Ford V10 Triton 6.8 L

[TeJay]

This is coming from one who has had 40 years experience with engines. About the only way this could happen is if it were a dragster (nitro funny car) engine that just exploded.

If an engine:
Breaks a valve, bends a push rod, locks up a rod bearing, blows a spark plug, welds a main bearing to the crank, throws a cam timing chain, etc, etc the engine just locks up and stops. It just can't break every head bolt.

Sometimes at very high RPM's a rod bearing locks up, the piston breaks a hole in the side of the block then it just stops. These engines have a rev limiter. You can red line it but only to a safe point and not to a destruction point.

The Ford Triton V-10 is one very, very reliable engine with millions of miles/hours of trouble free performance. It has also been used on many different platforms: Pick ups, ambulances, delivery vans/trucks and yes RV's.

If your engine was fixed correctly it will be fine. I'm guessing on this. The OP said Ford approved the repair. I'm going to guess that they installed a Ford remanufactured crate engine as the replacement. If that's what happened then I'd not be worried. It will come with a warranty as well.

[HighMobious]

Does anyone else just want to live near TeJay. You ate do full of helpful information. GOD BLESS YOU.

[Hikerdogs]

I have to admit I've never seen a head pushed forward. I have seen them break as TJ described. On the other hand I've seen intake manifolds and oil pans get launched.


In those cases it was because someone sprayed several cans of starting fluid down the air intake. In one case when the engine finally fire it blew the intake manifold off. The explosion was strong enough to punch the air cleaner stud through the hood.


In another case someone tried the starting fluid on a 70's era Lincoln. They couldn't get it running so it was towed to the Ford garage where I worked. It was put in a service bay on a battery charger for several hours. When the mechanic attempted to start it the oil pan blew off. Everything for 3 bays on each side was covered with black oil that smelled like ether.

[nothermark]

And in case you missed it that engine always had aluminum heads. The early one's had an issue with spark plugs as there were not a lot of threads so a heavy handed mechanic could strip the head putting in new plugs. Many of the same sort did not believe the coil of plug design could do 100,000 on the same set of platinum plugs so they changed early and broke them early. That was settled by around 2004 or 5. Otherwise they have a reputation of being good for a couple hundred thousand miles. They also can get noisy by some folks standards as they will comfortably rev up to more than 5000 RPM. Most folks get nervous at 3000. The newest seem to have a lower setting for maximum RPM probably more for noise than problems. I think that is 2015 and up with the 6 spd transmission.

[Wanderer34]

Thanks everyone for your comments

[TeJay]

First I'd like to THANK wanderer34 for reporting his experiences. It has been informative and entertaining. As usual we can all learn from others.

The starting fluid (ether) is very similar (explosive) to alcohol and the nitro-methane used by dragsters. Hence my prior reference to the funny cars.

If you have been around working engines then we have seen and heard the results of the misuse of starting fluid. It's explosive abilities are well known and documented.

The Triton V-10 is not a funny car and therefore will not do the reported damage. Here's what we have. The OP has admitted that he's not a mechanic and he's trying to understand and interpret what a purported mechanic is relating has occurred with his Ford engine. This shared and then repeated "Information" is used to justify the complete replacement of the OP's engine.

Even if I didn't understand what was going on I would have asked to see the damage. At that point I'd take some pictures for my own records. Everybody carries a cell phone these days. At that stage of the repair Ford corporate was not yet involved in making any decisions. I would want as complete a record of the engine damage for future reference.

Were I the involved Technician I would have take the OP back into the shop and showed him what happened. This is a case where a picture would have been worth more than a thousand words.

The exact damage to the engine at this point is a mute point. The engine has or is being rebuilt. This has been a good discussion relating what some folks think they hear and then report versus what really did happen.

I have a very good friend who has a world of mechanical experience on RV's and on farm equipment. When he tells stories (tells a lot of them) we all know to reduce everything he says by at least half. If the rattle snake he shot was as long as his truck we know it was maybe 2-3' long. If the truck he saw rolled 8 times it probably rolled twice. We still all love him and his entertaining stories.

[Ted Lambert]

They must have given you some kind of bill or work order for this work!
Why not scan it and let us see what your talking about.

The funniest thing I ever saw was a base pan (oil pan) on a 16v149 Detroit (2cycle) get blown to pieces from too much starting fluid.
Fellow had a hard time explaining that one to the boss!

[twinboat]

We used starting fluid by the case, in our shop. We sometimes drove the trucks in, on it.

The only time I saw it blow up was when I doused my buddy's rollaway tool box with it and lit it off. Never was the same after that.

This was after he poured hot asphalt sealer over all my tools. Filled every draw.

The best trick is to spray starting fluid in the intake, while the driver is slowly backing out of the shop. His look is priceless.

I did do one " in frame " on a demolition dozer, that blew a hole in a piston from starting fluid.

Good times back then !

[TeJay]

Diesel engines with compression ratio's of 18:1 and up can withstand the use of starting fluid a bit better than the 8:1 and 9:1 CR of gasoline engines. That's why you used a lot of it although it seems a bit of it was used for other than standard mechanical purposes.

Had some kids (four) using a trash can to pour fuel from carb rebuilds. Another (thinking it was going to be cute) reached over with a spark lighter and wooooooosh!!!! I saw the 55 gallon can of gas fumes erupt with kids scattering to the four winds. They all lost eyebrow and arm hair. Basically a slight sun burn (which means no blisters). Some called their parents and two of the kids parents took their little darlings into the ER. That brought a big ER bill and parents screaming to the principal. Of course it was my fault. The kids nothing wrong.

I always wondered how many times the parents took those same kids into the ER after a day of boating and a first degree (blisters) sun burn, which we've all had and I was never taken to the ER.
Sure glad to be out of that place.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Wanderer34

I am not a mechanic, I was told the bolts were sheered, the head pan was actually cracked. Ford warranty did cover it and the same story was told to them.

My question was - has anyone had this particular problem. I need to decide whether to keep this MH. If this happens again and it is outside the warranty it would be very expensive.
Thank you MRFIX that is what I was looking for

All joking aside, if you could get more details on the failure we would be in a better position to answer your question.

[RRR]

Originally Posted by TeJay

Diesel engines with compression ratio's of 18:1 and up can withstand the use of starting fluid a bit better than the 8:1 and 9:1 CR of gasoline engines. That's why you used a lot of it although it seems a bit of it was used for other than standard mechanical purposes.

Had some kids (four) using a trash can to pour fuel from carb rebuilds. Another (thinking it was going to be cute) reached over with a spark lighter and wooooooosh!!!! I saw the 55 gallon can of gas fumes erupt with kids scattering to the four winds. They all lost eyebrow and arm hair. Basically a slight sun burn (which means no blisters). Some called their parents and two of the kids parents took their little darlings into the ER. That brought a big ER bill and parents screaming to the principal. Of course it was my fault. The kids nothing wrong.

I always wondered how many times the parents took those same kids into the ER after a day of boating and a first degree (blisters) sun burn, which we've all had and I was never taken to the ER.
Sure glad to be out of that place.

Thanks for the memories.

I was probably about 8-9 when, and I do not remember why Dad and I were out by the burn barrel that had some gas in the bottom of it. He tossed his cigarette butt in to it and the resulting WHOOSH singed my hair and sorta gave me a nice red glow too.

After he made sure I wasn't seriously hurt we were both laughing about it.