Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE CHASSIS CLUB FORUMS > Ford Motorhome Chassis Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-09-2016, 08:59 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Monaco Owners Club
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 29
F53 Service Manual not owners manual

Why is this so difficult to find? Yes I could purchase one off amazon/ebay for $289. Helm Inc only has the owners manual. Motor craft has the owners manual, schedule manual and warranty. Not what I need. I was hoping to find something like a chiltons or hayes. Hayes does not have the f53 listed. Chiltons does have an online version but I like to be able to hold it in my hand. Laptops and greasy hands don't mesh well. Is the cost of the original manual so expensive due to supply and demand? I'm also kind of in a pinch as far as year goes. Our MH is a 2000 but the chassis is an early 1999. It is one of the first runs of the v-10 that only has 275hp. Is there any cross over between truck manuals that would work? I've also seen some CD manuals on eBay. Are these a digit version of the original manuals? I don't mind paying for something that has good info but not 289 bucks-

Thanks

Tyler
__________________
Tyler, Sarah and Wilson
2000 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 34CG
2006 Subaru Imrpeza Toad
RunawayJim is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 09-09-2016, 11:27 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: where ever the rv is parked today.
Posts: 629
I would suspect it is the manufactures way of protecting their certified service depts. if anyone can get the book for next to nothing why would anyone use a certified mech?

I know in my past life before i went full time rv that was the case in the industry i was in. We also protected our tech websites and such for the same reason, we only wanted certified folks working on our equipment.

If our stuff did not work right nobody blamed the guy who does the reg maint, they blame the manufacture.......i made a living as a manufacture tech support rep because most times the equipment did not work right because the reg maint was not done right even by a certified tech with the book in hand. Of course the customer still blames the manufacture never the guy who did the maint work wrong. of course the customer does not know because we will not tell them.......got to protect our dealers.
jbrv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 06:03 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lowell, Arkansas
Posts: 7,297
Tyler,

This information may not help much but it may help others reading this. I don't know when Ford started making the CD's for their dealers. I have discs from 2009,2011,2014,2015 and 2016. I get them from the Service Manager (an X student of mine from about 1984) at the local Ford dealer.

The CD's do time out after about 6 months. Ford says they don't want old information available just in case new information is needed. I have an old laptop and I just change the date so the CD thinks it back when it was set up. Stupid PC.

Ford issues the CD's for the dealers so any changes made are available to the technicians. Ford does not want a tech to use out of date procedures or information to make repairs. These are issued and sent out about every 3-4 months.

The techs however use the on-line information to keep up with changes and the CD's gather dust in a drawer.

You have an early 1999 chassis. What I've discovered is most or at least a lot of the basic information is the same from 2009 through 2016. I am not working on anything that is critical so most of what I need I can get. Torques, and basic info is good. Some of the guys on here may still be working and have access to OASIS which I think is the on-line information data base which I'm sure is more up-to-date.

Some of the guys post some really great pictures and schematics. They have to be getting these from a good source. I guess we can rely on them to supply some up to date or even older pics and wiring diagrams which would need to be up to date.

These CD's are still an asset for me and I'm sure you can get them for free at any Ford dealer. Again they get them for free and most just set in a drawer. Possibly some of the ones on e-bay may have been obtained from dealers for free.
__________________
TeJay Auto Instructor/4-yrs USAF/ Liz: RN/ WBGO 2014 Vista 30T/ F-53/CHF/5-Star/Koni * Bella & Izzy * Golden /Cocker mix/ Louie The Cat* All Retired
TeJay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 06:28 AM   #4
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,912
Tyler-

I bought and official Ford DVD, as TeJay described, off eBay for less than $40. I do have to perform the set-back-to-DVD issue date trick on my laptop to read it.

Your coach may pre-date the CD/DVDs, in which case I'd suggest getting the oldest one you can find. As TeJay says, much information is common from year to year.

iRV2 user "Subford" has published diagrams for the late-Nineties F-53 chassis. You might want to send him a private message asking about his sources.
__________________
Mark
2008 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30PDD (Ford F-53 chassis)
2009 Honda Fit Sport
l1v3fr33ord1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 08:54 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
subford's Avatar
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Easton, Ks
Posts: 2,836
Here is one you can get for only $175.10 with free shipping.
Does not look like greasy hands will mess it up.

2001 Ford F 250 F 350 F 450 F 550 motorhome RV Service Shop Repair Manual Set | eBay

The 2001 CD that has the 2001 Motorhome in it that I have seen takes a computer running XP or older OS but the date does not make any difference to it.

Here is also a DVD that has it in it for US $44.10.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-Ford-F5...dXrMaX&vxp=mtr



/
__________________
Bill
1995 COACHMEN Santara 350FL on a 1994 Ford F53
subford@gmail.com
subford is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 10:06 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
superk's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Kapuskasing, Ontario
Posts: 304
Chilton has it online. DIY Auto Repair Manuals, Service Manuals Online - ChiltonDIY

30 days - 16.95

1yr 29.95

I have my 1999 f53 service manual from there. I can look something up for you if you like?

Print to pdf works...
__________________
1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34v (CHF)
How to build and install in-dash usb charger No 12v socket used. Direct wired.
Restoration and modernization of 1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34v
superk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 10:13 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
tderonne's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Motor City, Mich
Posts: 3,367
Michigan residents have free access to the online Chilton's manuals via our electronic library system. Might be worth checking your local library.
(The Chilton's manuals online ARE the Ford manuals. Different directory arrangement and no page numbers. A little tricky to navigate. But free for me.)
__________________
Tim.

tderonne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 01:36 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
mrt_1111's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1,111
I got a service manual CD from rockauto.com. I print out the pages I need.

RockAuto Mobile Catalog
__________________
Mark
1999 Bounder 32H Ford V10, 2012 Ford Focus, Pretty DW, 1 cat. Retired USAF
mrt_1111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2016, 09:06 PM   #9
Junior Member
 
Monaco Owners Club
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 29
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbrv View Post
I would suspect it is the manufactures way of protecting their certified service depts. if anyone can get the book for next to nothing why would anyone use a certified mech?

I know in my past life before i went full time rv that was the case in the industry i was in. We also protected our tech websites and such for the same reason, we only wanted certified folks working on our equipment.

If our stuff did not work right nobody blamed the guy who does the reg maint, they blame the manufacture.......i made a living as a manufacture tech support rep because most times the equipment did not work right because the reg maint was not done right even by a certified tech with the book in hand. Of course the customer still blames the manufacture never the guy who did the maint work wrong. of course the customer does not know because we will not tell them.......got to protect our dealers.

JBRV this an interesting angle that I had not thought about. Makes sense.

I think for now I'm going to try the Chiltons online DIY for and see how I like it. I'll probably end up printing most of it out, sticking the pages in page protectors and putting together binder of info. I'm going to look at that CD at rockauto also. Physical media would be nice for those times when wifi isn't cooperating.

Interesting side note Chilton use to be owned by Disney.

Just finished oil/filter change this afternoon. Autozone had the 5qt motorcraft 5w-20 syn on sale for 24.99$ and the filter was 3.99$. Good deal and always rewarding doing your own work. Next on the list: coolant flush
__________________
Tyler, Sarah and Wilson
2000 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 34CG
2006 Subaru Imrpeza Toad
RunawayJim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 07:53 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,965
I would stay away from the Chilton and Hays manuals for the F53 chassis. I used both while in the repair business and they seem to lack detail. I later switched to the Ford manuals from Helm, but as you've discovered they are expensive.

I now use the manuals in CD format from Ford. In my opinion they are easier to use than the printed ones. If you do need to take a page or section of the manual to the job you can print it. Then there's little or no chance you'll destroy the original with greasy hands.

There are many CD manuals available on e bay from time to time. If you choose that route be sure to get a complete truck manual. This version includes all trucks from the Expedition and F150 to the F750 and F53 chassis. There are several other versions that are for light trucks only. Make sure you read the details of the vehicles covered by the CD. It will list each and every model covered. If it doesn't list the F53 chassis it's not the one you want.

The CD's for this time period are not time sensitive. They were updated on a quarterly basis to the dealers. However unlike the newer versions they will work regardless of the calendar setting on your computer. I have several CD's covering models from 2001 to 2013.

The older versions are getting harder to come by. When I purchased the one for our 2001 motorhome they were going for less than $20.00. At this point I don't even see on for that particular year on e bay. However if you're patient there always seems to be more coming along.
__________________
Hikerdogs
2013 Adventurer 32H
Hikerdogs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 08:28 AM   #11
Junior Member
 
Monaco Owners Club
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 29
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hikerdogs View Post
I would stay away from the Chilton and Hays manuals for the F53 chassis. I used both while in the repair business and they seem to lack detail. I later switched to the Ford manuals from Helm, but as you've discovered they are expensive.

I now use the manuals in CD format from Ford. In my opinion they are easier to use than the printed ones. If you do need to take a page or section of the manual to the job you can print it. Then there's little or no chance you'll destroy the original with greasy hands.

There are many CD manuals available on e bay from time to time. If you choose that route be sure to get a complete truck manual. This version includes all trucks from the Expedition and F150 to the F750 and F53 chassis. There are several other versions that are for light trucks only. Make sure you read the details of the vehicles covered by the CD. It will list each and every model covered. If it doesn't list the F53 chassis it's not the one you want.

The CD's for this time period are not time sensitive. They were updated on a quarterly basis to the dealers. However unlike the newer versions they will work regardless of the calendar setting on your computer. I have several CD's covering models from 2001 to 2013.

The older versions are getting harder to come by. When I purchased the one for our 2001 motorhome they were going for less than $20.00. At this point I don't even see on for that particular year on e bay. However if you're patient there always seems to be more coming along.
Thanks for the heads up HikerDogs.

mrt_1111 linked to this on rockauto. Is this the type of cd manual your talking about? It looks like it covers f-250 - f550 and is also described as a shop manual, but doesn't specifically list F53. I should probably call them up and find out. The product description sounds more like an owners manual. I should also set up an alert on ebay.

RockAuto Mobile Catalog
__________________
Tyler, Sarah and Wilson
2000 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 34CG
2006 Subaru Imrpeza Toad
RunawayJim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 09:12 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,965
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunawayJim View Post
Thanks for the heads up HikerDogs.

mrt_1111 linked to this on rockauto. Is this the type of cd manual your talking about? It looks like it covers f-250 - f550 and is also described as a shop manual, but doesn't specifically list F53. I should probably call them up and find out. The product description sounds more like an owners manual. I should also set up an alert on ebay.

RockAuto Mobile Catalog
I would definitely give them a call. If I read the catalog correctly there is a manual covering the F53 chassis. I tried to copy and paste the section of the catalog that described it, but the site security thought I was a robot and kicked me out.

The manuals I was referring to are like this example from Ford:
2001 Ford F 150 F 250 F 350 Ranger Excursion Expedition Truck CD Service Manual | eBay

In the descriptive text it mentions it covers the F53 chassis:

Full Genuine Service Manuals covered on this CD include:
2001 - E-Series, Escape, Excursion, Expedition, Explorer, Explorer Sport / Sport Trac, F-150, F-650, F-750, F-Super Duty 250-550, F53 Motorhome Chassis, Mountaineer, Navigator, Postal Explorer, Ranger, Villager and Windstar

Some vendors claim these CD's will not work on Windows 7, 8, or Vista. The copy I have works on Windows 7 if it's installed in the "Program Files (x86)" directory
__________________
Hikerdogs
2013 Adventurer 32H
Hikerdogs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 09:38 AM   #13
Junior Member
 
Monaco Owners Club
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 29
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hikerdogs View Post
I would definitely give them a call. If I read the catalog correctly there is a manual covering the F53 chassis. I tried to copy and paste the section of the catalog that described it, but the site security thought I was a robot and kicked me out.

The manuals I was referring to are like this example from Ford:
2001 Ford F 150 F 250 F 350 Ranger Excursion Expedition Truck CD Service Manual | eBay

In the descriptive text it mentions it covers the F53 chassis:

Full Genuine Service Manuals covered on this CD include:
2001 - E-Series, Escape, Excursion, Expedition, Explorer, Explorer Sport / Sport Trac, F-150, F-650, F-750, F-Super Duty 250-550, F53 Motorhome Chassis, Mountaineer, Navigator, Postal Explorer, Ranger, Villager and Windstar

Some vendors claim these CD's will not work on Windows 7, 8, or Vista. The copy I have works on Windows 7 if it's installed in the "Program Files (x86)" directory
One could always sandbox it and run it in good old XP. I'm going to give them a call and will report bad. If this is it, it seems to be a fair price IMO
__________________
Tyler, Sarah and Wilson
2000 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 34CG
2006 Subaru Imrpeza Toad
RunawayJim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 10:57 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
tderonne's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Motor City, Mich
Posts: 3,367
There is definitely a separate manual for the F53. And there are actually two books, the "workshop manual" and the "wiring diagrams". The second looks like this:



The workshop manual looks similar.

The ChiltonLibrary website i can get to is copies of the Ford manuals. I don't know that I'd pay for it though, for the navigation issues I mentioned. I've also found that sometimes information is missing, like wiring diagrams for certain year's stuff. I get my money's worth for free. I have a paper copy of my '04 manual when I really need it though.
__________________
Tim.

tderonne is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
f53, manual, service



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
2008 Ford F53 Owners Manual Milehghcty Ford Motorhome Chassis Forum 8 12-17-2014 07:07 PM
Owners Manual - Wiring Diagrams - Parts Manual - Repair Manual dapperphil Monaco Owner's Forum 5 07-14-2013 11:39 AM
Owners Manual or Service Manual Jimprocal 5th Wheel Discussion 2 04-30-2013 07:39 AM
1998 Chevy P3 Service Manual / P32 Service Manual? Yogisurf Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 7 05-06-2012 07:55 PM
1995 Ford F53 Service Manual jdr37 Class A Motorhome Discussions 0 08-11-2009 12:57 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:19 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.