My Triton V10 sounds awful !!

[aether_one]

There was recently a Youtuber with a class A and the bigger V10 that had to have their engine replaced due to a fuel injector running lean and killing a piston - no codes. I'd get Ford to check it ASAP.

[WileyOne]

Today I got my coach back from the Ford Truck service center. They found the problem and fixed it. It was not a fuel injector or a broken manifold or a bad knock detector or a hot valve.

It was a bad serpentine belt. They cleaned all the pulleys, replaced the belt, and adjusted the belt tensioner. Noise is now gone. Cost: $225.

It didn't sound like any slipping belt I've ever heard before. I'm just thrilled that it was an easy fix.

[BatRastard]

Modern engines have knock sensors, and ignition timing is programmatically allowed to advance for increased power only to the point that knock is detected. If a knock sensor goes bad, it could be allowing too much ignition advance for the circumstances, including fuel quality/octane. This could account for the minor improvement in noise with the higher octane experiment.

[THenne1713]

I have a 20yo, v-10, class-c, (now 42k miles) terrible rattle trip before last, had me worried, bought a ping sensor spare after, but last trip (3,000-miles) had ZERO ping, but after returning home, found I lost the 8-foot x3-inch tailpipe... hmmmm, believe another in this thread also had similar tale... my rear hanger weld peeled off the tailpipe.... found it missing under when I went to change the GEN Oil

[TonyOIB]

Originally Posted by THenne1713

I have a 20yo, v-10, class-c, (now 42k miles) terrible rattle trip before last, had me worried, bought a ping sensor spare after, but last trip (3,000-miles) had ZERO ping, but after returning home, found I lost the 8-foot x3-inch tailpipe... hmmmm, believe another in this thread also had similar tale... my rear hanger weld peeled off the tailpipe.... found it missing under when I went to change the GEN Oil

There is an earlier post entitled UNUSUAL NOISE which also notes this problem. I have responded to that topic as follows which I believe to be pertinent and worth repeating:
My 2018 Minnie has had this problem since new. Been back to Ford 3 times and even contacted corporate. The first visit they adjusted the serpentine belt and the rattling went away for my trip home. The second visit they replaced the belt and it was gone for about 200 miles. The third visit they replaced the belt tensioner AND the belt again...and the noise is beginning to come back after 600 miles. As a result,I feel certain it’s got something to do with the belt, but even corporate does not have a clue. I’ll be returning again soon before I have somewhere to go. The rattling is upon acceleration and going up hills. It’s very annoying. All suggestions are welcome. There are only 12,000 miles on the vehicle.

[TonyOIB]

Originally Posted by WileyOne

Today I got my coach back from the Ford Truck service center. They found the problem and fixed it. It was not a fuel injector or a broken manifold or a bad knock detector or a hot valve.



It was a bad serpentine belt. They cleaned all the pulleys, replaced the belt, and adjusted the belt tensioner. Noise is now gone. Cost: $225.



It didn't sound like any slipping belt I've ever heard before. I'm just thrilled that it was an easy fix.

Hang on to that receipt.

[THenne1713]

Originally Posted by THenne1713

I have a 20yo, v-10, class-c, (now 42k miles) terrible rattle trip before last, had me worried, bought a ping sensor spare after, but last trip (3,000-miles) had ZERO ping, but after returning home, found I lost the 8-foot x3-inch tailpipe... hmmmm, believe another in this thread also had similar tale... my rear hanger weld peeled off the tailpipe.... found it missing under when I went to change the GEN Oil

BTW, My NEW tailpipe (straight, 8-ft+, BEHIND rear axle, now also has THREE WRAP-AROUND HANGERS, the original only had two (Front/ Rear of this straight section), so when the rear weld peeled loose, this 8-ft pipe was totally loose on the rear, (cudda even been dragging the ground before front broken loose?). SHOULD NOW be good for another 30-years. TIP: NEVER rely on just TWO hangers or screw or bolts

[gatorb8]

Originally Posted by WileyOne

Today I got my coach back from the Ford Truck service center. They found the problem and fixed it. It was not a fuel injector or a broken manifold or a bad knock detector or a hot valve.

It was a bad serpentine belt. They cleaned all the pulleys, replaced the belt, and adjusted the belt tensioner. Noise is now gone. Cost: $225.

It didn't sound like any slipping belt I've ever heard before. I'm just thrilled that it was an easy fix.

thanks for the update!
I will take a look at my belt & tensioner

[marjoa]

Great outcome.

Hummm.....I didn't know a belt tensioner could be adjusted. I thought the pressure was just always loaded on the belt but the bearing could go out over time with high mileage. But adjustment...that's a new one on me.

FWIW...for the future diet gas coaches IMO, should always feed their coach top tier fuel. In the long run it really makes a difference on the health of your engine.

We don't feed our coach cheap junk food. Saving a few pennies on a fill up is just not worth it. We're FTers so were at the gas station often.

https://clark.com/cars/top-tier-gas-...an-engine-aaa/

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...h-extra-price/

[jackreno]

Originally Posted by WileyOne

Last month, we drove our 2017 (2016 E450 chassis) 24' Thor MH from Virginia to Florida and back.
There are not many hills on I-95, but here is what we noticed:

• when cruising in a high gear at low RPM (2200-2600), the engine puts out a noise like a loud baby rattle. We assume this is predetonation or "pinging"
• easing off the gas a little causes the pinging to stop
• adding a little gas causes a downshift and the pinging stops
• above 3300 rpm, we don't hear it at all
• driving on a straight level road at 65 mph, the noise is still there but not quite as loud. It comes and goes with variations on the gas pedal
• changing fuel from 87-10 to 89-10 made almost no noticeable difference
• changing fuel to 88-15 made the noise worse
• changing fuel to 91-10 helped a little, but the noise didn't go away

As we passed through Florence, SC, we stopped at 5-Star Tune and dropped $500 on a new set of engine parameters. The vehicle is now clearly more responsive and more fun to drive. The shift points are different, but the pinging didn't change much.

I'm sorry that my MPG calculations were a bit messed up, so I can't really say whether the 5-star made any difference in fuel economy. But, I feel like the more responsive settings are probably sucking more fuel than before.

If this is the best I can get with a Triton V10 6-speed on a north-south east coast trip, I dread finding out how it will behave in the mountains or pulling a 4000 pound boat.

If I have to use 93 octane, I might consider selling this thing.

These are my questions:

Is this noise definitely "pinging", or could something else be casuing my noise?
Every time I hear pinging, am I losing power and possibly causing damage to the engine?
Does my engine have a ping detector and how is it supposed to work?
Is this behavior normal for this engine-transmission-chassis combo?
Other than driving everywhere in towing-mode, what else can I try?

Last week I bought a new "ScanGauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Computer with Customizable Real-Time Fuel Economy Digital Gauges" on Amazon for $139. I wish I had this installed before the Florida trip, but I will be watching it carefully on our next trip. I am curious whether real-time fuel economy is affected by the pinging.

OPer I had a similar issue with my 2008 V10 and after changing some sensors and running higher octane it was still pinging sometimes, also emailed 5 Star Tuning and Mike said maybe change the spark plugs but I also found out a plugged fuel filter can cause pinging so I changed the fuel filter and my pinging stopped.

So before trading in your motorhome change the fuel filter and see if that works, it fixed mine, I now change my fuel filter every year.. its cheap..

[WileyOne]

Originally Posted by marjoa

Great outcome.
I didn't know a belt tensioner could be adjusted. I thought the pressure was just always loaded on the belt but the bearing could go out over time with high mileage.

I am confident that the serpentine belt was causing the noise. When the mechanic took a test drive with me, he identified it right away as something he had heard before.

I didn't actually observe the mechanic adjusting the belt tension. The Ford service writer only told me that is what he did. Those could be two different things because a service writer is really a salesman and he has to sell the fix before and after it is performed.

My 2017 coach has only 6000 miles, so I'm guessing something was installed wrong at the factory or it sat idle for many months before I bought it. Cleaning the pulleys is probably what really fixed it. Will it reoccur down the road? Probably. But now I know what to listen for.

[WileyOne]

Originally Posted by marjoa

We don't feed our coach cheap junk food. Saving a few pennies on a fill up is just not worth it.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...h-extra-price/

Now, this is where I hijack my own thread.

I followed the link above and watched the video. We are very cost conscience about the price of fuel when $100 barely gets us three-quarters of tank. We tend to avoid places like Sunoco, Texaco, and Amoco because bargains are rare. Gas Buddy will steer us to stations like Shell, Citgo, Exxon, Valero, and our absolute favorite, Costco. I am thrilled to see that those brands made the list. We do not buy from "Hank & Emma's Discount Tractor Fuel Emporium" or "Mickey's Quickie" or the like, for the reasons explained in this article.

The second half of the article was of even more interest to me. Does it make economic sense to buy higher octane gas if your engine is designed to run on regular? Many people in these forums have argued that, with the use of modern ping sensors, you can get better performance. This article says that is ABSOLUTELY NOT true, something I have always believed and still believe. I guess the debate will continue in spite of the evidence.

[SteveJ.]

Originally Posted by WileyOne

Now, this is where I hijack my own thread.

I followed the link above and watched the video. We are very cost conscience about the price of fuel when $100 barely gets us three-quarters of tank. We tend to avoid places like Sunoco, Texaco, and Amoco because bargains are rare. Gas Buddy will steer us to stations like Shell, Citgo, Exxon, Valero, and our absolute favorite, Costco. I am thrilled to see that those brands made the list. We do not buy from "Hank & Emma's Discount Tractor Fuel Emporium" or "Mickey's Quickie" or the like, for the reasons explained in this article.

The second half of the article was of even more interest to me. Does it make economic sense to buy higher octane gas if your engine is designed to run on regular? Many people in these forums have argued that, with the use of modern ping sensors, you can get better performance. This article says that is ABSOLUTELY NOT true, something I have always believed and still believe. I guess the debate will continue in spite of the evidence.

A friend of mine is an engine builder. He can tell right away whether or not an engine has been fed junk food or the good stuff. It's quite obvious in the intake tract.

With the exception of parts of California there doesn't seem to be too much of a price spread for the Top Tier fuels.

An occasional tank of junk food(it beats walking/pushing) is not detrimental. But a steady diet of Walmart/Wawa/Racetrac/Raceway/Food n Fuel/etc. does let things get really ugly for injectors and intake valves.

[THenne1713]

If I have to use 93 octane, I might consider selling this thing.

<<These are my questions:Is this noise definitely "pinging", or could something else be casuing my noise?
Every time I hear pinging, am I losing power and possibly causing damage to the engine?
Does my engine have a ping detector and how is it supposed to work?
Is this behavior normal for this engine-transmission-chassis combo?
Other than driving everywhere in towing-mode, what else can I try?>>

My v-10 6.8, 4-speed is 20-yo, low mileage (32k when bought, now 42k); My first trip had occasional miss, occasional ping, 1) tried 87, 89, 91, settled at 87 as others made no difference; 2) finally set codes for two cyl for COP changes. 3) This last trip had ZERO PING, but big BANG after big pothole (roadside inspection detected nothing), but found I lost 8-ft tailpipe :-( 4) There is a PING sensor on side of block, assume still used on newer, adjusts timing thru computer; I bought new sensor, but still in spare parts after PING disappeared. 5) Recommend a full cold hands on "shake inspection" of entire exhaust system/ heat shields; "harmonics" maybe the culprit?