Power loss driving in moderate rain

[joes2901]

My 2012 Newmar Bay Star has on 3 occasions lost power when driving in the rain. Oct 17, 2016 raining all day light to short heavy and then moderate rainfall and running at 59 MPH on cruise and climbing mountain on SB I-15 in Utah. 24500 miles on engine & air filter. Losing power, losing speed, cruise quits, WOT and tranny won't downshift, engine seems unresponsive, I back off WOT and finally around 25 to 30 MPH there is some power which slowly increases and speed increases to about 55MPH. Resume cruse and everything is running fine again. The whole event lasted about 5 minutes.


I replaced the air filter. It had only 1,800 miles on it, and on Aug 20 and 21, 2018 it happened again. On the 20th I was driving through numerous cloud bursts and moderate rain. On the 21st it was light to moderate rain all day and then a heavy cloud burst while SB on I-15 in Utah at 63MPH. I could see the big fat rain drops pounding the windshield and then the power loss within a couple of minutes, speed loss and a repeat of the 1st event above. I think the air cleaner gets soaked in moderate rain fall. Is this common in F53 chassis built since 2011?


The lower right of the plastic air filter box on my Bay Star RV has an open 1.5" hole that may be allowing rain to enter and soak the air filter.



Pictures of the 2012 and 2014 chassis show a blue plug in the hole.





Is the plug supposed be always in the hole or is it only used to keep water out when the F53 chassis is transported to the RV manufacturer? Is my RV one of the few that escaped the F53 chassis assembly plant without a blue plug? Is there a FORD fix for rain soaking the air filter? What have others done.


I searched the Internet for the blue plug for a F53 air filter box with no luck. I tried Fairway Ford in Placentia, Calif and the Motorhome repairs part of the outfit saw the above pictures but did not know how to find the blue plug. I tried their parts dept. and they could not find the blue plug on their video monitor with a break out of the F53 chassis.

[Crankshaft]

You are pulling water in through that front port. See this posting, I have pictures in there of the modification I did to the air box.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/ford-...es-378099.html

[TeJay]

joes2901,

If you want to cover the hole buy a PVC cap that fits close and make the air box tube the correct size by wrapping black tape around it and be done with it. You don't need a special factory plug.

Yes the plug is there to keep water, mice, mud dobers, nesting birds etc, etc out because many of those chassis are delivered and set in fields for weeks or months before they are used.

You could also perform what CS did and improve the air intake at the same time.

[Russ Silber]

Originally Posted by TeJay

joes2901,

If you want to cover the hole buy a PVC cap that fits close and make the air box tube the correct size by wrapping black tape around it and be done with it. You don't need a special factory plug.

Yes the plug is there to keep water, mice, mud dobers, nesting birds etc, etc out because many of those chassis are delivered and set in fields for weeks or months before they are used.

You could also perform what CS did and improve the air intake at the same time.

Our 1999 Dutchstar does that at some times in heavy down pours. Raing all day . k&n air filter doesn't get soaked. Still will choke on some water at times. Just ease up on gas and things will return to normal. Ours has the snorkle fix ford came out with. But still some small air crakes around fittings. Sikbed problen sealind seamss
With gorilla tape. Hasnt don it since[emoji16]

[Russ Silber]

Originally Posted by Russ Silber

Our 1999 Dutchstar does that at some times in heavy down pours. Raing all day . k&n air filter doesn't get soaked. Still will choke on some water at times. Just ease up on gas and things will return to normal. Ours has the snorkle fix ford came out with. But still some small air crakes around fittings. Sikbed problen sealind seamss
With gorilla tape. Hasnt don it since[emoji16]

Sorry for spelling couldn't find readers[emoji23]

[ga traveler]

The blue plug is a shipping plug. It is covering a drain port. It is supposed to be removed at the dealership when the motorhome is sold. If you think water is coming in there, I would install a 90 degree elbow and a 6 inch down pipe, to keep water from coming in.

[Dav L]

As another detail, when water gets through the air filter, the mass air flow sensor is what causes the bad running. So, when trying to address the problem, dry out the MAF with MAF specific spray cleaner (not carb cleaner).

[joes2901]

Thanks Dav L,

The problem is Ford's poor design, materials, and workmanship produced an air intake system and air filter that is dangerous and could be deadly for the owner of a motorhome on a Ford F53 chassis and others on a highway.

Ford compounded that dangerous design. It failed to provide a GPS system with maps that only allow the F53 chassis to limp along at 20 to 30 MPH for a few miles when is was raining, the air filter was soaked, and a safe and convenient place to pull off of the 80 MPH Interstate was adjacent to the driver. Then the driver could safely, in the rain with high traffic and trucks going by at 80 MPH, raise the hood, replace the wet air filter, dry the MAF sensor (if tools and parts were available) and re-enter the the 80 MPH flow of traffic.

This is another problem that endangers people on the highways that the NHTSA must be made aware of. Has anyone reported Ford's dangerous design yet?
I plan to do so.


Dav L,

I remember riding a steam train from Detroit to a Scout "Camp Metamora" in the early 1950s. The train stoped in a forest and lots of Boy Scouts with their packs hiked on a dirt trail or road to the campground. I thought is was about a quarter mile from Lake Huron because one stormy night the adults were frantic trying to keep the curious Scouts from going to see what all the big noise from crashing waves was about. The next morning we saw trees, logs, and lots of junk on the beach. I looked at the Mich. map and see Metamora is not near the shore of one of the great lakes, do you recall a Scout "Camp Metamora".

[Dav L]

Hey Joe, 1950s? you got a good memory! Yes, there is a Camp Metamora two miles from me. Right near a nice RV campground. Might go there for Halloween if they still have a spot available as last camping trip of the year.

Yes, the intake design of the F53 leaves something to be desired. I also had the problem on a trip. I did have a scan tool in the vehicle and do have diagnostic background so quickly realized the MAF was providing very irregular readings. I was able to pull of the road, go to an Autozone right off the exit, and put a new air filter and cleaned the MAF and all was right in the world again.

Not sure when you are saying GPS...navigation isn't related at all with engine. Sounds like maybe you are talking about "Limp In Mode" which most fuel injected vehicles support to limit the engine performance when SOME sensor related issues are observed so you can drive off the road (like I did with the wet MAF).

There is a Technical Service Bulletin with a modified air intake for the F53 to address the water intake issue. And a few posts with iRV2 users that have made their own customizations. So, NHTSA by default is already been aware of the issue. The TSB is Ford's way to address before a formal Recall is evaluated by NHTSA.

[joes2901]

Dav L, the GPS paragraph was my attempt to describe driving conditions on highways in the West where towns, off ramps, vehicle services are few and miles between. Most Interstate drivers (except retired drivers in a motorhome) never want to go slower than the speed limit, even when it is raining. The wipers may be running at high speed but the distance they can see and respond to a slow vehicle in front of them is reduced. When over taking a vehicle in front of them at 50 to 60 MPH faster than the overtaken vehicle, and their vision is reduced by rain is not good.



When my air filter is soaked by rain the loss of power, speed, and no response to the accelerator until after a several miles at 20 -30 MPH the F53 chassis feels just like limp home mode except it can miraculously recover and resume normal performance again. After 2 refuelings, overnight in Mesquite, NV, and 650 more miles since the last event, my Scan Gage II reports no codes.