn’t seem to hear the different motor noise kicking in.

I forgot to add that I am towing a wrangler as a toad.

Thanks

[TXiceman]

Yes, it will get loud. Some of the noise is due to engine speed and air inlet to the engine. A large portion of the noise will come from the fan for the radiator. The engine is under load and working harder and is running hotter. The radiator cooling fan will increase in speed and be noisier.

Ken

[flharleycop]

So you think the extra noise I am hearing other than the motor is the cooling fan?

[avfordguy]

Fan clutch noise...its normal it goes off and on. Hill climbs in warm temps will call for more cooling as frontal air ram effect is less due to lower speeds, so fan speed increases to add additional air flow through the radiator.

[Tskadberg]

We have a 7.3 combined weight is 25,000 when towing. Yes the fan kicks in and is loud. Will kick in on a hot day in traffic too. What I notice is the temp needle never seems to show the engine heating up much. Hence my take away is the system is working as designed.

Also I manually shift on big hills. Why? Because the engine computer can not see the hill ahead of us only i can. It will wait too long to down shift if left on cruise control and then waste energy trying to catch up.

Big hill I put in 5th right away. Can buy time before i have to find 4th. Once in forth I do not try to pick up speed. I don’t have to use 3rd too often. More likely to use 3rd on the way down.

Sound insulation can help a lot. I started on the stairs and under the seats. Next is the dash. On mine it is just fiberglass.

[OB1KC]

I am looking for this answer also. This "fan" noise is a definite on/off noise that can occur several times on the same grade as I also experienced this in Colorado over Cottonwood pass. I assume it is an engine controlled lockup clutch on the belt driven fan or an extra electrical fan than comes on at specified times. I have not seen any literature on the engine cooling specifications and have not really been under the doghouse to check it out, but would like to find the answer to this "fan" noise.

[mr.tommy]

Originally Posted by Tskadberg

We have a 7.3 combined weight is 25,000 when towing. Yes the fan kicks in and is loud. Will kick in on a hot day in traffic too. What I notice is the temp needle never seems to show the engine heating up much. Hence my take away is the system is working as designed.

Dash gauges don't show incremental fluctuations. If over heating was taking place, by the time the temp gauge gets to red—which would be pretty quick— it's usually to late. Install a Scan gauge II on the dash with a suction cup mount. Easy install. Just plug it into the OBD II port under the dash by the steering wheel column and then program what you want to monitor while underway.

If you install this you'll know exactly what the temps are for your cooling system, your tranny and anything else you want to monitor. It's also a code reader and can clear codes if you ever need that function too. I wouldn't be without mine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AAMY86....1FUC3YMUOK6RD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SRKGUA....1FUC3YMUOK6RD

[Indy Glenn]

Originally Posted by mr.tommy

Dash gauges don't show incremental fluctuations. If over heating was taking place, by the time the temp gauge gets to red—which would be pretty quick— it's usually to late. Install a Scan gauge II on the dash with a suction cup mount. Easy install. Just plug it into the OBD II port under the dash by the steering wheel column and then program what you want to monitor while underway.

If you install this you'll know exactly what the temps are for your cooling system, your tranny and anything else you want to monitor. It's also a code reader and can clear codes if you ever need that function too. I wouldn't be without mine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AAMY86....1FUC3YMUOK6RD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SRKGUA....1FUC3YMUOK6RD

Scan Gauge II is great - and offers so much information.

I have a 2017 Canyon Star on a 2016 chassis with the 6.2. Yes - the fan motor is definitely distinguishable over other noises - but any temps on long pulls stays constant.

I also anticipate long grades and do not drive with the cruise on in a hilly area or just mash the gas pedal to the floor when heading up a long grade. I use the throttle to control shifting versus manual gear selection, I can generally do a long grade between 3 & 3.5K rpms & yes, I will slow down quite a bit.

As far as noise....I guess we are lucky with the Newmar. We can definitely hear the motor working under the dog house, even at 4 or 4.5K rpms, we can still talk in a normal voice pr listen to music and when under a normal load, we hardly hear the engine at all....

[CamperLifer]

Yep. Turbocharging is really needed for altitude.

[LennyC]

From page 51 of the 2021 F53 Motorhome Manual
Tow/Haul Mode
WARNING: Do not use tow/haul when the road surface is slippery. Failure
to follow this instruction could result in the loss of control of your vehicle.

To activate tow/haul, press the button on the end of gearshift lever once.

The TOW HAUL indicator light illuminates in the instrument cluster.
To deactivate the tow/haul feature and return to normal driving mode, press the button on the gearshift lever again. The TOW HAUL light deactivates. Tow/haul can also deactivate when you power down
your vehicle.

The tow/haul feature:
• Delays upshifts to reduce the frequency of transmission shifting.
• Provides engine braking in all forward gears, which can slow your vehicle and assist you in controlling your vehicle when descending a slope.
• Depending on driving conditions and load conditions, may downshift the
transmission, slow your vehicle and control your vehicle speed when
descending a hill, without pressing the accelerator pedal. The amount of
downshift braking provided varies based on the amount the brake pedal
is pressed.
The tow/haul feature improves transmission operation when towing a
trailer or a heavy load. All transmission gear ranges are available when using tow/haul.
Forced Downshifts
To achieve a forced downshift, press the accelerator pedal to the floor to allow the forced downshift.
• Allowed in drive (D) with the tow/haul feature on or off.
• Allows transmission to select an appropriate gear.

NOISE REDUCTION
I had my mobile tech add sound deadening material to the underside of the doghouse and will give it a good test over Labor Day while we are climbing and descending 6-7% grades in AZ and CO.

I had the F53 V10 on my 2015 Newmar Canyon Star and it was pretty noisy too. I did the FiveStar tuning on that rig and it helped the shift pattern considerably.

[Tskadberg]

Originally Posted by LennyC

From page 51 of the 2021 F53 Motorhome Manual
Tow/Haul Mode
WARNING: Do not use tow/haul when the road surface is slippery. Failure
to follow this instruction could result in the loss of control of your vehicle.

To activate tow/haul, press the button on the end of gearshift lever once.

The TOW HAUL indicator light illuminates in the instrument cluster.
To deactivate the tow/haul feature and return to normal driving mode, press the button on the gearshift lever again. The TOW HAUL light deactivates. Tow/haul can also deactivate when you power down
your vehicle.

The tow/haul feature:
• Delays upshifts to reduce the frequency of transmission shifting.
• Provides engine braking in all forward gears, which can slow your vehicle and assist you in controlling your vehicle when descending a slope.
• Depending on driving conditions and load conditions, may downshift the
transmission, slow your vehicle and control your vehicle speed when
descending a hill, without pressing the accelerator pedal. The amount of
downshift braking provided varies based on the amount the brake pedal
is pressed.
The tow/haul feature improves transmission operation when towing a
trailer or a heavy load. All transmission gear ranges are available when using tow/haul.
Forced Downshifts
To achieve a forced downshift, press the accelerator pedal to the floor to allow the forced downshift.
• Allowed in drive (D) with the tow/haul feature on or off.
• Allows transmission to select an appropriate gear.

NOISE REDUCTION
I had my mobile tech add sound deadening material to the underside of the doghouse and will give it a good test over Labor Day while we are climbing and descending 6-7% grades in AZ and CO.

I had the F53 V10 on my 2015 Newmar Canyon Star and it was pretty noisy too. I did the FiveStar tuning on that rig and it helped the shift pattern considerably.

Every rig is different but a real weak spot for us was the entry steps. Just sheet metal.

[Tskadberg]

Originally Posted by mr.tommy

Dash gauges don't show incremental fluctuations. If over heating was taking place, by the time the temp gauge gets to red—which would be pretty quick— it's usually to late. Install a Scan gauge II on the dash with a suction cup mount. Easy install. Just plug it into the OBD II port under the dash by the steering wheel column and then program what you want to monitor while underway.

If you install this you'll know exactly what the temps are for your cooling system, your tranny and anything else you want to monitor. It's also a code reader and can clear codes if you ever need that function too. I wouldn't be without mine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AAMY86....1FUC3YMUOK6RD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SRKGUA....1FUC3YMUOK6RD

Thanks for the suggestions.

Two questions.

How can a temp gauge be slow to react? Is it not getting info from the same sensor as the computer? I could understand it is not detailed as a actual number temp.

I have looked at Scan Gauge as I love having info. But I cant bring myself to spend money on such a poor user interface in 2022.

Anyone suggest something other than Scan Gauge?

[mr.tommy]

Originally Posted by Tskadberg

Thanks for the suggestions.

Two questions.

How can a temp gauge be slow to react? Is it not getting info from the same sensor as the computer? I could understand it is not detailed as a actual number temp.

I have looked at Scan Gauge as I love having info. But I cant bring myself to spend money on such a poor user interface in 2022.

Anyone suggest something other than Scan Gauge?

Yes the gauge is getting the info from the same sensor but the gauge itself won't climb incrementally. Once high temp is reached, the gauge will just jump to the red line or close to it. But like I said, by then it's to late to prevent a probable over heating issue. With Scan Gauge you can actually see the climbing of the temp degree by degree and then you have plenty of time to decide whether you want to pull over for a bit or whatever.

Not sure what you mean about poor interface. It's really not that complicated. I programed mine to monitor 4 main things I want to see all the time. Once that's set, I just start the coach and that's my default digital gauges. If I wanted to, I could program additional gauges and just hit the forward button to see those. But I don't do that.

I mean for the money, it's not much at all, but gives you all the data you could possibly want, but yes you have to take a few minutes to learn to use it. But it's not hard. It certainly would solve the problem you originally asked about.

[TFell]

I too manually downshift before a big hill, especially when towing. I do it via the button on the shifter, not flooring the throttle.

They do get loud when running up near 4k rpms. I have not had my fan engage yet, but I don't hit big mountains while towing. My MH is only 16k lbs.

Now I am curious what they're using for sound deadening at Newmar