Community Forums

Markrving · 08-14-2015, 12:12 PM

I have a 2000YR ford V10 chassis on a thor hurricane. The RV has 25,000 miles.

When we recently took a trip from New York to Nashville TN, I noticed that the engine surges a bit at idle.

Even driving off from a stand still ( like a red light ), the engine idle surging causes some minor surging of the transmission and drivetrain and causes the motorhome itself to jerk a very small but perceptible amount

I also noticed that during our trip, that on hard acceleration climbing a long hill that there was also surging of power from the engine and some surging of the truck drivetrain itself and the motorhome as a whole while climbing a hill.

Any suggestions as to why this might be occurring ??

Thanks in advance for any replies and assistance.

BFlinn181 · 08-14-2015, 12:22 PM

It most likely is a bad sensor. Does your CEL come on? Any error codes? You can get it scanned at most auto parts stores. Likely candidates would be MAF sensor, O2 sensor, engine coolant sensor, etc. but it would be real expensive to just start swapping them out. What you could do is make sure all connections are clean and properly connected, a loose or dirty connection can make the sensor not send signals properly to the ECU.

rk911 · 08-14-2015, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markrving

I have a 2000YR ford V10 chassis on a thor hurricane. The RV has 25,000 miles.

When we recently took a trip from New York to Nashville TN, I noticed that the engine surges a bit at idle.

Even driving off from a stand still ( like a red light ), the engine idle surging causes some minor surging of the transmission and drivetrain and causes the motorhome itself to jerk a very small but perceptible amount

I also noticed that during our trip, that on hard acceleration climbing a long hill that there was also surging of power from the engine and some surging of the truck drivetrain itself and the motorhome as a whole while climbing a hill.

Any suggestions as to why this might be occurring ??

Thanks in advance for any replies and assistance.

dirty fuel filter?

Nick-B · 08-14-2015, 02:47 PM

A couple other possible causes could be a failing TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) or dirty throttle body.

Bob has a good suggestion to check and clean sensor connections. Definitely see if any codes are stored. Not all error codes trigger a Check Engine Light.

The fuel filter is also a possible culprit as Rich suggests. You might think that with only 25K miles on the motorhome that it shouldn't need it, but consider you have used 3 to 4 times more fuel than the average car (8 MPG vs 24 -32 MPG) during those miles so it is actually well past due if never replaced.

jrd48 · 08-15-2015, 07:14 AM

Have you driven through heavy rain? Early F53's were subject to water ingestion if they didn't have the Ford baffle on the air cleaner intake. Pull the air filter and look. Replace it if it's wet or if there is water in the filter housing. If you find water then buy a can of MAF sensor spray cleaner and clean the sensor inside the top of the filter housing. I probably would replace both filters just to be sure especially if they have never been replaced and/or you don't have any trouble codes.

Markrving · 08-15-2015, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrd48

Have you driven through heavy rain? Early F53's were subject to water ingestion if they didn't have the Ford baffle on the air cleaner intake. Pull the air filter and look. Replace it if it's wet or if there is water in the filter housing. If you find water then buy a can of MAF sensor spray cleaner and clean the sensor inside the top of the filter housing. I probably would replace both filters just to be sure especially if they have never been replaced and/or you don't have any trouble codes.

Thanks for the suggestion, but actually have never driven my RV in the rain,
But your feedback on this issue is appreciated

twinboat · 08-15-2015, 01:36 PM

I have not experienced it but there have been many reports of bad ignition coils on early V10 Ford's.

I would expect a gas filter issue to cause problems under heavy loads, when it is calling for the most gas. A failing coil could cut in and out at any time.

If It is a ignition problem, it should be attended to quickly. Unburnt fuel from an engine miss, will ruin the catalitic converter.

BFlinn181 · 08-15-2015, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

I have not experienced it but there have been many reports of bad ignition coils on early V10 Ford's.

I would expect a gas filter issue to cause problems under heavy loads, when it is calling for the most gas. A failing coil could cut in and out at any time.

If It is a ignition problem, it should be attended to quickly. Unburnt fuel from an engine miss, will ruin the catalitic converter.

Not saying it's not a good idea, but wouldn't a failing coil cause a CEL code? I'm leaning towards a dirty MAF, other sensor, or clogged fuel filter.

spyderRV · 08-15-2015, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

Not saying it's not a good idea, but wouldn't a failing coil cause a CEL code? I'm leaning towards a dirty MAF, other sensor, or clogged fuel filter.

I had a dead coil and you could feel a small vibration at idle. No check engine light. 1999 2 valve obd1 computer.

cb1000rider · 08-15-2015, 07:29 PM

Surging could be caused by a vacuum leak. My 1999 had a leak in the accordion boot between the MAF and the throttle body. There's also a 90 degree bend tube off the TB that is pretty famous for wear. Last bet bet - sticky IAC (which is also near the TB).

The V10 is really smooth. So smooth that you probably won't notice if it's running on 9 cylinders. That 10th cylinder coming in and out due to bad coil or bad plug can also do what you describe. Cylinder misfires don't usually throw codes on the early V10, but you can look at the misfire count using a "mode 6" diagnostic.

RodK · 08-15-2015, 10:04 PM

I had a surge on my 1999 f53. Found 1 bad coil and a crack in my pcv hose. 10 new coils and a new hose later it is smooth as can be again.

Good luck chasing yours down.

chboone · 08-17-2015, 05:27 PM

Replace the coils

winnie32v · 08-17-2015, 06:32 PM

Get a code reader.....definitely!!!!! Or borrow one.

Your OBD connector should be located up under the dash, on the pass side of the steering wheel, just far enough up the column to make it difficult to get to.
(I bought a split pigtail extension so I wouldn't have to struggle to plug in my OBD Reader and/or Code reader.)
Now, check for codes. I expect you may see a PO301,2 3....10 etc which is a cyl misfire. The last number tells you the Coil / Cyl number of the misfire.
OR any other code that is shown.
Possibly EGR also.

So, If you are able to do this let us know the results.
Guessing is probably not going to solve this problem.

Markrving · 08-18-2015, 12:49 PM

I also forgot to add that going up a long hill, if I push down on the accelerator to maintain speed, the motorhome drivetrain feels like it is shaking , lugging, or the engine is misfiring (?). It appears that under hard acceleration up a long hill that the engine struggles to maintain speed even with no load being pulled or carried. It's almost like upon this acceleration it feels like there is rapid driveline lash or pulsing, or high frequency surging (?)
This only happens when the accelerator is pushed and the coach downshifts to maintain speed up a hill climb.
As soon as the coach downshifts the driveline begins to very rapidly pulse like the driveline is surging, lashing, or shaking as the coach tries to accelerate or maintain speed.